Lazy Daisy Blog

    We've been through births, second births, marriages, house moves, bereavements and more birthday parties than a retired clown, but my 10 woman ante-natal group still runs strong after 5 years and 21 babies. Whether its being part of a big group, or finding a best mum mate, peer support as a new mum can be invaluable in helpin ...

According to NHS maternity statistics, C sections represented 24.8% of births in 2010-11.  However you plan to give birth, good antenatal preparation should explore every option, so that you feel in control of whatever happens. There has been a move to empower women having both emergency and planned C sections and much of this centres on makin ...

  Inspired by Penny's blog on birthing partners  Birth Partners and Last Weeks TV yesterday, I thought I would put pen to paper and come up with my top ten tips for birthing partners. I have been in the fortunate position of being a birth partner at 10 different births - all very different:  some at home, some at hospital, one endi ...

  I confess last week was the first time I have watched One Born Every Minute, but I was hooked, I was emotional, I was wincing, I was cheering and I was in tears when the babies arrived. The episode profiled a mum who refused to let her husband in the delivery room, instead favouring her mum as birth partner, and a mum who had her partner, ...

Stretching body and mind for a happy mum and a happy baby The gentle upward stretch and half moon routine demonstrated in this video clip is a nice variation to the standard 'chest opener' you probably use in your weekly Daisy Birthing classes, and will really benefit your body. We space make a lot like this in Daisy classes, but why?  ..... ...

Meet a mum (and teacher!): - Spotlight on Emma in Bristol   This week I was delighted to be able to interview Emma Walters, our Daisy Birthing® teacher in Portishead and Bristol.  Emma was delighted to talk to me about her experiences of having two early babies and her experiences of teaching Daisy Birthing now .....   Hi Emma, ...

High Waisted Trousers - Hooray!   Jess blogs about, joy of joys, discovering high waisted trousers are back in fashion - us mums who are proud of muffin tops love jeans which suck us in.  Do you have a fab or favourite brand (or perhaps you make / stock these wonders) ..... let us know?   Our Top Postnatal Exercise ...

Sometimes babies can be so incredibly distracting... As I stared into the bewitching eyes of my friend's just-fed-and-happy 3 week old baby last week, it hit me I still needed inspiration for this post. But I was so utterly hooked by her beautiful button nose, tiny eyes and little fingers, I couldn't think of anything. 'Shall we ask you mummy?' I ...

Those early days with a new baby are foggy .....   ..... you struggle through feeling like a ship at the mercy of the tides, no sight of land, no real bearings.  You battle the ill winds of opinion and advice, who would seek to steal your ship and set her on a different course.  There are storms, dark nights where you cli ...

  Back away from that lady, she's gonna blow!   Nobody said it out loud but I could tell that's what they were thinking, as I waddled through Lagos airport carrying a suspicious package under my shirt. I was en route to join my husband in London and, despite being only 31 weeks pregnant, I looked ready to pop.  ... ...

How to Name your Baby   I was 5 months pregnant when my baby daddy called me and said he'd come up with the perfect name for our first son: Ezra.   It felt so right and made the baby already kicking and tumbling inside somehow even more tangible.... ...

After training with Lazy Daisy in April 2011, Teresa opens a full time provision   I am so excited about opening my own venue to run Lazy Daisy® classes.   There seems to be a shortage of decent studio/hall space in the area so after being messed about by several venues and struggling to fit in with other peoples timetables, opening my ...

How do I run my own mini Lazy Daisy Ltd and not only teach, but recruit my own team of teachers too?   We are delighted to confirm we now have 26 UK Lazy Daisy® sectors in place and ready for Sector Managers to run them under franchise agreement with the Head Office!   The Story So Far .... Up until now all applicants have joined Laz ...

We are delighted to team up with Jo Jo Maman Bebe, one of our fav baby store   From April 2012, Jo Jo Maman Bebe and Lazy Daisy® will be working together to promote fantastic mother and baby products and great classes too! Visitors to Jo Jo Maman Bebe stores will find framed Daisy Birthing and Daisy Baby literature displaye ...

  Muscle Memory is a wonderful thing …. and never ceases to amaze me! Yesterday 15 recruits joined us for the 1st day of their practical training.  Yes some of them were former Lazy Daisy® mums themselves, and yes we have been working on written assignments and virtually for the past 2 months, but the real amazement to me is that 2pm y ...

  In an interview with Natural Childbirth's Elizabeth Jones, I was asked about daisy, family and PND ... Here is just a short extract By Elizabeth Jones 07 Feb 2012 Julie Long founded Daisy Birthing in 2004 and since then has gone from strength to strength. Having had five children herself, trained as a HypnoBirthing practitioner and in pr ...

Here we go again.   Another major parenting spat has grabbed the headlines, inspired by a book called The Conflict by French 'PR billionaire' author Elisabeth Badinter. Apparently she claims that modern women are 'enslaved' by motherhood and need to be unshackled from oppressive forces such as attachment parenting, breastfeeding on demand, ...

