A smiling woman with long blonde hair in a braid, wearing a multicolored sweater and a chunky wooden bead necklace, standing outdoors with shrubs and mountains in the background.

Welcome to my Birth Info Collection

A space for women and families to feel informed, supported and inspired throughout pregnancy, birth and the early weeks of parenthood.

Here I share articles on everything from birth preparation, hormones and movement, to postnatal recovery, breastfeeding, emotional wellbeing, birth culture and birth in the news.

My aim is to make evidence-based information feel accessible and human
— blending science, body wisdom and years of experience supporting families as a Doula (
Birth Companion), teacher and massage therapist here in the Forest of Dean.

Take your time, explore what resonates, and if you’d like to work together,
you can find my latest classes and support options here.

The term “women” is used here in relation to biological sex.
I recognise and support people of diverse gender identities, and aim to include and welcome everyone with lived experience of pregnancy and birth


Topic Index

I am working on categorising all my writing to make it easier for you to access - in the next few weeks each of these will link to the articles I have written
- let me know if you are looking for something in particular, I may be able to direct you, answer questions or write something new!

Birth Choices | Home Birth | Freebirth | Hospital Birth | Birth Centre | Water Birth | Physiological Birth | Natural Birth | Birth Plans | Maternity Rights | Informed Consent

Labour & Birth | Induction of Labour | Labour Interventions | ARM / Breaking the Waters | CTG Monitoring | Caesarean Birth | VBAC | Breech Birth | Twin Birth | Baby Positioning | Birth Biomechanics

Pregnancy Topics | Nutrition | Iron | Low Iron | Anaemia | Blood Tests | Supplements | Vitamin D | Folate | Vegan Pregnancy | Keto Pregnancy | Antibiotics | GBS | Microbiome | Waters Breaking / PROM | Older Mothers | Young Mothers | Pre-eclampsia | Growth Scans | Gestational Diabetes | PAPP-A | PCOS | Thyroid Conditions | Graves’ Disease | Pregnancy Complications

Pregnancy Complaints | Pelvic Pain | Sleeplessness | Restless Legs | Back Pain | Heartburn | Nausea | Morning Sickness | Swelling | Cramps | Fatigue | Anxiety in Pregnancy

Wellbeing & Holistic Health | Self-Care | Herbal Wisdom | Herbs for Pregnancy | Herbs for Birth | Herbs for Postnatal Recovery | Herbal Teas | Seasonal Herbs | Foraging | Kitchen Medicine | Traditional Remedies | Nourishing Infusions | Raspberry Leaf | Sitz Baths | Yoni Steaming | Labour Massage Oils | Postnatal Baths | Womb Wisdom | Cycle Wisdom | Women’s Wellness | Folk Medicine | Plant Wisdom | Pregnancy Massage | Shiatsu | Reflexology | Pregnancy Yoga | Relaxation | Rebozo | Hormones | Oxytocin | Rites of Passage | Rituals

Support in Birth| Doulas | Birth Companion | Antenatal Classes | Partners | Birth Partners | Relaxation | Pregnancy Yoga | Pregnancy Massage | Shiatsu | Reflexology | Hormones | Oxytocin

Postnatal & Baby | Breastfeeding | Babywearing | Sling Support | Postnatal Support | Postnatal Recovery | Bonding | Fourth Trimester | Birth Trauma

Baby Loss, Death & Rites of Passage | Baby Loss | Miscarriage | Stillbirth | Abortion | Death | Rites of Passage | Rituals

Stories & Local Advocacy | Birth Stories | Gloucestershire Maternity | Forest of Dean | Stroud Maternity | Gloucester Birth Unit | Home Birth Suspension | NHS Accountability | FOI | Community & Events | Personal Reflections

Remembering How to Hold Women: Closing the Bones in Community

At Sun and Moon Festival, women gathered to experience Closing the Bones, rebozo work and the extraordinary feeling of being truly held. What unfolded was a beautiful remembering of ceremony, community and the ways women can nurture one another.

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Fish Skin, Grief and Rewilding Women: Medicine Festival 2026

From fish skin tanning and animal craft to a Closing the Bones circle shared by thirty women from around the world, Medicine Festival became a powerful experience of remembering—our instinctive knowledge, our relationship with death and the wisdom already held within our bodies.

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When a Pregnancy Ends: Supporting a Miscarriage Naturally

Miscarriage is not necessarily a medical event. It is a birth, a death, a physical process and an experience of grief.

This guide explores natural or expectant miscarriage, including how long you may choose to wait, signs that medical help is needed, and ways to prepare and care for your body. It also considers homeopathy, shiatsu, nourishing food, loving touch, ceremony and the importance of being properly held through pregnancy loss.

You do not have to navigate miscarriage alone.

