#1 You are the expert of your own body and baby, not the doctor.  

Doctors are great in troubleshooting when something might be wrong, but we aren't an awful lot of good when things are going right.   

A mother's fierce sense of protection and intuition is strong during pregnancy and the postpartum days, so lean into it, trust it, develop it and don't lose it after the baby 😊. I found this intuition and power super good for business 😊. 

Husbands, your job is to revere, support and respect this.  (Notice I did not say for husbands to understand this because the fact is, they can NEVER TRULY do, and that is the nature of men from Mars and us being from Venus.)

#2 You do not need 99 scans to know your baby is doing okay.  

Quick and dirty:  As long as you're feeling nauseous and slightly uncomfortable, YOUR BABY IS THERE.   (The joy in suffering?)

1st pregnancy, I scanned like mad, and even allowed my doc to use the ultrasound probe to shake the baby, poke my belly in order to take cute 3D pictures of my son.  

2nd pregnancy just a nuchal scan at 12 weeks and the body part one at 20 weeks because my gynae needed that to reassure himself.

3rd one:  Nuchal scan?  What for?  I will love a down syndrome baby just the same.  20 week scan...maybe.  But I will also love them if they had 6 or 7 fingers... but OKAY, it's going to be my only scan in the whole pregnancy and this structural info will help in planning the labour.  

Your journey and personal preferences might be wholly different, but my point is, despite your doctor's "standard operating procedure", you have your personal preferences and definitely have a choice in this matter.  

#3 The dreaded 28-week glucose tolerance test.  

1st pregnancy, did it "as per doctor's protocol" and almost vomited.  2nd pregnancy, baby and tummy simple wasn't abnormally big so I asked to skip the test.  3rd pregnancy, meh!  no need.  

So unless you have had a history of Gestational diabetes, Diabetes, or a strong family history of it, then it's a good idea.  If not, then do not drink that glowing orange colour pure glucose solution because it might just give you diabetes even if you didn't already have it 😂 

#4  Do I need a doula?

I'll say one thing.  People who have had a doula tend to always get doulas, and people who never have had one tend to find it easier to accept the "norm" of what a birth experience looks like.

Doulas are birth workers and are women who journey with you during the pregnancy and commit to attending your labour and postpartum care.  She is a longitudinal advocate for you when your energy might be the lowest/have a blind spot in your nutrition/selfcare/hydration...

In this day and age where there isn't a true village set up with the local birthing lady, hiring a doula is the next best if not better thing.  

Advocacy, prenatal and postnatal care, and someone to watch and care for you, encourage you during the birth, is something not all mothers, mothers in laws and husbands can take full responsibility for.  They will also tend to have a background of experience, a network of specialists and practitioners, and a wealth of wisdom and love for the job.  

In my courses are a good number of the type of doulas who take the time to upskill themselves with courses in functional medicine, so hit reply if you ever need a recommendation.

#5 Attend the Vibrant Pregnancy Course with me!  

The best one in the world now is by international midwife and author Red Miller, starting 17 Nov for 5 weeks.  Participate online with other empowered mummies, expand your network of support and set the tone for your glorious motherhood journey!