When I was pregnant with my first baby I decided I was going to have a natural birth.

My first mistake was telling anyone and everyone.

I got so many negative and unsupportive comments that it left me feeling flat and questioning my own sanity for trying to attempt it at all.

Luckily I have a super supportive family, who reminded me that it didn’t matter what other people thought. I knew I was doing what I thought was right for me and my baby.

But, it got me thinking about pregnancy etiquette and what’s REALLY appropriate to say to a pregnant women, especially one who’s preparing to go al-natural during labour.

Here’s some ANNOYING comments that I had … (and I’m guessing you’ve probably heard too) that I believe you should NEVER say to a pregnant woman who’s preparing for a natural childbirth.

1) “You don’t have to be a hero”

Yes, thanks for that, I was planning on donning a red cape while I go into labour. I think it will match my birthday suit perfectly.

But seriously, I’m not trying to be a hero, I’m trying to do what best for me and my baby. My understanding is that birth is normal and natural.

However, if something unexpected arises then I’m super grateful to have trained professionals to help me out.

2) “Just do what the doctor tells you sweety”

Ugghhh! … actually, I’ll get informed and ask questions using my B.R.A.I.N.

B – What are the BENEFITS?

R – What are the RISKS?

A – What are the ALTERNATIVES?

I – What’s my INTUITION telling me?

N – Do NOTHING and ask for more time (as long as there’s no emergency)

Sometimes by asking these questions you may find out that the REAL reason a doctor is requesting certain things happen during a time frame is so they can go home early because it’s Friday afternoon. Trust me. It happens.

3) “Hahaha … oh honey, you’ll be begging for the drugs when you’re in the delivery suite!”

Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t, but I’m still gonna try.

4) “There’s no prize for doing it natural you know!”

Well, technically we all get the best prize of all – a beautiful baby!

But, my prize was knowing that I did everything possible in my power to birth my baby as safely and comfortably as possible.

Many mothers who prepare for a gentle and natural births also report having very calm babies and find their transition into motherhood fairly easy compared to women who haven’t prepared. That sounds like a pretty cool prize too.

5) Why don’t you just have the drugs?

Hmmm … where do I start?

In a nutshell:

• Pain-killing medications aren’t 100% effective

• Some don’t work at all

• And … there are risks and side effects (for mother and baby) to taking any drug while pregnant and during labour. (Did your doctor tell you that part?)
  

If I need the drugs, I will take them and be OK with it, but if I can avoid them, GREAT!

PLUS … I know that we have a whole resource of pain-killing drugs in our own bodies called HORMONES.

Some of these hormones wok better than any drug ever designed.

We all have them, but most people just don’t know how to access them.

If I can access those natural pain-killing hormones during labour, wouldn’t it be safer for me and my baby to use these, rather than injecting artificial medications that may or may not work?

And … a Special BONUS Thing NEVER To Say To A Pregnant Woman Who’s Preparing For A Natural Birth:

“Oh my labour was the worst! … blah, blah, blah (insert traumatic birth story here in excruciating detail)

Awesome, thanks so much for sharing your traumatic birth story with me. I’m giving birth in a few weeks and I feel so much better now … (said no pregnant woman EVER).

Seriously, I get it, birth can be horrible for many women and that really does break my heart to hear horrible birth stories.

But … can I just give a word of advice?

Don’t relive your terrible birth in front of a pregnant woman.

It just doesn’t help her in ANY way.

In fact, I bet it made YOU feel better, because you got to vent your frustrations and release some of the negative energy you’re still holding over that day.

But guess who is quietly freaking out on the inside?

Yep, the pregnant woman you just told.

And … she waiting until she can go home, shut herself in her bedroom and cry like a baby because now she’s so FREAKIN’ scared of giving birth.

Get it?

That’s exactly what happened to me.

And … I know many other pregnant women who feel EXACTLY the same way.

Just remember, birth is NATURAL and NORMAL.

