THEY say third time is the charm, and for mother-of-three Lesley Pascuzzi that rang true for her birthing experiences.
The Atwell resident said despite complications with her third pregnancy and birth of daughter Juliette, the experience was “ideal” because she was equipped with Lamaze training.
Although her pregnancies and births of her two sons were healthy and without complications, Mrs Pascuzzi’s third experience was so good she became a Lamaze Childbirth Educator to help other parents prepare for the unexpected.
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READ NOWThe self-confessed “birth nerd” is a qualified psychologist and said the Lamaze vision was to create “knowledgeable parents making informed decisions” which was incredibly important to help prevent postnatal depression and postpartum trauma.
“The importance of understanding mental health and how your ability to feel OK is challenged so much during pregnancy, labour and birth lays the ‘foundations’ for life after pregnancy,” she said.
“Mental health is a huge area of concern for not just childbirth educators but birth workers across the board.
“When birth doesn’t unfold as women have planned, there can be a cascade of interventions and events that interrupt the natural bonding of mother and baby.
“As the World Health Organization wrote, you can leave hospital with a healthy baby but also a bag full of emotions/memories/regrets or disappointments that things didn’t go to plan or turn out as you had hoped.”
Mrs Pascuzzi said the role as a parent wasn’t established on the day a baby was born but in the months before and after which was what Lamaze training assists with.
For more information, email Mrs Pascuzzi at lamazeWA@mail.com.