Welcome!
To my new and shiny webpage, home to all things WildFlower!
I have a little introduction about me on the initial page of my website but I thought for my first blog post I would share a little more here.
As you may know my name is Katie, I am a Midwife working in the Hampshire area and have been practising Midwife for around 4 years now. I started my career initially as a Nurse before continuing my professional development and training as a Midwife.
I LOVE my job. The connections I create with the families I meet are a joy. For me, it is a privilege supporting a family throughout pregnancy, labour and postnatally. I primarily work with families that require extra support in some way and provide them with case-loading care.
With any job there are extremely tough days and there are also days where I walk home on cloud nine full of oxytocin from witnessing a mother birth her baby into the world.
The pure joy of watching two people, who created this beautiful baby, get to know their baby and have those first family moments is truly a blessing to bear witness to.
But (there is always a but), with working within the healthcare system long shifts are required, staying way passed your finishing time, not getting breaks, burn out – these are all part and parcel of the job. It is something you are signing up for when you choose the healthcare field, in whatever role that may be.
So, something is needed to support you with this, hobbies and social interaction outside of work, these things are essential in getting to know Katie, the person outside of the role as a Midwife.
This is where yoga stepped in to help me. Like many others I too have suffered in terms of my mental health and have never considered what other options there were out there for me in terms of support. A colleague introduced me to my first Bikram yoga class, from then on I was hooked.
I moved to a different city and I started hot yoga classes. I initially thought the more spiritual side of yoga just really wasn’t for me. But the more I turned up on that mat, the more I wanted to know.
In 2018 I undertook my Pregnancy and Postnatal Yoga Teacher Training with Sally Parkes in Hove. These two weekends were wonderful, spending time with women who shared a passion for yoga and the power of the female body.
I have taught pregnancy yoga for around two years now and postnatal for around a year.
Pregnancy Yoga has become more popular over the years, with mums recognising more and more the benefits of movement throughout pregnancy. But what I find most beneficial is for support in the emotional sense. This is a new journey they are embarking on, physical changes are occurring, emotional changes, excitement, anticipation. Yoga provides the tools to support mums in the form of not just asana but gentle pranayama, yoga nidra and relaxation tools. For some mum’s this is where they are first introduced to hypnobirthing.
My passion for the postnatal period is in providing women with a safe space where they can surrender to the fears, stresses and struggles that can occur within the postnatal period and let this expression out through movement.
Yoga is healing and the postnatal period is often overlooked, it is a time of emotional healing, as well as physical. It is assumed that women are programmed to continue as ‘normal.’
But the reality is things are no longer ‘normal’. There are so some many things to consider in this time - the new title of ‘mum’, changes to the body, hormones – the list goes on.
The postnatal classes provide a haven for mums to meet, to talk, discuss, move, heal, and be held, the mat is always a provider of a safe space.
I could talk about midwifery and yoga all day it is something I am so passionate about. I hope as you get to know me on your yoga journey I can support you in any period of your journey into motherhood.
Namaste
Kate x