And … there are many simple things you can do to create a positive day for you and your baby.

Listening to positive birth affirmations is a great place to start. The GentleBirth kit has some great audio tracks you can download to your iPod right away.

I hope you found this list helpful, even if it just gave you a giggle or made you feel like you’re not alone. Maybe you could pass it on to some of your friends and family and they’ll finally get the hint

OR … can I add something else to the list?

What stupid things did people say to you when you were pregnant and preparing for a natural birth?

Leave your answer in the comments below.

Much Love,

Tracey Rose is a journalist, natural childbirth educator and mother of two. Her story of safe, natural and pain-free birthing has inspired thousands of women all around the world to get educated about ALL the options in childbirth. Get your FREE Videos on how to go from being Scared S#*tless about to being EXCITED!!! about your birth HERE.

I have to admit I am pretty jealous of “foodies”

You know, those people who actually LIKE cooking.

You may be one of them or perhaps you’re not. Unfortunately, I am not.

I’m jealous of them because they actually enjoy cooking and all that stuff … and I wish I did too, but to be honest I just find it boring.

There’s plenty of things I’d rather be doing such as playing with my kids, going for a walk, studying … even sleeping.

In fact I used to hate cooking so much that:

• I ate pre-packaged food most of the time or I would eat out.
• If anyone talked about cooking, I would totally zone out
• I detested cooking shows
• And … when my mum suggested I get a slow cooker my response was … “Slow cooking! I don’t even like fast cooking!”

But I am changing … slowly.

I am learning to find it interesting, but still not that fun.

However, now I’m a mum.

I want to eat yummy food, but I don’t want to spend my money on going out to get food … PLUS I want to provide healthy and fresh food for my kids.

Also, my daughter has cystic fibrosis and coeliac, so we have to add and avoid very specific things for her diet.

But that got me thinking …. surely I’m not the only mother that finds cooking a chore (and a bore), but still wants to eat healthy and feed her family?

So, whenever I come across a recipe that is:

1. Super simple
2. Super healthy
   
3. Super yummy … that makes my life easier I will share them on here.
   

I will label them ANTI-COOKING so you don’t have to pretend to like cooking – lol.

So here goes!

Here’s the first recipe guaranteed to make your life easier.

Better still make one to put in the fridge for the next couple of days and another in the freezer for later.

I’m a fan of bulk cooking because I’d rather cook more than enough, so I don’t have to be in the kitchen as often – clever huh!

Zuchinni Rice Slice

PREP TIME: 10 mins

COOKING TIME: 35 mins

SERVES: 4 big people or more little people 

(Recipe taken from Coles Supermarket catalogue, but I have changed it to suit our family)

INGREDIENTS

6  x Organic Eggs

300 grams Cooked brown rice (I have brown rice cooked up in the rice cooker all the time as we are a gluten free family, so this is our staple. If you can’t be bothered to cook rice or are short on time, you could buy the pre-cooked 250 gram sachet packets)

¾ x Cup of grated cheddar cheese

3 x Small zucchinis (or 2 bigger ones)

½ x Cup of frozen peas

3 x Spring onions

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 190°C or 170°C Fan ( 190°C = 374F)
• Grease and line a pan
• Lightly whisk eggs in a large bowl
• Add rice, cheese, zucchini, peas & spring onions
• Mix to combine
• Pour into tin and smooth top with a spatula
• Bake for 30 – 35 mins

VIOLA! … So yummy to serve for lunch/dinner or cut into slices and pack into school lunchboxes with cherry tomatoes or carrots.

Tracey Rose is a journalist, natural childbirth educator and mother of two. Her story of safe, natural and pain-free birthing has inspired thousands of women all around the world to get educated about ALL the options in childbirth. Get your FREE Videos on how to go from being Scared S#*tless about to being EXCITED!!! about your birth HERE.

You Rock!

No seriously, you REALLY Rock!

