Birth Preparation
One thing that often comes up for women who have given birth and experienced trauma is “I wish I was better prepared, it wasn’t what I had expected, I wish I had done more”.
These feelings are very common, and I am sending you so much love if this is where you are right now. Please know that none of what happened to you was your fault and if these feelings are sitting with you, a birth debrief can be a really helpful way to work through these emotions.
A birth preparation 1-1 will provide the opportunity to explore all things birth with someone who has done all the research and can break things down for you in a way that feels easier to digest (I will always share sources and research for you to look at too). When our only exposure to birth has been movies, TV shows and friends stories, it can be truly eye opening to discover what true physiological birth looks like and just how incredibly capable your body is. This is not to say that everyone reading this would like a physiological birth, after all the purpose of this 1-1 is to discover what birth you want for your own individual pregnancy. However, this knowledge is vital in being able to make decisions about whether or not you wish to use interventions that may interrupt the natural dance of birth and how best to still support the bodies physiological needs should you choose to.
It is true that no birth plan or expectations of birth can be guaranteed, birth of course can be very unpredictable. But once you understand better the physiology of birth and how to truly support this, you realise that actually, so much of birth is not necessarily predictable, but it does follow familiar patterns if uncomplicated and given the right environment and support to unfold physiologically.
The most important thing going into your birth is to be truly informed and to feel truly empowered to make the decisions that feel right for you and your individual pregnancy. Some of this will involve learning more about birth and the interventions that are offered so that you can make informed choices. Much of this is about feeling empowered enough to ask for what you want in a system that might well wish to persuade you otherwise. This can be a huge learning curve for many of us who have grown up in a world where ‘good girl syndrome’ makes conflict feel unsafe, but this is something that we will explore together as part of a birth preparation 1-1.
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You can expect to learn about physiological birth and how this is best supported. Be prepared to unlearn so much of what you might already believe about birth and come away feeling empowered about how capable you are.
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Yes, we will discuss any interventions that may be offered to you and explore the research to allow you to make an informed decision as to if or when any of these might feel right for you. There will be a particular focus on induction and the risks and benefits associated with this increasingly offered intervention.
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No. Although there will be some crossover in what you learn of physiological birth through this 1-1 and a typical hypnobirthing course/class, a birth preparation chat with me will only discuss hypnobirthing as a tool for supporting birth and we will not practice the techniques as part of the 1-1.
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The current maternity system is failing to meet the needs of women and people giving birth. Staffing levels are not where they need to be and the guidelines that are in place are often not evidence based and rarely tailored to you as individual.
I wish it wasn’t necessary for you to go into labour feeling as though you have to fight for the birth you want, but sadly, for many this is what is realistic and to ignore this or bury our heads in the sand will only lead to more birth trauma, where the birth experience far from meets a persons expectations.
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I recommend 2 hours for a birth preparation 1-1 however some people may wish to extend this or add additional sessions in the lead up to their labour.
Sessions will cost £80 per hour and for follow ups I will accommodate 30min sessions at £40
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Absolutely! It can often be overlooked how intimidating and scary being a birth partner can actually feel. For many it is a completely foreign world. I highly recommend that some aspects of your birth preparation are attended by birthing partners too. It is a great opportunity for them to ask questions and gain the knowledge and confidence they will need to effectively advocate for you in labour.