Well are you? I'd love to find out....
Here goes...
You live in London, you have a great job, fabulous friends, an optimistic outlook on life - you often have a smile on your face and you generally believe that you can do anything, if you set your mind to it... Check?!
You know that eating well, drinking plenty of water, exercising, getting some fresh air during the day, and having a hug and an early night, can make even the toughest days bearable - and that chocolate and wine also help, massively!!!! Check?!
You work hard but also take time out to nurture your relationships with you partner, your family and your friends... Check?!
Oh - and of course - you're PREGNANT?! Check?!
You feel amazing, you're glowing, radiant in fact; the most confident you've ever felt about your body in your life! Check?!
You feel so liberated! You're ecstatic that you're pregnant! This is really happening! There are currently two hearts beating inside your body and that totally blows your mind! Check?!
You've planned out the nursery and set up your Nursery List with John Lewis - if you haven't I highly recommend it; you've got a shortlist of names, you've decided where you'd like to give birth, you know which fruit or vegetable your baby is currently the size of... yup, that's a thing (click here if you don't believe me....) - mine's currently the size of an aubergine, apparently!
Is all this sounding familiar...? Could you be my dreamboat client?
Let's dig deeper....
You want to learn how to cope with labour and birth in the most calm, relaxed and confident way possible so that you can have a safe and positive birth experience. Check?!
You're feeling confident about the birth of your baby. Check?! Check....?
Honestly...?
Or are doubts beginning to creep in...? Are you starting to question whether you'll be able to cope with the pain of giving birth: everyone knows how much it hurts, right?! What if you can't handle it? What if you poo? (ewww!) What if the baby is too big? What if you tear - down there?! (Oh my God!!!) What if they have to use forceps, or you have to have a C-section?! Will this baby come with instructions?!
Check...?!
If this is ringing bells with you then - you're in EXACTLY THE RIGHT PLACE. This was ME. Cool, calm and collected on the outside, but really, if you asked the right questions and dug deep enough - I wasn't convinced I'd be able to do it. And I don't like failing.
I attended the free NHS Antenatal Class at the Royal London, which I'd really been looking forward to, but that just made things even worse! I couldn't understand it: I wasn't sick? I was perfectly healthy; my baby was perfectly healthy. Why was there all this talk about pain, how to cope with the pain, pain relief, time limits, induction, drips, surgery... FUCK!
Then I thought about doing the whole NCT thing. That's where I'd been told you go to meet your new 'mum friends'. But the course looked quite expensive and not too dissimilar content-wise to the NHS session. Was it really worth it? I noticed that they put on a free weekly coffee morning, open to everyone, whether you were a paid up member of the NCT or not. That sounded alright! And there was an open invite to Brown's at West India Quay, for a parents-to-be dinner... I decided to pop along to that and mingle!
It was getting pretty close to the big day... REALITY WAS KICKING IN! This baby was going to have to come out somehow! SHIT!!! And that was when, as if by magic, I was given the name and number of a 'Hypnobirthing' teacher. HYPNOBIRTHING?! I'd heard of it, but I had no idea how it was meant to help. Would I be put under a trance and be so spaced out I wouldn't feel a thing?! Haha! Yes please! Sign me up!
Thankfully, my other half didn't need too much convincing to come along to the sessions with me - yes fellas, you have to go too! As a footballer, he figured it was akin to sports psychology: mind over matter type stuff, positive thinking and relaxation.... In other words: a chance to feel good and have a snooze!
So off we went, with our notepads and retractable pencils (I do love a retractable pencil!); our extra pair of cosy socks and a birth ball! We were ready!
And so it all began: our Hypnobirthing journey. In less than a month, I was transformed from Anxious Annie to FEARLESS BIRTH WARRIOR! There was no stopping me!
BRING ON THE BABY!
Dave and I practiced... and practiced.... and practiced.... we put in the work, did all the homework, read the book, listened to the MP3s, breathed, ate well, stretched well, slept well and focused on the birth that we wanted for our precious little octopus (yes, that's what he felt like - a proper little wriggler with at least 8 limbs!)
When the big day finally arrived, we were totally ready. All the hard work had been done so that we could focus all of our energy on birthing our precious little bundle.
And what a birth we had. It was totally unforgettable.
Did it all go 'to plan?' Hell no! Why?! Because we didn't have 'a plan'!
We had a mindset: a positive, calm and open mindset, ready to accept whatever turn our birthing took. Rather than one set 'birth plan', which seemed too rigid and fixed, we had a 'birth preference' - which involved a plan A, a plan B and even a plan C... Now, that's not just the perfectionist in me covering all bases, it's something I recommend that ALL my clients do. I can't stress enough, the importance of educating yourself and being FULLY INFORMED in order to stay in control of your birth, whether it takes route A, B, C or even D!
So my question to you is this: are you ready to re-frame your thinking - about pregnancy, labour and birth - and get to work?! Because in all honesty, that's the key to Hypnobirthing: if you create the right mindset and put in the work - you WILL get the results.
I am 100% dedicated to helping pregnant women, just like you, to overcome your fears and anxieties around giving birth. I will educate and empower you to have a SAFE, CALM, RELAXED and POSITIVE birthing experience - which is right for YOU and YOUR baby. This is so important to me, because you need to know that birth doesn't have to be like all the horror stories you've heard.
All the love, Helen x
Your body, your baby, your birth
Helen Wright: Double Mama to two gorgeous little humans; Positive Birth Coach and Postnatal Revival Expert, is on a mission to support parents achieve the right births for them and their babies and help them to thrive in the precious postnatal period and beyond.Helen is an experienced KG Hypnobirthing Teacher, Positive Birth Coach and Creative Genius behind BirthWright Affirmation Cards; she's also a Certified Placenta Remedies Specialist with the Placenta Remedies Network, a Registered Breastfeeding Helper with the Breastfeeding Network and she co-hosts a monthly Family Meet Up & Support Group in the East End of London where she lives.For more info visit: www.BirthWright.co.uk and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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