You are doing a great job as a mum, even though some days you may not feel like it.

You have carried your baby(ies) into this world and now they rely on you to show them what it’s all about.

That’s exciting and also daunting, and my goal is to help ease that transition for you.

I take my job as creator of this website very seriously and I hope that I’m assisting you with that.

However, I’m only human and like you, sometimes I have an “Off” day.

I am NOT a SUPER MUM!

In fact I’ve had a couple of doozies lately – generally feeling tired and overwhelmed to the point where I cry.

So, I thought I’d share with you WHY this is totally normal and what I do to get back on track.

Firstly let’s put things into perspective … (substitute for your own situation)

• It’s Christmas
  
• I’m a single parent
• And I have my daughter’s health issues to manage.

I want to be SUPER MUM! But some days I just can’t.

I REALLY want to have it totally together – you know, like the celebs in the magazines? … Fab post baby body (ppfftt), amazing home and multi-million dollar contracts.

I hate to break it to you though, SUPER MUM does NOT exist!

Even those celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Gwyneth Paltrow (seriously, has she aged in the last 10 years???) or Angelina Jolie can NOT do everything without help.

SUPER MUM is about as real as Santa!

Don’t get me wrong, I love it when I’m on top of things and everything is just flowing.

You know the days …

• When you spring out of bed ready to embrace the day
  
• You’ve prepared healthy food
  
• The kids behave like little angels
  
• And to top it all off you’re having a great hair day

Those days are AWESOME and you feel like you can handle just about anything!

Then … BAM! … It all just starts unraveling.

One of the kids gets a tummy bug and you end up cleaning spew off the bed all night.

You eat a cake pop for breakfast …

You get a huge electricity bill right before Christmas.

And your hair looks like sh*t!

One thing that helps save my sanity is knowing I’m not alone and neither are you.

EVERY mother feels overwhelmed some days.

So what should you do?

Here’s a checklist I do for myself first to get things into perspective:

1. Are the kids clean, fed and happy in general? … TICK ✓
2. Do we have a roof over our heads? … TICK ✓

Then … it’s time to ask for help (choose one or several)

• Call a friend and talk to them about your concerns or ask if you can just download some crap.
• Call a mentor if your having business/money problems.
• Write a diary … journaling can be quite therapeutic. When I get my own crap out of my brain and onto paper I always feel like there’s a big mental weighted lifted off me. BUT … I ALWAYS finish my diary entry with a list of 5 things I’m grateful for today
  
• Ask a relative/friend to mind the baby/kids so you can go for a walk to clear your head (or any physical activity that you like to do) …
  

- Sometimes I can be a bit grumpy and I don’t want to walk, but I always ask myself: “Will I regret going for a walk?” … NO … “Will I feel better after I go for a walk?” … the answer is ALWAYS … YES

• Pray or Meditate – up to you – do whatever takes your fancy!
• And … if it all gets too much, then call a professional … I’m actually seeing an Acupuncturist/Chinese Medicine Dr at the moment to help with my back and digestive issues, which he says is all connected with our brain and has a huge impact on how emotionally resilient we are!
  

You are AMAZING!

Believe in yourself and surround yourself with supportive people and services.

Motherhood is the most exciting, rewarding, draining, challenging and growth opportunity you’ll ever get to experience in your life.

Embrace it’s ups and downs and enjoy riding the wave!

Thinking of you … xxx

Tracey Rose is a journalist, natural childbirth educator and mother of two. Her story of safe, natural and pain-free birthing has inspired thousands of women all around the world to get educated about ALL the options in childbirth. Get your Top 6 Tips on how to experience the birth you’ve always dreamed of HERE.

It’s almost too good to be true … but it’s not!

I have found a healthy-(ish) chocolate dessert.

It’s called “Chocolate & Coconut Chia Pudding” but I like to refer to it as the COCONUT ROUGH PUDDING.

