NESTLondon

Did you know that hypnosis can help with conception? When you're anxious and stressed your body goes into fight flight mode, shutting down anything that isn't vital to your survival. Your body may not feel that it's safe to bring a baby into the world and so reproduction can be slowed down or even shut down. Reducing stress levels will help to balance your hormones and create a 'safe' place for your baby to come to. For those embarking on treatment, hypnotherapy will make the journey more positive and again create an environment that is'safe' and ready for successful conception and pregnancy. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-149826/Hypnotism-gave-baby-I-longed-for.html Please visit www.nestlondon.com for more information or a confidential chat with our Clinical Hypnotherapist, Kristin Hayward. She will be pleased to answer any questions you may have. www.nestlondon.com - your local team of midwives & therapists, specialising in fertility, pregnancy, birth & early years

Are you gearing up for labour and the birth? Many women successfully use Homeopathy to help them achieve their goal of a natural birth. You can too. This link from the British Homeopathic Association suggests remedies for a variety of situations including false labour, preparing for delivery, early labour, immediately after the delivery and after pains. http://www.britishhomeopathic.org/bha-charity/how-we-can-help/articles/labour-and-childbirth/ NESTLondon are a local group of specialists with experience in and a passion for the areas of fertility, pregnancy and parenthood. Check our wesite for further information at: [www.nestlondon.com]

Saffron, thank you for raising that very useful point about postnatal depression. I agree that PND goes undiagnosed far too often and that too many mothers suffer in silence, alone and with an unnecessary sense of shame and guilt. It is shocking to me that mental health in general is such a taboo and PND in particular, because having a baby is sold to women like a time when they should be happy and gratified, no matter what. What I suppose the NICE guidelines are trying to do quite badly is make a distinction between 'baby blues' and PND. Baby blues tends to develop straight after birth (up to ten days) due to hormonal changes, the need to adjust to a new life phase, the demands of a new baby, an unprecedented amount of tiredness and lack of sleep, etc. It consists of mild symptoms which are manageable and normally go away on their own. It is so common now that is is considered normal. I would say the operational word here is manageable. PND is instead a mental illness which develops slightly later (up to six weeks) with much more severe symptoms which are unmanageable and just doesn't go away by themselves. It presents itself with the usual signs of depression plus some specific ones like thoughts of harming the baby which can be frightening and incomprehensible, making PND even more of a taboo to talk about. And as you say, this is when, sometime, undiagnosed and untreated PND can lead to psychosis with grave consequences. I urge every mother who experiences persistent unmanageable symptoms to talk to their health visitors, midwives, or GP all of whom should have access to the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale questionnaire. PND is not a sign you have failed in any way or that you are less of a mother. It is a common mental health condition that affects almost a third of all mothers especially if they have a history of previous mental health, abuse, low self esteem and have no support. Seeking help is a sign of strength and care for yourself and your baby. Talking to someone is the first step to feeling better. Barbara, from NestLondon

There are important conditions to be aware of for mothers and babies as many conditions are easier to treat if women realise sooner they are at risk of becoming unwell, so it is vital this information gets to them early Signs the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) says women should be told to look out for include heavy or persistent vaginal bleeding, fever, a rash, headaches, shortness of breath, pain or swelling in the legs, vulval or perineal areas, and difficulty or pain in passing urine. In babies, symptoms include a temperature above 38C, a rash, feeding less than usual, floppiness, grunting while breathing and nappies being much drier than usual. It's useful to be aware of the NICE guidelines of the most severe complications. Hopefully, these will not be relevant for you but forewarned is forearmed. The relevant pages contained in the NICE guidelines which have advice on life-threatening conditions for mothers and babies start on page 22: http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/10988/30143/30143.pdf NESTLondon are a local group of specialists in their chosen fields with experience in and a passion for the areas of fertility, pregnancy and parenthood. Check our wesite for further information at: [www.nestlondon.com]