Mothers Day Mini Photoshoots

| Rohana Aisha Dewfall

It’s already that time of year again – January yes, but we are thinking ahead.

Mothers day is in 52 days, or 52 sleeps if you count them with littles. That’s really not long!

Last year, I invited families to book in for a mini photoshoot celebrating mothers. We had mum friends, a mum who’s partner was a away, a dad who got involved too and the most beautiful little details in each one.

I was honoured to capture a snippet of these stories, and to share the beauty of each of these mothers, because often in the thick of it, you don’t see just how beautiful your interactions are.

Some of my favourite were the cheeky smiles that go to their eyes, and the joy in each mum as they held, walked and talked with their growing babies.

I won’t share the ones of their little faces, those are private.

But I can share these.

And now, I’m inviting you. If you’re local to Helensburgh or Rhu (or can get here), I’d love to capture your beautiful family and celebrate you.

Mums to be, mums of 1, mums of many, grandmas… and dads/grandads if they want to, all welcome to come create some magick. I know all too well that these moments are fleeting, even when they don’t seem to be.

Get in touch and we’ll book your date 💕

You deserve to be seen – not just in a selfie!

With love,

Rohana

Details:

Dates: 31st Jan, 7th Feb, 21st Feb.

£60 – a full gallery, 5 digital downloads, or the option to upgrade. 

Social media safe (no faces) photos included.

Closing 2025 – A Quick Powerful Practice for Parents

| Rohana Aisha Dewfall

And so 2025 is ending. What a year it has been.

A 9 in numerology, the number of completion.

A snake year (not quite over yet – that’s February time), the shedding of old skin.

A wood year, for personal growth, learning and nurturing.

As a parent of young kids, celebrating New Year’s Eve probably doesn’t look like massive parties or midnight countdowns, but that doesn’t mean we can’t mark the occasion. In fact, to me, it means we can toast the new calendar year with more perspective and gentleness because there’s no party to rush to.

So, here’s what I’m doing to ring in the new year, it’s a 3 minute practice (per child) but you can set your own timer or free flow depending on what works for you. You may want a journal but don’t need one.

  • Think about your child. Bring their smile, laugh, love, joy, compassion, all the beautiful things to life in your mind. Picture this version of them – and out loud or on paper (I prefer paper) write down your wish for them this year.
  • Then, bring to mind all the hardest moments. The grumps, the attitude, anger, outbursts etc. Picture this version of them, and say aloud or write down your wish for them this year.
  • Lastly, think about yourself. A year from now, with your child. What do you want to feel? How does your relationship look? Once more, say outloud or write it down, a nod to the year ahead in your parenting journey with them.

Setting these intentions for our children is powerful. Because doing so sets the stage for the way we will relate to them. It doesn’t take long, but it ripples out.

I do this for each of my 4 kids and then I do a collective one too, so it takes about 15 minutes altogether. Between everything, finding 15 mintues is still a challenge some days, but today, its a priority.

That said, it makes a point of being a great practice when you’re deep in the midsts of busyness and finding minutes is precious. So fingers crossed you can find a few minutes too. 

I hope you have a beautiful New Year. Thanks for sticking with me.

Here’s to 2026!

Xox Rohana

Why I don’t rock my baby to sleep

| Rohana Aisha Dewfall

I’m holding my one year old and thinking about how I very rarely have to walk him around for sleep.

Before, when I just had my first baby, I thought I needed to help him sleep all the time, especially when all I would read about wake windows and dropping naps etc was that if he didn’t sleep, I was doing something wrong.

I thought that I needed to hold him and walk him and be with him. I thought if I left him alone, I’d be traumatising him. So I stayed.

I with him, but all that did was stress me out. Of course, he mirrored my stress. I didn’t understand that then, but knowing now about mirror neurons, I can see that those hours where whether or not he was tired, sleep would elude the both of us as my stress levels rose wondering what he hell I’d missed or done wrong to mess up bedtime that day. I spent hours walking him around, holding him awkwardly, both of us crying, and damaging my deeply unhealed postpartum body and spirit as a result.

From the very start my firstborn didn’t love sleep… and now, he only loves it when it’s time to wake up!