Remember those round chocolates you ate when you were young?

Coconut rough?

Well, it’s kinda like that, but better!

DROOL!!!!!

It was actually created by the lovely ladies at MamaBake and the main reason it caught my eye at first is because it’s gluten free … (and dairy free, raw & vegan if you’re interested).

My daughter has coeliac, so she is strictly gluten free and I also eat mostly gluten free due to IBS.

However, this dessert is so healthy that my Acupuncturist/Chinese medicine Dr said it was OK for me to eat even though he’s treating me for my digestive issues.

My daughter Honey (4½) misses out on lots of “normal” treats … and even though I know there’s lots of gluten free desserts and sweets at the shops these days, I just don’t like buying them because they’re full of toxic junk … so this dessert seems like the perfect option for this week’s treat

INGREDIENTS

½ cup white chia seeds
½ cup dried coconut (Check your coconut!  Most have added sugar and propolyene gylcol added.  Look for natural, dried, flakes with no additives.)
½ cup of raw cashews (that have been soaked in water for around 2 hours – drained)
Water – around 2 – 2½ cups
2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder (or cocoa)
16 pitted fresh dates, soaked if they are a little hard.
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla powder (again, check your extract – some brands have sugar and glucose as the first two ingredients. Look for organic, sugar/alcohol free extracts.)
Squeeze of lemon juice
Pinch of sea salt

METHOD

1. In a big bowl, mix the coconut and the chia seeds until combined.
2. If you have a Vitamix or powerful blender, chuck in the remaining ingredients and mix on high speed until smooth and liquid.
3. If using a food processor, you might need to do it in two batches due to the amount of water, and the time it will take to ensure the smoothest consistency.  If it seems too thick (remembering that the chia seeds will absorb around 10 times their weight in water), pour the mix in a separate bowl and add a little more water.
4. Pour liqid mix over the chia/coconut mix and stir very well – making sure there are no clumps of chia.
5. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then stir again.
6. You can divide the mix into whatever serving bowls you like.  The pudding is rich, so using small ramekins works well.  I used some pickling jars as I was giving some as a gift.  Yoou can leave the mix in a big bowl and spoon directly into dessert bowls.

Yummo! … tastes DELISH!

You can have this as a dessert, an afternoon snack or cheeky holiday breakfast with berries and cream.

The mamas at MamaBake also point out raw cacao is extremely rich in magnesium, antioxidents and has a ‘bliss’ effect; seriously!

And … no dessert in a house with children would be complete without … A Thomas spoon

Enjoy! … xxx

NOTE*Be mindful of serving foods with raw cacao to children as it can be too strong for them.

For more delish recipes head over to www.MamaBake.com

Tracey Rose is a journalist, natural childbirth educator and mother of two. Her story of safe, natural and pain-free birthing has inspired thousands of women all around the world to get educated about ALL the options in childbirth. Get your Top 6 Tips on how to experience the birth you’ve always dreamed of HERE.

Earlier this week I talked about how horror birth stories can negatively affect your labour.

Since then I hosted a lovely morning tea event (“Birth, Coffee & Cupcakes”) for women who were interested in learning more about natural birthing.

My friend Katie (a HypnoBirthing teacher) and I talked about how to use techniques such as hypnobirthing, visualisation and relaxation to reduce pain.

We all sat in a circle at the park and started talking about birth.

Now, what do you think USUALLY happens when you get a group of women together to talk about birth?

… Everyone starts talking … and then the horror stories start coming out.

It’s almost like women try to out-do each other! …

Not here though!

There were no horror stories.

No one mentioned traumatic birth experiences about themselves or friends or relatives.

Just positive ones, which by the looks on their faces, uplifted the spirits of all the other women.

Some of the mothers were pregnant with their first baby, some were planning to get pregnant and some were onto their 2nd baby.

• They were inquisitive
• Some were furiously taking notes
  
• And … others just sat there taking it all in.

