Free field guide

Move, Rest, Feed

A field guide to labour and the first week.

You'll hear plenty about birth. Much less about what to try when labour stalls at 2am, or what's normal on day three when your milk comes in. This is the booklet I hand out at my birth workshops. You can have it free.

The guide arrives by email within a few minutes. After that, a short note from me now and then. Unsubscribe whenever you like.

52 pagesRead on screen or print at homeHome, birth centre or hospital

Most birth preparation stops at the birth.

The hours and days after are where people feel most lost. Your baby wants to feed again. You're bleeding more than you expected. Someone asks how many wet nappies there have been, and nobody was counting.

This guide covers labour and the first week in plain language. It's written for you and for the person beside you, so you both have something to reach for when it's late and you're not sure what's normal.

Read it in pregnancy. Mark what speaks to you. Take your questions to your midwife or doctor.

What's inside

Eleven chapters, three parts

Labour

  1. A Simple BirthHow labour unfolds, and the hormones that run it.4
  2. Labour at a GlanceEach stage, what helps, what your support person can do.9
  3. Relax, Rhythm, RitualHow women who cope well get through contractions.13
  4. What to Try When…A toolkit for slow labour, back pain and too much.16

Moving

  1. Positions for labour and birthFifteen illustrated positions, with when to use each.21
  2. Using a rebozoFive ways to use a long shawl and a spare pair of hands.22
  3. The Miles CircuitThree positions to help your baby line up.23

The first weeks

  1. What You Really NeedSleep, food, help at home and someone to call.24
  2. The First DaysYour recovery and your baby, day by day.32
  3. Breastfeeding in the first weekFeeds, wees and poos on one page.45
  4. Your Baby's First ChecksEvery test and check, explained before you're asked.46
A page from What to Try When, listing what to try when contractions slow down.
What to Try When…Labour rarely follows the script. Hand this one to your support person.
Illustrated grid of labour positions, including leaning on a partner, slow dancing and all fours.
Positions for labour and birthTry one for a few contractions, then change when it stops helping.
A table of breastfeeding in the first week, by day, with feeds, wet nappies and poos.
Breastfeeding in the first weekStick it on the fridge. It answers the 3am question.

Wherever you're birthing

At home, in a birth centre or in hospital. Labour works the same way in all three, and so does the first week.

For the person beside you

Parts of it are written for partners and support people. What to say, what to stop saying, and when to step out for a cup of tea.

What it isn't

It's general information, not a substitute for your own midwife or doctor. It's what I'd want every woman to have read before she needs it.

Who wrote it

Jen Hazi, Registered and Endorsed Midwife

I run Jennifer Hazi Private Midwifery from The Gathering Space in Paddington. I see women from early pregnancy through the first weeks after birth, in clinic, at home or by telehealth.

This guide grew out of the questions I hear every week, in workshops and on home visits. The answers are backed by current Australian guidance, and the sources are listed at the back.

If you'd like care of your own, you can book an appointment or email hello@jenniferhazi.com.au.

Before you download

Is it really free?

Yes. You give me your name and email, and I send you the guide. There's nothing to buy.

Can I read it on my phone?

Yes. It reads well on a screen, and it prints at home on ordinary A4 paper. The breastfeeding table is worth printing for the fridge.

I'm planning a hospital birth. Is it still for me?

Yes. It was written for every setting. Where something differs between home, birth centre and hospital, the guide says so.

I've already had my baby. Is it too late?

Not at all. Half the guide is about the first days and weeks: your recovery, feeding, sleep, and when to get help.

What emails will I get?

The guide straight away, then a handful of short emails over the next few weeks on the parts people find hardest. After that, my weekly letter. Every email has an unsubscribe link.

Is this medical advice?

No. It's general information. Your own midwife or doctor knows you and your baby. If you're worried, contact them or your hospital, or call 000 in an emergency.

Have it before you need it.

Move, Rest, Feed. Free, to read on screen or print.

Send me the guide

Your details stay with me and are never shared or sold.

General information only. This guide doesn't replace care from your own midwife or doctor. If you're worried about yourself or your baby, contact your midwife or hospital, or call 000 in an emergency.

Jennifer Hazi Private Midwifery · The Gathering Space, Shop 2 / 160 Flinders Street, Paddington NSW 2021