Wondering what this is all about? 

Fair. The title is a little confusing and it's taken me a while for me to even find the words to explain this, that isn't totally confusing. 

I have spent so long since I started this business internally arguing with myself about why I HAD to share quick and easy how-tos, but also feeling conflicted, because they're actually not helping you. 

𝘔𝘮, 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥? Keep reading it's about to make a whole lot of sense (𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸-𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵).

𝐖𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐖-𝐓𝐎𝐒:

Let's be really honest with ourselves for a second. We are busy, highly functioning mammals who consume things often, based on ease. Getting straight to the point is often appreciated. Hence we thrive in a world of how-to's, dot point content and short, sweet loop videos. 

This is fair enough when it comes to topics like:

"How-to make apple pie"

"How-to braid hair"

But when it comes to:

"How-to prepare for pregnancy"

"How-to make informed choices"

"How-to have a positive birth experience"

 and "how-to breastfeed a newborn"

By only engaging with step by step, superficial how-to content you aren't giving yourself the opportunity to actually fix or learn about these things in a way that might make a huge difference in your overall experience. The challenge is that we are quite literally primed to think how-tos are the answer to everything and anything, they are solution focused and we love that. We often believe that we just need to know how to do something and then it'll be fine. 

But here's a truth bomb for you:

Knowing how to do something doesn't mean that is going to work for you. 

We are women, they are baby's. Every single one of us is different, and therefore every single one of us is going to have a slight alteration to make in order for our learnt tools, behaviours or skills to actually benefit us. 

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying how-tos are completely pointless. I'm simply saying how-tos are pointless without the support to be able to put it into a context that is relevant to your body or your experience. 

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆?

To be honest. It's just pointless information that get's added to the already overwhelmed space that is your mind during pregnancy. The challenges we face now with the availability and ease of sharing content, information and knowledge online is that everyone is doing it! Sure it's a pretty good problem compared with many others. But we also deserve to recognise how chaotic learning and consuming during pregnancy can be. We watch ONE pregnancy related tiktok and BOOM the algorithm decides that is all we will consume from here on out. Making it hard to passively even engage with social media without some part of your conscious or subconscious mind sponging up more info, more opinions and more how-tos. 

Even I've been feeling the brunt of the how-to content lately, and that's why I felt it was time for us to talk. How-to's are often the band aid solution. Without having someone, somewhere or something to turn to to discuss, digest and make sense of this solution in relevance with your own situation then really its never going to get to the root cause of the issue.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐎𝐀𝐃:

With so many sharing tips, tricks and how-to's it's not surprising that it begins to feel like you're on a hamster wheel of information overload. We physically can only take on so much information each and every day. 

A few of the reasons why I think how-to's aren't necessarily the best way to support families:

1. Overgeneralisation: Pregnancy experiences can vary greatly from woman to woman. How-to content that makes sweeping generalisations or claims about what all pregnant women should or shouldn't do can be misleading. It's essential to recognise that each pregnancy is unique.

2. Lack of scientific evidence: Misleading how-to content might present information without proper scientific evidence or credible sources. Inaccurate or unverified information can lead to unnecessary anxiety or incorrect decisions. Relying on evidence-based sources and consulting medical professionals is crucial for accurate and reliable information.

3. Promoting unrealistic expectations: Some how-to content may foster unrealistic expectations or promote unattainable standards for pregnant women and their babies. 

4. Failure to consider individual circumstances: Pregnant women have unique circumstances and may face various medical conditions or complications. How-to content that fails to acknowledge these individual differences and provides one-size-fits-all advice can be unhelpful or even risky.

5. Neglecting emotional and mental well-being: Pregnancy involves not only physical changes but also emotional and mental adjustments. How-to content that solely focuses on physical aspects and neglects the importance of mental well-being, emotional support, or psychological challenges can be inadequate and unhelpful.

𝐒𝐨. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐦 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧?

Well firstly, I'm still sharing all things conception, pregnancy, birth, postpartum and parenting. I'm just going to stop adding to the oversaturated world of "how-to's". Basically- I'm not necessarily sharing the how to do things (for all of the above reasons) but instead the information and content you see is going to be teaching you the why, when and where. Supporting you to make decisions for yourself and your family, removing the pressure to consume and conform in way's that may not align with your intuition, needs and values. 

When I am sharing any how to style content it is going to be in a way in which I know you're getting the support and resources to be able to actually find use with these. 

This is why I am preparing to launch Navigating from bump to baby. 

The trimester by trimester 9 month experience that covers the need to knows to tackle pregnancy from a place of power. Navigating from bump to baby will take you from feeling overwhelmed, stressed and anxious due to information overload to feeling empowered, calm and prepared during pregnancy. 

Think of it like this: You have a midwife in your back pocket who is packed with information, evidence and resources and is so ready to provide you with everything you need to prepare for a positive pregnancy experience, birth and journey to motherhood. 

For now- make sure you're following along on Instagram @seasonsofbirth_ to see the updates and special free offers in the lead up to doors opening.