In fact it felt safe.

Safe to talk about the “normalcy” of birth.

It felt safe to share the womanly body wisdom that Katie and I have gained since birthing our babies naturally and comfortably.

And … the cupcakes were so YUMMY! (photo of Maximus digging into the left overs when I got home)

At the end of the gathering we recommended books and courses to help them.

And … we were asked “Are you doing this again?”

Yes, probably! … since you all loved it so much

So, what’s my advice for you today?

Get around women who talk about natural birth in a positive way.

Surround yourself with people who help you feel relaxed and excited about your labour.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: I know you can’t all come to meet me in Sydney, so would you like me to host a VIRTUAL morning tea? … would you attend? … please leave your comments and suggestions below – I’d really appreciate it

Tracey Rose is a journalist, natural childbirth educator and mother of two. Her story of safe, natural and pain-free birthing has inspired thousands of women all around the world to get educated about ALL the options in childbirth. Get your Top 6 Tips on how to experience the birth you’ve always dreamed of HERE.

Horror Birth Stories!

Everyone has heard them.

Whether it’s from your sister, your aunt or perhaps your friend.

They probably sound something like this: “OMG! It was so painful … like I thought I was gonna die. I really didn’t want to have drugs, but after 20 hours I was exhausted, so I had the epidural … when I was fully dilated I pushed for 2 hours, but the baby was stuck, so we had to have an emergency cesarean”

OR … something like this …

“Oh, my labour lasted 3 days and I had 3rd degree tears, so it still hurts to have sex”

OR … this …

“My back still aches from the epidural needle 1 year later …”

Or …

Perhaps your own mother had the worst labour during your birth and has been telling you about it ever since.

The thing is … I feel terrible for women who have had horrible experiences in childbirth.

There are many factors that influence our labour and those women did the best they could with the support and information at the time.

But … the good news is …

You CAN greatly influence the way YOUR child in brought into this world.

The first thing you can start with, (that doesn’t cost you anything) is to STOP listening to all the horror stories about childbirth.

WHY?

Your brain is like a “Pattern-Matching-Machine” … so whatever it sees and hears most, it will try and attract more of.

It doesn’t sort out what’s real and what’s not real. It just MATCHES.

It doesn’t mean you can’t EVER listen to your friend’s stories – (because you may want to be a shoulder to lean on for someone when they haven’t had a good experience)

BUT … at this stage in your life – YOUR 40 weeks of PREGNANCY – I’m recommending you ONLY listen to POSITIVE and INSPIRING birth stories.

This will help your brain (pattern-matching-machine) attract more positive thoughts and triggers around childbirth, meaning you’re much more likely to attract a better experience on the day you birth your baby.

HOW CAN I DO THIS WHEN EVERYONE WANTS TO TELL HORROR STORIES?

Sometimes you may feel like you can’t NOT listen to horror birth stories, especially when you’re at baby showers.

I went to my friend Nicole’s baby shower on the weekend and when she was about to start opening presents, the topic of childbirth came up.

If this happens to you, there’s a few things you can do such as:

• Excuse yourself and go get a drink or go to the bathroom.
• Change the topic! … tell the baby kicked! … start discussing baby names
• Tell people you don’t want to listen because the baby is listening too.
• Tell people it’s making you feel anxious, so you’d rather not hear about childbirth at the moment.
• Tell them you’re only reading and listening to positive stories because you’re preparing for a natural birth.
• Listen if you REALLY have to, but kinda zone out. 

Oh … and don’t get me started on those birth TV shows — seriously they are the OPPOSITE of what you should be watching right now, so grab the remote and change channels! … NOW!

The other thing about only absorbing only POSITIVE birthing stories is …

It makes you FEEL GOOD!

You’ll get more of those happy hormones (natural pain-killers in childbirth) rushing around your body.

The happier you are, the calmer and more confident you’ll feel about the big day.

