Moving Space

Birth PoemRuth PayFebruary 12, 2020poetry, birth, kent doula, maidstone doula, south east london, hypnobirthingComment

What's in my doula bag?

come and see what I take to births...

Ruth PayApril 21, 2019Mother Motherbirth partner, birth stories, kent doula, doula, maidstone doula, doula bagComment

You deserve a doula

This bit is sort of important, maybe you could write this down somewhere, the day you give birth to your son will not be 100% positive. How do I know that?

Thoughts on: Birth in Focus, Becky Reed

Thoughts and reflections on Birth in Focus

birth doula kentRuth PayNovember 26, 2018birth, real birth, doula UK, kent doula, south london doula, sittingbourne doula, ashford doula, tonbridge doula Comments

Thoughts on - Why Mothering Matters, Maddie McMahon

This is the book I want everyone to read.

Ruth PayNovember 20, 2018midwives, guilt, doula uk doula, why doulas matter, doulas, developing doulas, kent doula, , why mothering matters, breastfeeding, tired new mum, south london doula, maddie mcmahon, nhsComment

Thoughts on: The Doula Book, John H. Kennell, Marshall H. Klaus, and Phyllis H. Klaus

Review and reflections on The Doula Book

Ruth PayNovember 5, 2018doula UK, birth, kent doula, rochester doula, medway doula, birth doula, postnatal doula, postnatal ocd, postnatal depression, baby sleep, newborn, new mum, my babyComment

Guest post - Pregnancy Yoga with Hayley

Hayley of Halyley Yoga talks about preparing for birth... Find what FEELS best for you and get informed about birth, rights and options. Ready?

Ruth PayOctober 27, 2018pregnancy, hypnobirthing, birth, medway doula, pregnancy yoga, london doula, south east london, kent doula Comment

Guest post - Mother Mother Doula & The Informed Family. Doulas believe in natural birth, at home, in water, with no drugs. And they will do everything they can to make sure you get that. Right?

A post I wrote for Sarah at The Informed Family on what doulas believe in and the type of births they support.

Ruth PayOctober 14, 2018Mother Mother Doulakent doula, medway maritime hospital, medway doula, rochester doula, rochester breastfeeding, Doula UK, london doula, maidstone doula, birth, medway antenatal classes Comment

Access free, non-judgemental guidance and support with Family Action

Information about Family Action - a free, charity funded support service for parents

Professional developmentRuth PayOctober 8, 2018Mother Mother Doulaparents, support, , family action, parenthood, annonymous support, virtual support, parenting help, out of hours support, free support, kent doula Comments

Gift ideas for a new family

Arranging or attending a baby shower? If you’ve not had kids it can be hard to know what to get a new mother, I’ve got a few tips together from my experience as a mother and a friend of people with new babies.

Doula BusinessRuth PaySeptember 23, 2018Mother Mother Doulapnd, postnatal depression, postnatal doula, newborn, new mother, support for mothers, maternal mental health, kent doula, mother the mother, , breastfeeding, postnatal, medway doula, gift ideasComment

Interviews with people about doulas, birth and babies - 4. Father of an 11 year old

Interview with a father about his experience of birth as a teenager and what his expectations of using a doula would be.

Doula BusinessRuth PayJuly 23, 2018medway childbirth, , medway doula, doulas, medway antenatal classes, parenthood, father, kent doula Comment

Interviews with people about doulas, birth and babies - 3. Mother of a one year old

Interview with a mother of one child under the age of one. She speaks about her experiences in birth and her reservations about having a doula.

Doula BusinessRuth PayJuly 15, 2018Mother Mothermother, mum, families, birth stories, why hire a doula, doula, kent doulaComment

Interviews with people about doulas, birth and babies - 2. Mother of two adults

Interview with a mother of two children in their thirties about the usefulness of doulas during birth.

Doula BusinessRuth PayJuly 8, 2018support, parents, birth stories, parenting, birth trauma, doula, kent doulaComment

Electronic Fetal Monitoring and the dramatic rise in C-sections

Why do we get monitored during labour? Duh. To check if the baby is OK. If their heart rate is normal, they are probably ok. Right?

But here is the issue with that premise: there has been no drop in the number of births with CP, not even when the lower rate of death rate of premature babies is taken into account. EFM has not prevented or reduced the thing it was meant to do.

Professional developmentRuth PayJuly 6, 2018midwives, c-section, cesarean, birth trauma, kent doula, vbac, labour, , pregnancy, birth, all birth is birth, vaginal birth, natural birthComment

Interviews with people about doulas, birth and new born life: 1. Father of a toddler

An interview with a 30 something dad of one about his experience of birth and the usefulness of doulas.

Doula BusinessRuth PayJuly 1, 2018cesarean, dads, birth trauma, doula, birth doula, induction, kent doula, fatherhood, , birth stories, birth, father, fathersComment

Why would anyone pay for that?

The word is spreading and the value of a doula is seen and felt by many more each year, but we have a lot more work to do before a woman's (and her partner's and baby's) right to a birth without trauma is protected as it should be.

Doula BusinessRuth PayApril 9, 2018Mother Motherdoula, birth, antenatal, selfworth, small business, money, benefits, birth trauma, kent doulaComment

Feed me: the impact of a mother's choice to breastfeed. Or not.

I want to talk about feeding babies. More specifically about how mothers want to feed their babies. How they want to feed them but don't.

Ruth PayMarch 18, 2018Mother Motherbreastfeeding, doula, mother, motherhood, rochester doula, london doula, rochester breastfeeding, kent doula, formula feeding, is my baby getting enough milk?, am I breastfeeding right?, how long should I breastfeed?Comment

Well, let's start then

It feels eminently sensible to make sure that I have a profitable company before breaking away from a regular pay check. I have two reservations about that. Scrap that, three reservations;

Doula - Kent & London