Adjusting to motherhood with Dr. Kate

Motherhood may seem a difficult job for a first-time mother. However, with the correct information, it is possible to go through this challenging experience with peace of mind.

Kate is a Naturopathic practitioner, who graduated at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (Sonoroan University of Health Sciences) where she also completed a general medicine residency and a 2-year specialised homeopathy residency. In addition to this, she is a registered homeopath in Portugal.

With all these qualifications, she decided to focus herself on supporting mums and their newborn babies. “I love working with new mothers to help them reach their feeding and sleeping goals. While comfortable with many modalities, I enjoy using homeopathy as a safe, gentle, and effective method of stimulating the body to heal”, she says on her website.

Kate is not only a qualified professional, but a kind human being that knows exactly what new moms are going through. She is a mom of two and one of them was born when she came to Portugal with her partner.

Whole Health Baby

Last year, in 2022, she decided to put her knowledge into practice and set up a new business named “Whole Health Baby”, where she provides in-person and virtual consultation for homeopathy, lactation support, holistic sleep support and acute concerns for babies, children and adults.

The insecurity of this phase of life is very common, especially for first-time mothers. After all, mums only want to do the best for the little one on the way.

In an interview with The Portugal News, Kate explained what the main concerns that new mothers share are:

"The main issue with breastfeeding is: does my baby get enough breast milk? That is always the biggest question”, she said.

When it comes to sleep, mothers are usually concerned that their baby wakes up frequently or is unable to sleep well during the night. According to her, "If the baby wakes up frequently, that is usually normal and mothers just need to be reassured. But that's what I'm here for, to give that kind of reassurance that everything is ok," she said.

In fact, sleep issues is one of the main concerns, especially when it starts to affect the family's rest. To sort this out, there are little tricks that Kate also helps with. “Things like making sure that your baby gets the right number of naps. That can improve nighttime sleep. Having a bedtime routine can sometimes help. And then also helping mums to find time to rest”, she said.

As for breastfeeding problems, such as lack or excess milk, there are very different reasons that can dictate the mother's supplies as well as the latching. "If there is a problem with latching, sometimes a change of positioning is enough - sometimes it is enough to stop any pain that is happening during latching. I also watch the baby's mouth, make sure the sucking is adequate or if there are any structural issues that might affect the latch and their experience," Kate explained.

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, mothers can also benefit from support, which is important because it can make the post-birth phase much smoother and natural. According to Kate: “There are a lot of things that we can work out during pregnancy. Just being more prepared for how to latch. Also, being aware of the transitions and what to expect is key”.

If you are interested, she is currently running a breastfeeding support group on Wednesdays at 10am in Loulé. It is completely free of charge.

If you would like to take part or if you wish to book an appointment with Dr. Kate, please feel free to get in touch by kate@wholehealthbaby.com or +351-913-147-006 or +1-480-442-6550.

For more information, please visit wholehealthbaby.com. You can also find her at Whole Health Baby office at Rua José Fernandes Guerreiro NR 66B, São Clemente, Loulé 8100-598

Paula Martins is a fully qualified journalist, who finds writing a means of self-expression. She studied Journalism and Communication at University of Coimbra and recently Law in the Algarve. Press card: 8252

Paula Martins