Studies have shown that women who are calmer and more confident have better expectations about their birth.

And … those women who have better expectations about their birth, have shown to have more comfortable labours and better outcomes for their babies.

So go and SURROUND yourself with positive and inspiring birth stories!

Some books I recommend are:

Ina May’s Guide To Childbirth

A Modern Woman’s Guide To A Natural Empowering Birth (Inspiring Birth Stories)

Tracey Rose is a journalist, natural childbirth educator and mother of two. Her story of safe, natural and pain-free birthing has inspired thousands of women all around the world to get educated about ALL the options in childbirth. Get your Top 6 Tips on how to experience the birth you’ve always dreamed of HERE.

When you think of “Ecstatic Birth” you may think it’s something only hippie, home-birthing mamas are able to experience.

Well, think again because Dr Sarah Buckley believes YOU can have an amazing birth experience too … IN A HOSPITAL.

But … there are some things you NEED to know.

If you’re not familiar with Dr Buckley, she’s definitely someone you want to take notice of.

She’s a world famous GP/family physician who’s also an expert on NATURAL BIRTH.

She’s been described as someone who … “marries the medical mind and the birthing woman’s body wisdom.”

Dr Buckley is super busy with her own family plus juggles a busy work schedule, writing articles and books, starring in documentaries and speaking at various events.

However, she was able to sit down and chat with me about some cool topics that I know will interest you.

We chatted about:

• Ecstatic Birth – and how to have this in your local hospital
  
• Raising babies WITHOUT nappies/diapers – fascinating stuff!
  
• And … she also answered some questions you wrote on our Facebook page.

Click on the videos to watch …

(I have chopped it into 3 parts, so you can watch it easily)

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

You can check out Dr Sarah Buckley’s new website HERE

Tracey Rose is a journalist, natural childbirth educator and mother of two. Her story of safe, natural and pain-free birthing has inspired thousands of women all around the world to get educated about ALL the options in childbirth. Get your Top 6 Tips on how to experience the birth you’ve always dreamed of HERE.

Let’s face it … there are plenty of pregnancy books on offer these days.

You may have read some of the more popular ones such as “What To Expect When You’re Expecting” and “Up The Duff” …

But rarely do these books leave you feeling positive or looking forward to actually birthing your baby.

In fact, I had my first melt-down after reading them. I cried on my husband’s shoulder and through the sobs I explained how I wasn’t sure I could go through with it (birth).

Immediately, he starting throwing everything out of my room, saying “No more of these books and magazines, you CAN do this and we’ll figure out how together.”

I did figure it out … and I have now had two AMAZING births DESPITE those ridiculous books.

Listen … if you don’t necessarily want a natural birth, then go ahead – read those books to your hearts content, but if your goal is “Au-Naturale” then there’s a few AWESOME books I can recommend.

One of them is “A Mondern Women’s Guide To A Natural Empowering Birth” by Katrina Zaslavsky.

It’s filled with inspiring birth stories.

Stories of hope!

You know the ones where when you’ve finished reading them, you think, “Wow! I CAN do this!” I was lucky enough to chat with Katrina and she explains WHY birth matters … and why we NEED to read stories like these …

Click on the videos below to watch the interview.

(I have chopped it into 3 parts, so you can watch it easily)

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

You can get your own copy of the book HERE

TODAY’s QUESTION: Which are your favourite pregnancy/birth books and why?

Tracey Rose is a journalist, natural childbirth educator and mother of two. Her story of safe, natural and pain-free birthing has inspired thousands of women all around the world to get educated about ALL the options in childbirth. Get your Top 6 Tips on how to experience the birth you’ve always dreamed of HERE.

Did you know that you already instinctively KNOW how to give birth? … but things like fear, stress, social pressures, the wrong support and unnecessary intervention can greatly interfere with this.

Let me explain …

Think about every other mammal that gives birth on this planet.

Most give birth with minimum fuss and relatively comfortably.

