Bumps and Babies with Ruth

23/05/2026

Daddy’s Harley Davidson, daddy’s girl. 🖤🏍️ Fourth baby, and she arrived already knowing exactly who she was. Eight years later — adrenaline ju**ie, wild child, zero chill. Some things you just can’t explain. 😂
**ie

21/05/2026

How far have we come????

1968...baby was NOT yours until you were discharged 🫠

These hospital directions and policies were wild!

✨️✨️✨️✨️

1. Babies are on display at Nursery window from 2:30 to 3:30 P.M. and 7:00 to 7:45 P.M. Please do not ask to see baby at any other time.⁉️

2. Baby will come to mother for feeding 9–10 A.M., 1–2 P.M., 5:30–6:30 P.M., 9–10 P.M.
(No visitor is allowed on floor or in room during nursing periods, including father).

3. Do not smoke while baby is in the room.

4. Do not allow visitors to sit on your bed. (The bed linen must be clean for the baby.)

5. Do not cover your baby with your linen.

III. IN REGARD TO NURSING:

1. During first twenty-four hours, allow baby to nurse 5 minutes only.

2. On second and third days allow baby to nurse approximately 7 minutes.

3. On fourth and fifth days allow baby to nurse approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

“If Baby Nurses Longer It May Cause The Ni**le To Become Sore.”

DO NOT EAT CHOCOLATE CANDY, RAW APPLE, CABBAGE, NUTS, STRAWBERRIES, CHERRIES, ONIONS, OR GREEN COCOANUT CAKE.

IV. IN REGARD TO BOTTLING YOUR BABY:

1. Nurse will bring prepared formula ready to give.

2. After removing ni**le cap, please see that ni**le does not touch bed linen or anything else. It should remain clean and not become contaminated.
(Contamination of ni**le may cause thrush).

✨️✨️✨️

We LOVE that moms were encouraged to rest. However, at what expense?

Hoping to establish an adequate milk supply? It would only work for some mothers under a strict schedule.

Want to have familiar faces or even your husband? Very limited. When baby wasin the room, dad couldn't be there. This is likely due to open wards or shared rooms and all women expected to nurse at the same time. However, it's no wonder fathers didn't routinely participate in young child rearing, they were kept away from the start.

In 1968, it wouldn't have been uncommon to stay several days versus the standard 24-48 hours for uncomplicated birth today, or 3-5 days for a c-section.

We might have pushed too far the other way, with little postpartum support, but now mothers and babies are together. Is this ideal or is there a middle ground?

18/05/2026

21 years ago today, you made me a mum. 🤍
Millie, I was 11 months married and completely blindsided by that positive test and then I became completely obsessed. Birth, babies, every book I could get my hands on. I felt on top of the world. Like I had it all figured out.
And then you arrived at home, with the most incredible midwives around us and nothing I’d read could have prepared me for the magnitude of you.
You didn’t just come into my life. You changed the entire direction of it.
You’ve been the best big sister, the most devoted foster sister, and through all of it, every season, every hard lesson, every beautiful moment - we’ve grown up together in so many ways.
And now? You want to be a midwife. Of course you do. You’ve always had that quiet, steady magic that makes people feel safe. You’ll be amazing!
I am so endlessly proud of the woman you are becoming, Millie. Twenty one years of you has been the greatest gift of my life. 🥂
Happy birthday my firstborn. The one who started it all and my journey to being a Doula. ✨
🎉

09/05/2026

🏡 Your home. Your birth. Your rules.
There is something so powerful about labouring in the space where you feel most yourself - where the kettle is yours, the lighting is yours, the bed is yours.
As a home birth doula, I come to you. I bring my experience, my calm, and my full presence - so that from the very first contraction to the moment your baby is born, you feel safe, secure, and completely held.
You stay in control of every decision. I help you feel reassured when doubt creeps in, and I’m there with comfort measures that actually work - whether that’s the birth pool, breathwork, movement, or simply a hand to hold.
Home birth isn’t for everyone - but for the families who choose it, it can be the most beautiful, empowering experience of their lives.
And when your baby arrives, they don’t have to go anywhere. They are already home.
Welcome home, little one. 🤍
If you’re curious about home birth support in Southwest London - whether you’re set on it or just exploring the idea - drop me a message. I’d love to talk it through with you. 💬

06/05/2026

✨ Let’s get Dad‘s involved. Dad‘s role with a newborn…..