I look back and see that I was trying to force him to sleep by rocking and singing and doing all the things instead of just relaxing and being with him. This wasn’t because I enjoyed it, I just felt like it was what I should be doing – it was because I didn’t want to face the feelings of inadequacy that having a baby who doesn’t sleep would bring.

And now, as I hold my nearly one year old, my fourth baby I’m so much more relaxed. I don’t really care when he sleeps, just that he does and that he feels safe until he’s ready, whether that’s with me or more recently with his dad. It’s made such a difference to slowly, the more kids we’ve had, let all those expectations go.

I hope that my youngest baby will be more secure and comfortable, while simultaneously work through the guilt I feel about how much I didn’t know with my first and also feel proud of everything I’ve learned. If I could go back and tell the version of me with just 1 kid anything, it would be to relax, to just fucking relax. Honestly, the amount of time I spent stressed out, worrying that I was doing it wrong, and worrying what other people thought and how I should be, and whether I was doing it the way the book said, and the podcast said, and all the things I must have passed so much stress to him. You don’t know what you don’t know though, so here we are – learning. Undoing the stress of those first few years with gentle persistence and support. I can’t change the past, but I can support him to process it; and show up for where we are now.

So I won’t rock them to sleep. I won’t pace. I won’t force sleep right now. And hopefully by doing that, I am laying the foundations for a calmer association with it all too.

As ever, thanks for reading,

Rohana x

Pregnancy to Postpartum – A Gathering in Helensburgh

| Rohana Aisha Dewfall

A while back a lady called Karen reached out to me about birthwork. She’s a doula and wanted to connect.

We met at the park and as kids played and we talked, we dreamed up the idea of circles where parents gather, sharing collective wisdoms, learning from each other, maybe even sharing some ritual – it was a wild, beautiful dream, something I’ve been quieting musing on since moving to Scotland last year.

Fast forward to now, we scouted locations, crafted an idea and have hosted our 2nd pregnancy to postpartum circle in Helensburgh. The latest one focused on the theme of movement and gravity, and we weaved together demonstrations, explanations and a beautiful conversation about the relevance of our theme right through pregnancy, in birth and into those early postpartum moments.

Working with birth balls, shawls, a doll stolen from my children’s toybox and of course a handmade crochet breast, we spent Friday evening with a group of beautiful ladies, many of whom brought their chosen birth partners too.

From the way we sit impacting baby’s position, to birth preferences and the impact on baby, our conversations spanned a wide range of topics. The idea of big babies, the way partners can feel they are being most supportive, the way we can make use of tools we have access to and the reality that every birth is different – there is no right or wrong way to bring a baby earthside – we loved sharing and exploring what felt relevant at the time.

We probably could have spent a few hours more chatting away!

But yes, our gathering, a circle of growing families sharing and learning together, felt like such a gorgeous success. I’m already looking forward to the next one.

I read that pregnancy is the gestation of the mother, and that ultimately babies are only born once… both of these things feel truer now than they ever have. Education is essential, community is how we survive, and the next generation deserve that. How lucky we are to be able to have even a tiny part in it.

Until next update,

Rohana x

Why Neurodivergent Birth Matters – A Book Review

| Rohana Aisha Dewfall

Well, I’ll start by saying I’ve not been asked to do this, but I wanted to because I’ve just finished the book for a second time and, though I knew it would be fantastic, it was even better having time to process and integrate the words of wisdom shared.

Why Neurodivergent Birth Matters is one of the most affirming things I’ve read, as someone who has birthed myself and supported pregnant and postpartum families who are neurodivergent.

It wasn’t until my 3rd baby was born that I realised I myself am neurodivergent and the rollercoaster of learning and learning that came after has been tumultuous. Understanding that actually the overwhelm or preference to process information differently is actually part of the way our brains work is something that should be available to everyone right from the start of their perinatal journeys.

Having this book is revolutionary.

The validation it contains as well as the advice, beautifully chunked into sections for parents and birthworkers makes it so accessible to read.

Victoria writes of birth as a mountain and this analogy is woven throughout the book, with reference to our supports, our equipment, our trajectory and the JOY that comes with different steps too. Just as she talks about the sherpa on the mountain, this little book is it’s own sherpa.

