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 processing session can be a really beautiful and gentle way to work through these emotions.
A birth preparation session with me goes beyond the usual birth education that you might find in your antenatal classes or even hypnobirthing courses. This is not to say that these can’t be incredibly resourceful tools, and for many women they will make up a part of their birth preparation, but a birth preparation session with me explores so much more, encompassing the use of Birth Mapping (including the very cleverly designed game of birth) and the Reconnected Birthing approach to birth preparation, which invites you to explore and process the stories and belief systems that your body may be carrying into your birth.
You can book a birth preparation session here
Or if you would like to hear more about Birth Mapping and Reconnected Birthing, I have explained how these methods can support you in more detail below.
Birth Mapping is a wonderful evidence-based tool and it was created by midwife and researcher Catherine Bell, to address the issues that can still befall traditional birth plans. It moves away from the idea of wishes and preferences, and instead encourages you to explore the multiple pathways of pregnancy, birth and postpartum, so that you can relay your decisions to your care providers with confidence.
The thing I love most about guiding you through your Birth Map, is the invitation to explore the questions that you might never have thought about before labour and birth, or that have been avoided, perhaps because those scenarios are so far from the desired birth pathway, that to give time to them can feel scary. But the reality is that exploring all of the different pathways during your pregnancy, when you have the time to gather the information relevant to you, means you are able to make decisions from a place of capacity and clarity. There is no rushing the process, the choices and information are not being presented to you with limited facts or options, there is no one to coerce you in the decision making process and you are not in the throes of labour, at your most vulnerable.
The process of birth mapping is first and foremost about asking the questions. For example, at what point would you be willing to accept an induction? or What would you like to do if there is meconium in your waters? If you decide to have a caesarean, would you like skin to skin and delayed cord clamping? How would like this to look?
Where you get those answers will come from information (I have gained quite the directory of birth education resources over the years that I will share with you, from books, course, research papers, podcasts and birth advocates) and your own intuition. Each and every person brings their own unique experiences to birth and so every persons view of what is or isn’t risky, safe, scary, will feel completely different.
Birth Mapping doesn’t just end with your birth either, it also invites you to think about your postpartum experience, the fourth trimester, and how you would like to this to look and the support you might need for this to happen. So many people forget about this time when planning for their birth, they overlook the huge transformation that you go through as you become a mother…Matrescence. Having the time to really think about this time can make things so much easier in those early days as you adjust to this new life and new family dynamic.
The ‘Game of Birth’ has been designed to be used alongside birth mapping as a fun way to invite these questions and conversations. It can be played during a session with me, on your own or alongside your birth partner/s.
For a more detailed explanation of the birth mapping process and why it came about, you can also listen to Catherine talk about her work on the Great Birth Rebellion podcast (episode 176).
The Reconnected Birthing approach to birth preparation is an invitation for you to explore the stories and belief systems that you may be carrying, in both your body and mind, into your birth. Beyond birth mapping, where the focus is on education, information and decision making, reconnected birthing brings a deep recognition of the wisdom our bodies hold, and how the fears or beliefs that we might be holding onto from previous events in our lives, can shape so much of how our births might unfold.
Through this lens I will invite you to connect with your body and learn how your nervous system might respond to different scenarios or situations in birth, so that you have an opportunity to listen and speak to what it is that your body is holding onto, with an an aim to move through these feelings or understand how to resource yourself, so that you can feel more connected and confident as you near your birth.
This is the part of birth prep that really goes beyond the education, this is the part the connects with the parts of you that feel anxious, that make it hard to say no or speak up for yourself, that feel the body tense at the thought of parts of your birth because they bring up lived experiences in your past, whether a birth or otherwise, that might have been traumatic. We carry so many beliefs from childhood into adulthood that can make it really difficult to fully embrace our own unique wisdom and intuition, that maybe quieten the voice that actually craves to be heard.
It would be an honour to hold you as you gently explore these stories and to witness your strength as you grow into your power.
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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 90 minutes to 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.
60 minute sessions can be accommodated, but please note that we will not be able to cover all aspects of birth in this time and these sessions are more suitable if there is a focus on a particular fear or anxiety, or as a follow up from a previous session.
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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.