06/05/2026

Anyone else navigating pregnancy in London as a South African far from home? 🤍

No mom or gogo nearby.
A healthcare system that feels completely different.
A birth plan to figure out - without your usual support circle.

If that sounds like you, you’re not alone.

I’m Ruth, a doula based in Southwest London, and I support South African and other expat families having babies here in the UK. I understand how it feels to be far from home during such a big life moment - and how important it is to feel supported, informed, and truly cared for.

I help you navigate the NHS, prepare for birth with confidence, and feel genuinely held in the postpartum period - even when your village is thousands of miles away.

I cover Chelsea & Westminster, St Thomas’s, and Kingston hospitals amongst others and I’d love to connect with anyone in this vulnerable season of life. Whether you have questions about birth in the UK, the NHS, or just want a friendly, familiar voice - I’m here to support your journey 🤍👇

06/05/2026

Anyone else navigating pregnancy in London as an Aussie far from home? 🤍

No mum popping over.
No familiar system like back home.
A whole new way of doing pregnancy, birth, and postpartum to figure out — often on your own.

If that sounds like you, you’re definitely not the only one.

I’m Ruth, a doula based in Southwest London, and I support Australian and other expat families having babies here in the UK. I know how different the NHS can feel compared to what you might expect back home - and how much it matters to feel informed, supported, and not so far from your “village.”

I help you navigate the NHS, prepare for birth with confidence, and feel genuinely held in the postpartum period - even when your support system is on the other side of the world.

I cover Chelsea & Westminster, St Thomas’s, and Kingston hospitals amongst others and I’d love to connect with anyone in the early months of their pregnancy. Happy to chat about birth in the UK, how it compares to Australia, or what a doula actually does 🤍👇

06/05/2026

Anyone else navigating pregnancy in London far from home? 🤍

No mum, sister, or auntie nearby.
A healthcare system that feels completely different.
A birth plan to figure out — without your usual circle around you.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

I’m Ruth, a doula based in Southwest London, and I support Arab and international families as they welcome their babies here in the UK. I understand how important it is to feel culturally understood, emotionally supported, and truly cared for during this time.

I help you navigate the NHS, prepare for birth with confidence, and feel genuinely held in the postpartum period — even when your village is miles (or continents) away.

I cover Chelsea & Westminster, St Thomas’s, and Kingston hospitals, and I’d love to connect with anyone going through a similar journey. Whether you have questions about birth in the UK, the NHS, or just need someone who understands — I’m here 🤍👇

05/05/2026

Having a baby in London without your mum, your sister, or your best friend down the road is a very specific kind of lonely.
You’re navigating a healthcare system nobody explained to you, making decisions in a language that’s technically English but feels completely foreign (what even is an MLU midwife?), and doing it all without the people who would normally just show up.
I’m Ruth - a birth and postnatal Doula based in Southwest London. I support expat and international families through pregnancy, birth, and those early weeks postpartum. I work with families at Chelsea & Westminster, Kingston, and St Thomas’s hospitals amongst others, and I specialise in helping you understand how the NHS actually works - so you feel informed and in control, not lost.
If you’re pregnant, newly postpartum, or just starting to think about support - feel free to drop me a message, visit my website or ask me anything here. I’m always happy to chat. 🤍

https://www.bumpsandbabieswithruth.co.uk

05/05/2026

Namaste Subailai! Having a baby in London without your Amma, your didi, bahaini, or your best saathi down the road in Nepal is a very specific kind of lonely.
You’re navigating a healthcare system nobody explained to you, making decisions in a language that’s technically English but feels completely foreign (what even is an MLU midwife?), and doing it all without the people who would normally just show up.
I’m Ruth - a mum of four kids, a birth and postnatal Doula (Janmakō sāthī) based in Raynes Park, Southwest London. I was born in Pokhara and grew up there until the age of 15.
I support expat and international families through pregnancy, labour and birth, and those early weeks postpartum. I work with families accros London’s hospitals, and I specialise in helping you understand how the NHS actually works - so you feel informed and in control, not lost.
If you’re pregnant, newly postpartum, or just starting to think about support - feel free to drop me a message, visit my website or ask me anything here. I’m always happy to chat over chia! 🫖

Caring for London’s Nepali community one family at a time!

https://www.bumpsandbabieswithruth.co.uk