She writes “There is something extremely frightening about feeling isolated in our experiences of pregnancy, birth and early parenting. Perhaps it is grounded in the knowledge that millions of people before us have done this, so why are we struggling”.

This is exactly how I have felt at so many points of my own parenting journey, often wondering how I can support others and feel so in the thick of it myself. But reading this book has brought so many moments of my early parenting journey to light with compassion. It isn’t because we don’t know. It’s because our brains need support in a way that the systems around us don’t always (or often) accommodate, assuming we all have similar experiences rather than individualised ones. Thankfully that is changing, and this book is one of the currents causing this changing tide.

Towards the end of the book she writes “we can have all the gear but no idea” using the mountain analogy again. It resonated deeply.

We can have ALL the information, but unless we understand it and feel supported, it isn’t going to help.

This book helps.

If you’re neurodivergent or supporting someone who is in their perinatal experiences, this book is absolute gold. Read it, annotate it, learn from it, and share it! I intend to too.

Much love,

Rohana x

5 Truly Terrifying Things About Birth in the UK

| Rohana Aisha Dewfall

As the theme changes from spooky to sparkles, I am jumping on this trend with a quick note today, because honestly, while everyone sharing their fabulous decorations, costumes, and pumpkins – almost all of which have a HUGE impact on the environment and carry their own horror story, there’s also a 365 day crisis in perintal care that’s far scarier than Halloween.

5 truely spooky things, going on every single day within birth, because the system is build to conveyor belt families from pregnancy through to postpartum as conveniently as possible. This is  not because those working in it want to, but because that’s the way policies and systems have been built.

Scary stuff!

So, heres just 5, of the many terrifying things going on in the birth world … all year round.

The lies in antenatal care from professionals in the system – I know I said above that it’s not those working in the system, and most of the time, it isn’t. But the truth is, sometimes it is. Sometimes it is professionals ticking boxes, sometimes it’s disregarding evidence based care, sometimes it’s policy and sometimes it’s someone who’s burnt out and exhausted. But the lies come. And the ripples they create are immense.

Induction rates are incredibly high. When there’s a medical need, induction can be an incredibly useful life-saving tool, and thank goodness for that. However for the majority of women and birthing people induction is often a result of lack of confidence,  misinformation, scarmongering and guidance about ‘big babies’ or  being ‘overdue’. It isn’t based on the latest evidence and induction – in its various forms – ends up being the first step in a sliding scale of interventions which often perpetuate trauam for all those involved.

Lack of trauma informed, neruodivergent aware, autonomy based care is in part related to the point above: induction. However, it goes well beyond that. A lack of well rounded training and resources means that a majority of healthcare professionals, while well intentioned, often don’t have the correct language or experience to be able to support the different women and birthing people that they are seeing. The lack of neurodiverse not knowledge means that a lot of the time, families are treated in ways that cause more harm, coerce all violate their rates to autonomy. The reality of this is that once again, women, birthing people, partners and the babies involved are coming away from birthing within the system with experiences they need to heal from right at the start of this new journey together.

When we have a lack of support and we feel out of control or in danger. Physiological birth is halted, and our bodies go into shut down. This means that a majority of families are starting their journey together with this new baby,  and also having to recover from the experience of pregnancy and birth.

The maternal mortality rate for non white bodies is another incredibly scary aspect of birth in not just the UK but around the Western world. The reality is that biases exist, unconscious ones often doing more harm than we realise. Although most people don’t believe themselves to be racist, these are socialised biases that have informed everything we do, so of course, it is unsurprising that we see them unfold in preintal care too. 


Lastly, the bullying, coercion, and violation that women and birthing are experiencing every day. Unfortunately, almost everyone who has been through the system will have an experience where they have been treated in a less than ideal way. However, the scariest part of this is that they leave, and I, myself have done this too, grateful for the fact that they have come out not as damaged as they could be, and that their baby is there, not damaged or as damaged as could have been.


Halloween is one day.
One commercialised day adulterated from ancient traditions.


The crisis in perinatal care is all year round.

If you’re planning a baby or pregnant – get informed. You and your baby deserve better than what is currently happening.

