THE MOTHERSHIP ANTENATAL

About

I’m an accredited Mindful Birth Group® teacher, a perinatal trauma councellor, trainee psychotherapist and ‘Mum of two’. I also have 15 years’ experience working for non-profits, broadcasters and youth brands but that’s another story.

I’ve always been fascinated by the power of childbirth and when I took a hypno-birthing course during my first pregnancy, my fascination turned in to a bit of an obsession. The term ‘hypno-birthing’ suggests quite a narrow focus to most people. It can also carry promises of a ‘pain-free and positive birth experience’ which can be deeply problematic. For me personally, hypno-birthing was a stepping stone to my wider birth education. It taught me the basics of my physiology and offered the powerful insight that birth isn’t a medical emergency, nor a disease that needs to be treated by doctors, it’s just a normal physiological process.

Hypno-birthing gave me a thirst for as much information as possible about pregnancy and childbirth. I wanted to know everything about our spectacular birthing bodies; the muscles, the hormones, the mechanics of the pelvis. The more I learnt, the more powerful and inspired I felt. I also got clued-up about the birth systems and cultures here in the UK and read up on all the policies, research and evidence (or lack of) that shape our maternity services. Knowledge was my power and I couldn’t get enough.

As well as unleashing my inner birth-geek, I threw myself in to ‘the fun bit’ of birth prep too. Also known as, ‘getting-high-on-Oxytocin-at-every-available-opportunity’; I baked brownies, I listened to podcasts, I had aromatherapy baths, I did spiritual pregnancy yoga, I gazed at the moon, I listened to relaxation scripts, I spent hours (and I mean hours) crafting the perfect birthing playlist. When the big day came, I was buoyed by a wealth of information and a deep sense of trust in myself and the process.

Now I work with others preparing for birth. People come with different hopes, fears, expectations and histories and it’s wrong to assume everyone wishes for the same thing. I don’t promise to help you ‘achieve’ a certain type of birth. Nobody can do that. I’ll simply give you the information and tools to find your own inner power and birth your baby with confidence.