Sept. 1, 2023, 5:16 p.m.
Welcoming in September
back to school feels and looking to the month ahead
Postpartum Matters
Hi friends,
Happy 1st of September!
Whilst autumn is my favourite season, I am definitely struggling to accept that we’ve reached it already. Summer feels like it has been brief and I have this sense that I haven’t fully made the most of it. This was the inspiration behind our theme for creative journaling at The Women’s Health Hub yesterday and I wanted to share it with you here.
Our first prompt was to look back over your summer and write a list of all the things we have done - the days out, the holidays but also the film nights, the cuddles, the working through hard stuff together.
I find that I always have that feeling of not doing enough, or that I could be doing better. Or I have a tendency to focus on the hard and bad parts. Writing down all of the things we have done, all of the magical moments and the in-betweens, always shows me that this feeling isn’t representative of our experience. I like to do something like this in my journal most months, I feel like it helps me to see how much I actually do and removes that feeling of being less than.
Our second prompt was to look ahead to the next few months - to how we want to feel looking back over 2023 in December.
What do we want to have achieved by then?
What changes do we wish to make?
What have we already been creating and growing that we want to build on?
Do you set goals? I have been working inside of Kat Horrock’s Put Yourself First Sisterhood for over 18 months now and her goal setting framework has served me so well. We meet over zoom every month, with calming music and a guided visualisation, to set out our goals for the month, the quarter, the year. I get so much out of it.
So let’s look to the month ahead…
I’m excited to share this month’s calendar of events for The Women’s Health Hub. We’ve been finding it hard to get out there and reach people for some of the sessions. It’s all part of the learning and growing process I guess. But we would be so appreciative if you could share this with anyone who may benefit or want to come along.
All of the above are free to access, you don’t need to book, children are welcome and there is always an abundance of tea and coffee and snacks.
We are also wanting to set up a booking system for one to one connects there, as we are aware it can feel overwhelming to be in a room full of people you don’t know. As we’re still figuring this all out, if you do want to pop along at a quieter time, why not drop us a comment or message us and we can set up a time.
Aside from all of the exciting events happening at the hub, I also have in-person doula support sessions this month. It’s just antenatal for now - births are due later on in the year - and it has been really lovely getting to know people and holding space for them as they grow their babies. I have some trainings coming up this month too to continue to grow as a person and a doula.
I’m super excited for my Hypnobirthing for Doulas training session with Meg, The Dungaree Doula this weekend. This is going to mean I can write my own hypnobirthing scripts, bespoke for my doula clients and use hypnobirthing to support you more through pregnancy and birth. I can’t wait! I’m also really hoping to finish the modules part of my Breastfeeding and Lactation fundamentals course with Katie James this month. It’s been really interesting so far, especially the science aspect of it. Learning how to support people as they establish breast/ chest feeding is helpful obviously but it’s also been super cool to learn all the different components of human milk!
Did you know that human milk contains protein-lipid complexes which are capable of killing tumor cells whilst leaving healthy cells unharmed? The human body is so magic!
I’m currently booked out until early 2024 for doula clients but if you do know anyone looking for a doula and due to give birth from March ‘24 onwards, do feel free to send them my way. As we’re a CIC, all money for paid services goes back into the community and so you get to pay for doula support whilst also knowing you’re helping fund the women’s health hub - how cool is that?!
September also brings us the autumn equinox and our third Mindful Bookbinding session. These are in-person sessions at the women’s health hub but the booklets are also released online - so you can follow along at home. So far we’ve gone over the very basics of creative journaling and folding up signatures1 and this session we’re going to start getting a bit more technical. I’m holding space for you learning to make your own book super slowly across the whole year - so we can do it mindfully, together. Hopefully with no one feeling too overwhelmed or uninspired. The in person sessions are always super beautiful and I think this one is going to be extra special as the abundance of autumn holds us together.
All of this will, of course, be fitting into the day to day of life with two small children and I think we’re a bit in ‘back-to-school-denial’ just now. We didn’t end the school year on very good terms with the school or the local authority and I think we’re all feeling a little anxious to see what next week brings. If anyone else has a school-avoider I’d love to connect - for solidarity, if for nothing else.
And how about you guys?
I’d love to know in the comments - what are your plans, goals, aspirations for the month ahead?
What are you most excited for and, equally, most anxious?
I think I’m most excited for the North East skinny dip at the end of the month with and probably most anxious for a talk I’m giving at the British Mycological Society’s annual scientific meeting in a week or two2 .
Sending you so much love for the month ahead, whatever may be,
Zoe xx
signatures are like smaller books that we will eventually sew together. Check out for her amazing bookbinding tutorials - she taught me all that I know and is also a wonderful human.
you can find out what I’m talking about and more about the conference in general by clicking here - safe to say I’m terrified.