Labour Is About Your Baby Being Ready Just As Much As About You

| Rohana Aisha Dewfall

The soaring rates of induction

The elective cesarean birth numbers ever-rising

But why?

Why are we rushing for babies to come before their time?

There are cases where I get it. Baby’s need to come early, or there are actual decent reasons for opting in to control the date and way babies arrive.

As a doula, while yes I personally have had my own birth experiences, I will always advocate for you to have the experience you feel most deeply supported through.

As a critic and thinker however, I watch the numbers and listen to the stories and I do question the sanity of it all. The system pushes for babies to come before they are ready despite evidence that says babies are as active a participant in labour as mothers.

If you are scared or worried or feel unprepared, your babies gonna feel that on a vibrational level, and they’re not gonna wanna come. Eventually, they will, because nobody’s pregnant forever, but it isn’t on the readiness of both parties.

Similarly, if they’re not quite done growing those extra bits of immunity or strength or whatever it is they need, they’re not going to be sending signals to get your body moving.

It’s a dance.

You’ve both got to be ready and willing and able. And then, the journey begins.

When you force it… in an attempt to “control” labour or birth, the result is often trauma.

When you force it, the experience shifts … for both of you.

And those effects can absolutely last years or even lifetimes.

Labour is as much about baby as it is about you.

Keep going, keep thinking! Get educated x

With love,

Rohana x

Capturing Motherhood in its Everyday Beauty

| Rohana Aisha Dewfall

I recently launched a mothers day mini session day and met some beautiful mothers as a result. I’m just taking a moment to celebrate the win that this has been for me, and decided to share it.

I know Mothers day is for some incredibly important, for others incredibly painful, and for others something they couldn’t care less about  – and all of that’s okay. I wanted to get creative, to give something that was meaningful and to celebrate mothers in whatever stage of their journey they were when we met.

Of course, it’s been timed to fit mothers day, and I wanted to make sure I got everyone their gallery beforehand, but deeper than that, it was a celebration of mothers in their every day, and that’s exactly how it felt actually.

I need to say it was an honour to meet, share and capture the wonderful mothers who came.

We went to the woods and walked and captured moments of their relationship with their beautiful tiny people. I wanted it to be natural, relaxed and away from the whole “pose for a photo” vibe that comes with a random stranger and their camera being around you.

I think there’s absolutely a place for that kind of photo, but I’m not the one to be taking it and that’s okay. I’m really grateful that I live somewhere that I can say let’s meet at “xyz” and the people who are cool with it come.

With all my heart I am so grateful this is a reality I am living where I can do this. The version of me who was hopeful, afraid and eventually gave up trying 6 years ago is part of who I am today, and without her I wouldn’t have been able to offer this, create in this way or share, but here we are.

Capturing motherhood not in a posed “smile for the camera” kind of way, but in the twinkly smiles and excited hugs kind of way.

All my love,

Rohana x

I wanted to Cancel My Yoga Class Last Night  – Here’s Why I Didn’t

| Rohana Aisha Dewfall

I nearly cancelled class last night.

I wanted to.

It’s been an intense week at home and honestly I felt like I wasn’t going to show up and give a class that supported anyone.

But I paused.

Because the idea that it is my job to support anyone in class sounds well intentioned and fitting, but also feels rooted in a more complex colonial lens that says “I’m the teacher and those who come to class need something from me” – which is icky as hell!

So I decided to go.

For me.

Yes I’d committed. Yes there was the element of it being a pre-booked session… but I was ready to postpone it until I decided it was for me.

Because showing up for me was a way for me to be there messy and human, and make mistakes and laugh, without the idea that I was ‘leading a class’ anymore.

And that felt good.

And in the end, class was messy and human and I got m uddled up but laughed and shared and it was beautiful to be in a space with other humans. I listened to a couple of songs on the drive in, and I sat for a whole 3 minutes listening to some Mantras before starting.

I set intentions like every week and then as people came in I felt my body’s gratitude that I’d shown up.

Was it perfect, no? Did it mean something, absolutely.

More than that though, I got to reflect on why I wanted to cancel, and undo some of the intensely woven conditioning we have in the wellness industry about what yoga classes mean – I’m not any better or worse for teaching, but I am evolving, and that’s magick.

With love,

Rohana x