INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: THANK YOU TO MY SISTERHOOD IN PREGNANCY
Happy International Women’s Day! This year we’ve once again seen the incredible things women are capable of achieving — from the women who led Black Lives Matter protests and education initiatives to the key workers who bravely kept the world running. I had some wonderful conversations with women all over the world, from the US to India, thanks to Instagram Live. Closer to home, becoming pregnant this year has shown me a whole new aspect to the power of sisterhood.
It’s now been almost a year since we first went into lockdown and my overall feeling is one of being isolated but also embracing the space and time it’s given me — less rushing, less doing and more being. As I reflect on the past 12 months, 9.5 of which I was pregnant, I realise that I have definitely been surrounded by the most amazing community of women albeit mostly virtually! Many are friends and family — cousins, aunties and in-laws who I’ve turned to for advice as well as female colleagues from the wellbeing world who I respect and admire — and then just as beautifully, those I’ve never met, tiny little profile pics and social media handles who have reached out with recommendations and well wishes and well timed pointers and practical advice that has helped me feel nurtured at a time of isolation.
From Ayurvedic doctor Nidhi Pandya, Chinese Medicine practitioner Katie Brindle to dance and breathwork coach Aicha McKenzie, who helped me get through a nauseous and uncomfortable first trimester, to my besties (and local heroes) holistic makeup artist Sjaniel Turrell and Toni Dicks, a sound artist, wellbeing consultant and founder of Design Your Blood, who patiently listened to me moan on the phone almost every day... I am grateful to this community of big sisters who shared their experiences, made me laugh and created a safe space for me to voice my worries and discomfort while also reminding me that it will pass! Here are a few of the women who shared their advice and experience, and made my pregnancy a beautiful time of connection, who I think you should be following too:
Dr. Nidhi is a third generation Ayurvedic practitioner who uses Ayurvedic principles to take people on a journey of self-discovery over a period of a few months. I spoke to Nidhi twice on Instagram Live recently (see here and here), where she shared so much wisdom about womanhood from an Ayurvedic perspective. Read her My-urveda Q&A here.
Katie is a Chinese Medicine practitioner, author and founder of the Hay’ou Method. She got Nick and me (and my mum!) into daily Qigong starting in the first lockdown which was brilliant mental, physical and spiritual health focus during a super unsettling time, and came onto my #WellnessWednesdayWorkshop series to talk all things Gua Sha.
Aicha is the founder of Breathe by AMCK, and a former gymnast and dancer — we DMd back and forth about the trials and tribulations of debilitating nausea in the first trimester when nobody is supposed to know you are pregnant! Back in August, she took over my Instagram for a breathing session to help us to connect to who we are.
Joyce is a professional astrologer who works at the “soul level” — helping clients discover where the soul inside them really wants to go in order to be fulfilled and happy. We connected through a mutual friend in 2018 and attended a Vedic meditation weekend retreat together. Joyce is my practical no nonsense big sister who I love chatting to.
Emily is a yoga teacher and doula, supporting women through pregnancy and childbirth. Emily reached out to share my Ayurvedic Cleanse and Reset plan with her winter virtual retreat attendees and is the sister of a wonderful friend. Nick and I reached out to her about our birth plans and she imparted some brilliant wisdom.
Laura Swann, AKA The Holistic Birth Keeper, supports her clients through all the transitional moments of their lives, for example during childbirth and postpartum, helping them find their inner source of wisdom, power and sacred space. I met Laura at one of my sound baths during summer solstice 2019 and she gave me the most beautiful womb ceremony at my home shortly after.
Zita is a fertility coach, midwife and acupuncturist, founder of the Zita West Clinic and HUG by Zita West for online fertility courses connecting heart, uterus and gut. We met at the In Goop Health event back in summer 2019 and Nick and I immediately hit it off with her. I’ve been using her pregnancy supplements from the start and received some glorious HUG acupuncture and meditation sessions pre-lockdown. She’s been an important guide for me on the practicalities of having a baby like registering with a doctor (Oops! Hadn’t done that!).