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When Maternity Services Feel Unstable — What Women Can Do Now

With Gloucestershire’s home-birth service suspended and maternity wards under strain, many women are asking what to do next. This guide explores practical steps to restore calm and confidence — from nourishing your body and preparing intentionally for birth, to understanding your rights and creating your own continuity of care. Whether you choose to stay home, switch Trusts, or hire a doula or independent midwife, you do have options. Birth is powerful — and so are you.

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⭐️ Free ⭐️ Birth Companion & Advocacy Support for POC, Vulnerable & Minority Communities in the Forest of Dean

Becoming a parent is a big moment — and everyone deserves support, safety, and respect. Each month, I’m offering one free Doula (Birth Companion) & Advocacy place for someone in the Forest of Dean from a minority or migrant community — such as Romanian, Indian, Polish, Zimbabwean, refugee/asylum-seeking and other under-represented families.

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PAPP-A - Part 2, Placental Physiology, and the Science of Growth

This second part dives deeper into the science behind PAPP-A and the Insulin-Like Growth Factor system — exploring how placental enzymes, blood flow, and vascular growth interact throughout pregnancy.
Aimed at birthkeepers and midwives (but valuable for anyone curious), it unpacks the research, physiology, and evidence behind how lifestyle, nourishment, and calm continue to shape placental health long after the first trimester. 🌿

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Emma Gleave Emma Gleave

Low PAPP-A: What It Really Means and How to Support Your Placenta Naturally

Being told you have low PAPP-A can sound worrying, but it isn’t a diagnosis — it’s a marker of how your placenta is developing.
This enzyme helps build blood vessels and nourish your baby, and its function can be supported naturally through food, movement, rest, and calm.
Understanding how your body works turns fear into empowerment — your placenta is alive, responsive, and still growing with you. 🌿

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The Truth About Continuous Monitoring – What Really Improves Birth Outcomes

Continuous monitoring (CTG) is one of the most common interventions in modern maternity care — yet it hasn’t been shown to make birth safer. Evidence shows it increases intervention rates, restricts movement, and undermines confidence.
What does improve outcomes is continuity, connection, and trust — the kind of support once offered by village midwives and birth companions. This blog explores what the research really says about CTG, and how women can take back their power through homebirth, skilled support, and radical responsibility.

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PCOS, Pregnancy & Insulin Resistance: What It Means and How to Support Yourself

Living with PCOS can make pregnancy feel full of questions. What does it mean for your health, your baby, and your birth choices? In this blog I explain what PCOS is, how it can affect pregnancy (including a slightly higher chance of complications like pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes), and — most importantly — the gentle, practical steps including yoga for pcos pregnancy, you can take to support your body.

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Shrouding - An Ancient Ritual

This week I experienced something profound — being shrouded. For thousands of years, families cared for their loved ones in this way at home, just as naturally as we swaddle our babies or wrap women during pregnancy and after birth. These simple acts of wrapping are not just rituals, they are deeply human ways of offering support, love, and closure.

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Real Nutrition in Pregnancy: Beyond Supplements, Towards Real Food

Pregnancy is one of the most nutritionally demanding times in life. Your body is building not only a baby, but also a placenta, an expanded blood supply, and the reserves you’ll need for birth and breastfeeding. While modern advice often says “just take a prenatal,” the truth is deeper: nutrient density and bioavailability matter most.

In this blog, I explore why certain nutrients — like choline, DHA, iron, zinc, and collagen — are almost impossible to get in sufficient amounts from a vegan diet, and why cravings for animal foods during pregnancy are signs of your body’s wisdom, not weakness. We’ll look at the gaps in vegan nutrition research, the dangers of modern monocropped grains, and how ancestral, wild, and locally-sourced foods can provide everything you and your baby need to thrive.

✨ Plus: a free Yoga Nidra meditation to help you release food guilt, trust your cravings, and reconnect with your body’s instincts.

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Maternity Rights - Paid Time Off Work for Antenatal Classes

It’s often seen as strong to carry on performing at work during pregnancy — but it takes even greater strength to pause, say no, and put your health and your baby’s wellbeing first.

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Pregnancy Yoga: The Evidence Every Midwife Should Know

Pregnancy yoga isn’t just stretching — evidence shows it reduces stress, improves sleep, and can even shorten labour. This blog brings together key research midwives should know, with a free evidence PDF to download.

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🩸Effective Iron Support🤰🏽

Tiredness in pregnancy doesn’t always mean low iron — sometimes it’s just your body adjusting. Standard iron tablets are often poorly absorbed and hard on digestion, but there are kinder, more effective options. In this blog, I explore Spatone, Floradix, nettle tea, and iron-rich foods, plus other causes of fatigue in pregnancy, and how practices like yoga, massage, and relaxation can help you feel more energised and supported.

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