Positive birth and hypnobirthing courses and workshops in East London

I’m running a new format to my workshop/course that caters to those who just want one hypnobirthing workshop and those who are looking for a deeper dive into birth preparation.

What we’ll cover in Part I:

• The physiology of birth.

We’ll talk about what’s actually happening in labour so you can work with your body and build your self-trust. Knowing what your body is doing and what you’re feeling can build your confidence and help you feel better connected to the process. It can also help you to understand how to better support yourself/your labour so you feel more comfortable.

• The power of your mind and why hypnobirthing can make a difference.

Learning about the power of your mind and more about your nervous system brings further understanding to why the practices work. This is also valuable information you can apply to your life in general and especially helpful as a parent to a baby who needs you to help regulate his/her nervous system!

• Ways to increase your comfort: breathing, visualisations, relaxations, etc.

Ways to cope with labour (mentally and physically) including breathing techniques, hypnosis scripts (basically guided relaxations!), massage, using gate control theory or physical distraction techniques with a TENS/birth ball/water/comb, etc.

What we’ll cover in Part II:

• You may make a lot of choices around your birth. We’ll discuss how you can make the best choices for YOU, whatever they may be. We’ll discuss what informed consent really means, different places of birth and why that changes birth statistics, excellent questions to keep on hand and an easy acronym to help you decide what you want.

• Birth is unpredictable! Nearly half of births are by caesarean section and one third are induced, so it’s important to feel positive towards all types of birth and to understand your choices and the benefits they can have. When plans change, it can feel as though all control is diverted to your health care team, but there are so many things you can consider that re-centre you in your care and your experience, and also help things go more smoothly. We’ll cover pain relief options and how you can positively prepare for a more medicalised birth.

• We will also cover birth positions, pushing techniques, breathing techniques for that pushing stage and how to reduce your chance of a severe tear.

• The golden hour after your birth is so important. We’ll consider how you can support this time and your time as a family in the weeks to follow.

What you’ll receive in addition to the workshop:

Part I:

You’ll receive five mp3s to practice with on the day of the workshop (though if you’re due soon, I will send them ASAP), two small but mighty gifts and several pages of hypnobirthing scripts to practice with. £90

Part II:

You’ll receive a birth preferences template and loads of resources to help you fill it out, handouts that will help you to make informed decisions, a birth positions PDF and other resources to support you in the postnatal period. £90

Do I need to do both workshops?

It depends. It’s simply not possible to cover everything in one three hour workshop. When you listen to birth stories, you might realise how nuanced birth can be - it’s not one size fits all. These workshops are designed to help you better navigate your journey in a way that centres you in your care and develops a deeper trust in the choices that you make. Doing both workshops offers more information, allows for more discussion and to have the dedicated space to think about your birth with your partner and others when life is busy.

I’d recommend only doing part I if you are doing other antenatal courses that support all types of birth and personalised decision making (not all do).

I’d recommend only doing part II if you’ve done a hypnobirthing course but feel like you need more support in writing your birth preferences and preparing for birth itself.

If you’re unable to do both there are other ways to help supplement the workshop: reading books and recommended websites, listening to positive birth stories (they can teach you a lot!), taking an online hypnobirthing course or booking private follow up sessions. I typically include one with my course, but with this format I’m offering them at a discounted rate of £50/hr.

Birth partners (this can be anyone you want present at your birth) are encouraged to join (though not necessary) and are included in the cost. We’ll discuss how they can help support you in your labour and birth, so they feel prepared as well.

Snacks and hot drinks will be provided. Move Studio is on Dane Place E3 5EJ, just off Roman Road above Abbott’s Interiors.