Shellie Poulter
Doula and Educator
Podcasts and Appearances
Here are ways that you can access recent podcasts and events that I have been a part of that may be of interest. Click on the images to be taken to the sites to access.
Doula & Birth Mentor, Shellie Poulter shares her insight and experience with coercion in the birth space and solutions for its betterment. We discuss how mistreatment in the hospital system is not limited to patients and families. A jet-lagged Dr. Stu shares the tale of his time teaching in the U.K. while Blyss dealt with a tough birthing situation.
It's an open dialogue where no topic is off-limits. We dive headfirst into the harsh reality of coercion in healthcare and its uncanny resemblance to abusive behavior. As we navigate the underbelly of medicine, we also explore the fascinating world of the polyvagal theory, shedding light on how medical professional's behavior can be influenced by their stress responses. We also discuss the cold indifference many pregnant women face from their healthcare providers.
Read the peer reviewed article I wrote that we are discussing here
In this week's episode I am chatting with the inspirational Shellie Poulter, about how birth partners and doulas can support you alongside your care providers. She explains how to take into consideration your nervous system, and what might be going on inside you, as well as trying to make sense of care providers and their trauma responses. Shellie's perspective is enlightening, and she offers great suggestions on how to ensure that anyone supporting you in labour can stay calm and relaxed and ask questions in an appropriate and effective manner where necessary. Apologies for the poor sound quality - but the episode is pure gold - so well worth a listen.
Breathing is something we all do naturally and instinctively, but does how we breathe matter during pregnancy and particularly during birth? I chat to doula and biomechanics expert Shellie Poulter about how breathing techniques we teach in hypnobirthing actually affect not only how we're feeling, but the biomechanics effects on muscle, tissue, pelvic floor and labour itself. We chat coached pushing and why it's harmful, the different breathing techniques and how they differ, and what exactly is happening to you and your body during pregnancy and birth.
Shellie Poulter has many talents – from training as an osteopath in 2005, to delivering cranio-sacral therapy, massage, acupuncture and more to expectant parents. Shellie is also a Doula and is well known in the birthworker world for her education and mentorship, and I personally learnt a lot from Shellie about biomechanics and how this can be used in labour.
In today’s podcast, Shellie and I chat about Shellie’s journey to where she is now, how cranial sacral therapy can be used to support infants and in pregnancy, as well as how biomechanics has the power to change our birth experiences.
You won’t want to miss this one, so get comfortable and enjoy the podcast
Birth Space – Supportive or Coercive?
ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)
AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 2
By Shellie Poulter
What is important in a birth space? Low lighting, access to water and other comfort measures, a relaxing soundtrack? Or is the sanctity of a birth space about something more than the physical environment? For me, it feels of utmost importance to consider the communication and language, both verbal and non-verbal, that is used surrounding and within someone’s birth space and how this may affect the birthing environment, the birthing dyad and anyone else who may have been invited in.
This week we discussed optimal baby positioning and alignment.
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Get the clubhouse app and join Kemi and her amazing team who speak about Physiological Birth every week in term time.
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You can access all previous episodes and they are all full of loads of helpful information and discussion.
