In this show Sally speaks with mother, doula, author and maternity services advocate, Catherine Bell, about the importance of thoroughly exploring your options for life after birth, the postnatal period and having a clear plan in place. As Catherine says "birth is just the beginning" - the beginning of a marathon in the first weeks, months and years of your baby's life, and like all marathons, preparation is necessary to get the most out of this time.

References:

Catherine is the author of The Birth Map, a guide for parents preparing for birth and postnatal life: www.bellabirth.org.

"Matrescence" - the time of "mother-becoming" (Dana Raphael) - https://www.pbbmedia.org/matrescence.html

Safe co-sleeping guidelines - important to set up for this even if you don't intend co-sleeping, as there are very high chances it could happen inadvertently, so you want to make sure it's safe (ie, NOT on the couch): https://cosleeping.nd.edu/

Safe Motherhood for All (check out their First Baby Campaign): https://www.safemotherhoodforall.org.au/

White Ribbon Alliance for reproductive, maternal and newborn health and rights.: https://www.whiteribbonalliance.org/

Anxiety and Depression support: www.panda.org.au, www.beyondblue.org.au, Lifeline: 13 11 14

First aired live on 99.9BayFM in Byron Bay, Australia on 25 May 2020.

Produced and presented by Sally Cusack for PBB Media
Guest: Catherine Bell, www.bellabirth.org

Copyright 2020 PBB Media and Sally Cusack
All rights reserved.

www.pbbmedia.org