My father was a veterinary doctor in Mooi River in 1956 when he and my mother got married. The veterinary surgery was in the village, and they rented a cottage on a nearby farm, called Mount West. Continue reading
Homebirth
The Flow of Life in Pregnancy and Birth
Everything we see and feel and do is about movement and flow. We watch daily the movement of the sun from one horizon to the opposite horizon, we feel the wind tug at our bodies as we walk outside, see the flight of birds from one point in the blue sky to another. Each night the milky way of stars makes its rotation, or is it ours. Continue reading
Homebirth in S.A.
Little did I realise, 34 years ago, that giving birth to my baby at home was an exceptional event. For me giving birth at home seemed the most natural choice. After all, my ancestors had given birth for centuries with midwives in their homes. It felt right. I found a traditional midwife to assist me: a solid quiet woman who gave me confidence and did not rush me. Continue reading
Shoulder Dystocia Workshops Cape Town, PMB and Durban 2015
I am holding a series of workshops across South Africa covering all you need to know as a birth professional to effectively manage cases of Shoulder Dystocia, beginning in April 2015.
Shoulder Dystocia describes cases during birth where a baby requires an assisted manoeuvre in order to allow the baby’s shoulders to pass through the birth canal. Understanding the specific causes of Shoulder Dystocia and learning how to assist a baby caught in this predicament can dramatically reduce Continue reading
Natural Birth Instincts and Positions
It has been more than a year since I attended the Midwifery Today Conference in Brussels in November 2013 and then went on the spend time with Michel Odent at his Doula Workshop in Barcelona. Continue reading
The Homebirth of Twins: Skye and Eden
Vivienne and Andre Du Preez gave birth to twins Skye and Eden at their home in Muizenberg on the 12th April 2014. It was the ecstatic culmination of many years of planning and 9 months of carefully preparing and carrying the twins after they were conceived.
Vivienne always knew she wanted a homebirth and was even more determined after she learnt she was carrying twins, and especially as Vivienne herself had been born at home. Vivienne was super fit during the pregnancy practicing yoga and belly dancing daily in between swimming and long walks on the beach. Headstands were practiced until 34 weeks of the pregnancy. Continue reading
Is Midwifery a Dying Art?
The following was originally posted on Facebook, but received such an overwhelming response that I felt it was worth posting on my website too. Below the original post about midwives’ and doulas’ seemingly different levels of recognition by the public in general, I have included the first couple of hours’ worth of Facebook comments Continue reading