Have you ever seen this?

Maybe you grew up on a farm or perhaps your cat had babies when you were a kid.

Did your cat go to a birth class to learn how to birth those 4 kittens in the box under the stairs?

Did it have a Dr Cat telling it when to “meow-push!“

And … then did a Kitty Midwife wrap the babies and put them on the teets for a drink of milk?

Of course not … The cat knew when to push and the kittens found their way to their milk supply, sometimes with a bit of nudging from the mother.

Mothers and babies have been birthing forever!

So why would God/The Universe/Whatever create all the mammals perfect – except us???

It just doesn’t make sense.

In fact, only decades ago, women would still gather round and share birth stories and tips on how to birth more easily and comfortably.

Women birthed with less fuss and intervention and let their bodies and babies guide the way.

So, what happened?

Well, like I mentioned above …

• fear
• stress
• social pressures
• the wrong support
  
• And … unnecessary intervention can greatly interfere with the normal birthing process.
  

It’s almost too hard for us to imagine sometimes, because these days everything in life is planned and managed to the nth degree.

So, today I thought I’d share an amazing video of an elephant giving birth to show you how instinctual and amazing birth can be.

A few things to take note of:

1. There’s no intervention – the mother moves around where she is most comfortable.
2. There’s no distraction – it’s dimly lit, no noises and she is just focused on herself and her baby.
3. How she opens her mouth – opening and relaxing your mouth, relaxes and opens your sphincter muscles making it easier to birth.
4. Then … watch how she makes her baby breathe when it comes out looking lifeless …

Seriously, this is so amazing and emotional … I was choking back a few tears.

So how can you prepare yourself and your baby so that birthing becomes more instinctive and more comfortable for you?

You can start by relaxing …

Meditation, visualisation and self hypnosis are great tools to help you become more self aware of your mind and your body.

The more you do it, the more aware you’ll become of how your baby is feeling too.

It’s also known to help with bonding and the recovery process after your baby is born.

The more relaxation and preparation you do, the more likely you are to have a more positive and comfortable labour.

TODAY’s QUESTION: What did you think of the elephant birth video? And … how does it make you feel about labour?

 

 

Tracey Rose is a journalist, natural childbirth educator and mother of two. Her story of safe, natural and pain-free birthing has inspired thousands of women all around the world to get educated about ALL the options in childbirth. Get your Top 6 Tips on how to experience the birth you’ve always dreamed of HERE.

How do you explain major life events to kids?

Recently I had a conversation about “death” with my 4 year old because my 107 year old Great Grandma Monnie died. I wasn’t really prepared for our little chat but I think I did OK.

It started something like this: “Honey, you know in the Lion King movie when Simba’s daddy dies?” … “Well, that’s kinda what happened with Grandma. But she didn’t have an accident, she was just very old and a bit sick.”

Her response: “So does she go into the grass?”

Me: “Ummm … yes, it’s called the Circle of Life”

She seemed to be happy with that explanation and skipped off to play with her brother.

Today, many families are trying to stay safe as Hurricane Sandy batters the US East Coast.

And … I bet many parents are getting lots of questions about storms.

Experts advise we help kids understand what is happening during natural disasters, because scary media coverage can sometimes traumatise them.

It’s better that we explain the situation in an age appropriate way, so I thought I’d share this cool video from Sesame St to explain Hurricane Sandy.

You can watch the full episode here

My thoughts and prayers are with you if you’re dealing with this tonight – please stay safe … xxx

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Have you ever had to explain a major life event or a natural disaster to your child? eg. Fire, Death, Hurricane? What did you say? Leave your answer in the comments below.

 

Tracey Rose is a journalist, natural childbirth educator and mother of two. Her story of safe, natural and pain-free birthing has inspired thousands of women all around the world to get educated about ALL the options in childbirth. Get your Top 6 Tips on how to experience the birth you’ve always dreamed of HERE.