  What does Mother's Day mean to you? Waking up to half-burnt toast and handmade cards covered in crayon hearts? A special meal?   The anticipation of somebody calling you 'Mummy' for the very first time? If this is your Mother's Day debut - whether you're hugging a bump or a baby - you might experience that inner glow, a feeling of b ...

  An Ode to Mothers Day(A poem for my dearly missed mum and for my much loved babies)   What came first birthing or mothers? To celebrate one, we have to celebrate the other... ...

  My name is Uju and I'm a blog evangelist.   You won't find me on street corners preaching the gospel of Wordpress.  But you might hear me nudging other mums in conversation, 'You should get into blogging...'  You see, I'm a true believer. I believe blogging can be not only a sanity-saver, but a game-changer for new mums es ...

What is it about Gwyneth Paltrow that sticks in the throat? Is it the Renaissance woman smugness: Oscar winner! Earth mama! Lifestyle guru! Domestic goddess!  The glacial, prom queen sheen? Or are we ever so slightly jealous that at 40 with two kids she's gone from macrobiotic string bean to uber hottie with the likes of Madonna and Beyonc ...

Meet a mum and meet a teacher ......   This week we break the mould and hope you will forgive us for giving a wonderful Lazy Daisy® teacher the chance to talk about her life, her local business and her time with Lazy Daisy .... and a thriving Lazy Daisy business in Scotland!   DaisyRadioEpisode5-Sian-Gilmartin by LazyDaisyC ...

My Daisy Birth This week Sophie talks to mum of two Emma Coburn, about her own Daisy Birth, about motherhood in general and her top birthing tips. Emma reflects on attending NCT classes during her 1st pregnancy, on Gina Ford and her parenting book and on her experiences of Daisy Birthing® with Nicky Woodhatch, our Guildford teacher. The session ...

This week is a tear jerker but with a really powerful message! We are absolutely delighted that this week Sophia Mason, founder of foetal monitoring charity Count The Kicks, was able to find time in her hugely hectic schedule to talk to our resident presenter Sophie. We won't soft soap ladies - at times this can be highly emotional listening but ...

Meet Uju of http://babesabouttown Uju has already created a real buzz and following on the Lazy Daisy® site with her sparky posts (such as Is Parenthood the Death of Cool?) as she writes and reflects on life as a mum to two boys! We knew therefore, that her interview with our resident presenter and fellow mum Sophie would be really fun and i ...

What a treat from Daisy Radio this week...   Meet our resident presenter Sophie T, as she not only talks about her own experiences of childbirth but interviews mummy and blogger (and indeed regular contributor to the Lazy Daisy blogs) Mrs Penny Alexander. Sophie takes Penny's blog Reach out and touch me published earlier this month, as ...

Another Daisy Mum Blogs ...... .... not only about her journey in Lazy Daisy® antenatal classes but also about her pregnancy and her hopes for her birth! Due to the popularity of our pregnancy and birth video diary series with much loved Daisy Birthing® mum Jess, we jumped at the chance of featuring Yorkshire based mum Lucy.  Lucy has n ...

Life with a six week old baby! Jess talks about the highs and lows of her first weekend away with a 6 week old baby in tow ..... (and tot at home) This week she is also missing home and her own mum in Oz, and as a new mum reflects on family.    ... ...

Easter, tots and family get togethers! This week Jess blogs about her perfect family Easter, hunting for eggs and how she pretended to be pregnant in the butchers!!!! So how can we make sure people don't mistake us for being pregnant post birth?!?  Jess shares tips on her favourite cream Mama Mio    ... ...

Siblings and Sickness and Baby Soothing!   This week Jess reflects on night feeds whilst poorly and on her top parenting tips, including how to help your older child adjust to a new baby.  There is a great post too from our resident writer Penny Alexander, which looks at books which can be useful Best books for siblings to be Jess ...

Tummy's and Babies! A really interesting video blog from Jess this week, in which she explores the topic of split recti muscles! This is a beneficial watch for any mum-to-be, but will also be of huge interest to our teachers, as of course many of our Daisy Birthing moves will help prevent the recti muscles splitting too early and our postnatal mo ...

  Finding your Pregnancy Symmetry In our Daisy Radio antenatal podcast Daisy Radio - 2 of 6 Episodes (Series 1) last week, we considered the importance of balance to the uterus (womb).  This is something we work on a huge amount in our weekly antenatal classes. Think of a hammock tied to two trees and how important it is that the ropes ...

  About to become a dad? Fantastic! It’s the best thing you’ll ever do. Ready for it? No, neither am I! My second child is due in just four weeks’ time and, having been there, seen it and done it – and had plenty of baby sick on the proverbial T-shirt too, of course – once before, I believe that you’re never truly ready until the baby arrives ...

The role of role play!   Following on from my round up of Best books for siblings to be, role play is a brilliant way to explore younger children's feelings about a new arrival and to help them prepare.  As a drama teacher I've really enjoyed watching my children begin to act out their own versions of the world, and I know what a p ...