Anita is a businesswoman, entrepreneur, Ayurvedic expert, fundraiser and creative consultant. She is the cofounder of Mauli Rituals. Anita and I also hit it off from the beginning — I especially love joining her family for Diwali celebrations, in person in previous years and online last year, and being one of the sisters for the day dressed in one of Anita’s beautiful saris. Anita was one of the first people outside of my family circle that I told — it just felt right to.
Padma is from the esteemed Raju family, a long line of Ayurvedic doctors based in Hyderabad and originally from Andhra Pradesh, whom I‘ve spent two long Panchakarmas under the guidance and care of. She gave me my first marma treatment (think Ayurvedic reflexology or acupressure) and shared so much feminine wisdom from the Vedic tradition. Many many miles away and with 5.5 hours’ time difference meant we couldn’t always connect but she has checked on me every month and shared itchy belly advice (!) and special mantras.
Dr. Seema is an Ayurvedic doctor specialising in women's health. She guides women from conception to motherhood in a holistic and individualised way. Dr. Seema has been a godsend — I prayed for a Dr. Padma figure closer to home and though Dr. Seema and I had met through an event I had organised as part of my East by West book launch, we had yet to get fully acquainted. Reaching out to help with my nausea and bloating, she has provided me with recipes, herbal remedies and body work treatment (while administering the most beautiful meditations) and has been my go-to carer and doula throughout my pregnancy.
TARA STILES AND NAHID DE BELGEONNE (who both kept me moving!)
Both these ladies kept me limber after months in bed feeling less than my best at the beginning of my pregnancy. Tara kept me amused with stories of throwing up in the back of cars while touring for work (a scenario I luckily didn’t have to deal with lockdown in full effect) and on her online platform Strala Yoga has plenty of pregnancy yoga classes to keep you flowing. Nahid has become a great text friend during this past year and I love her style of mindful movement. We did a #WellnessWednesdayWorkshop together after I reached out to ask for her help opening up the middle of my back which just wasn’t cooperating - and strengthening my body after I discovered that side sleeping (which is best adopted in the 3rd trimester) was not my best friend and caused my ribs to cramp. A Zoom session and a couple of easy exercises later and I was back on track.
When Kreena told me she was expecting not one but two babies by surrogacy (which later turned out to be triplets - yes that’s right!) little did I know that as I squealed at the news of her new brood, I was also newly pregnant. In the midst of the madness of three gorgeous baby boys joining Kreena’s world, looking after her sweet 2 year old daughter and navigating the surrogacy paperwork all during the pandemic, Kreena has always found the time to reach out and check on me and has already sent me some of the triplets newborn clothes whilst also donating other to the NICU. She also helped research places doing specific South Indian foods for takeaway when my nausea and cravings were through the roof!
Born into a family of Ayurvedic doctors, Dr. Rekha's passion led her into the world of health and wellness, where she learnt and mastered Ayurveda, Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine, helping people around the world from her base in Dubai - she shared with me her go to herbal milks for helping to build the body (and the breast milk!) during her own and her mothers pregnancies Read her My-urveda Q&A here.
Kelly, AKA The London Chatter, is a model, fashion and lifestyle blogger and ambassador for No More Plastic. She is just one of my antenatal girl gang who were pregnant around the same time. Basically I told Kelly to slow down and she told me to slow down and we only partly listened to each other! Kelly shared her list of vital baby essentials (she had baby Rex 3.5 months prior to me) and it was so helpful.
And finally, shout-out to the rest of my “antenatal crew” whose pregnancy journeys I’ve been following alongside as we kept in touch by voice messages, texts and emails in lieu of being able to join a local NCT group in person, let alone a baby shower or Mother Blessing (or Blessingway, a traditional Navajo ceremony) — Candice Lake, Charlie Collins, Freddie Harrel, Elisa Kustow, Laura Jackson and lots of others I’ve come to know on the ‘gram. And not to mention many others including midwives and anyone my baby brain might have forgotten. Oh and of course special thanks to my mum. Mum’s the word!