You're pregnant! I'm super chuffed for you. You bought the best Clear Blue pregnancy test, to confirm it for the 10th time, just because you couldn't be certain the line was there on the others. You re-test in a few weeks, just to make sure, because you still can't believe your eyes.
Next, you start looking at what crib is the best. Will it be a moses basket? A SnuzPod? A Chicco? A Tutti Bambini CoZee? (How do they come up with these names) Is it one you can attach to your bed? One that moves? What does your friend recommend? Lets check out online reviews.
Then you have your scan at 20 weeks. You find out the sex of the baby. Its a girl! Wonderful, you think. Now I can begin to buy clothes, paint the nursery, get a colour co-ordinated pram and car seat. The nursery walls are a pale pink, you've put up beautiful wall stickers, framed prints, shelves with toys on. Bought your favourite childhood books. The wardrobe is fully stocked with every size of vest, legging, t-shirt, sock, bib, nappy, dress you could find, til the baby is atleast 1 year old. You've bought the steriliser and bottles, breast pump, play mat, the most expensive baby monitor with night vision and a funky thermometer. You're ready, you think.
But are you? Of course, many of these items are required for the arrival of your baby, I absolutely understand that and do not blame you for wanting to be prepared in good time before their arrival! Plus, it is pretty exciting to buy all this stuff. However, have you thought about how the baby gets out and how you are going to feel at that point? What about after birth - aside from the materialistic things, how will you transition to being a parent? This goes for both mum and partner.
It is so important that you consider how you are going to get to actually having a baby. You are able to make all these choices about which state of the art pram you are going to purchase. How? You probably got recommendations from friends and read reviews online. You made what you felt was an informed decision. That is awesome! How about we make some of those about birth? Surely you want to feel as prepared for birth as you do for the physical aspects of having a baby?
This is where hypnobirthing comes in. Yes, maybe I am biased because I teach it, but I also see birthing women and brand new mothers in my midwifery career who say that looking back, they were not ready for how birth was gonna be. They felt out of control and not at all prepared. They didn't know their choices and they weren't able to feel relaxed during birth. If they had attended a course, they would have understood their choices and had a wonderful toolkit to use to create a positive experience, right at their fingertips.
We are hooked in to buying the latest trendy gadgets for our babies, but in reality, a baby is pretty low maintenance. Feed them, change them and get them to sleep. Cuddle them and make them feel loved. These are only things that YOU can do. They do not give a damn the colour of their bedroom, which they won't even be sleeping in yet. They don't know what brand their cot is. They can't play on the gorgeous mat you bought for the floor or use the walker. They want a loving, happy and relaxed parent. That is something you must learn and hypnobirthing classes can support you to create. A negative birth experience can stay with you for a long time and impact how you feel as a parent.
You may look at the price of hypnobirthing classes and feel it is out of reach. However, look at everything else you may (or may not) have just bought. My classes range from £160 - £295, which is less than the price of the average branded pram. You are paying for your own wellbeing, which lasts a life time.
I understand that not everyone is financially able to commit to classes, which is why I offer a flexible approach to payment. Lets make YOUR birth a positive experience. Contact me to chat & find out more! I'd love to work with you.
Hannah x