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hypnobirthing classes in Teddington

Group Hypnobirthing Course in Hampton Hill

Looking for a group hypnobirthing course in Hampton?

Hypnobirthing Mumma’s October course in St Margarets is now underway but I’m delighted to be offering the November group Hypnobirthing course in Hampton Hill. The course will be held in the heart of Hampton Hill at The Little Gym. A great environment for not only little ones to develop flexibility, strength, balance and coordination through varied physical activities but also a great teaching environment for my hypnobirthing courses. Allowing participants to feel comfortable and be in a relaxed environment.

Course dates and times

The course will be held over 7.5 hours from 19.00 – 21.30 on Monday 20th, 27th November and 4th December 2017.

I don’t overfill courses as I want everybody to be able to ask questions and fully immerse themselves in hypnobirthing. To ensure this is the case I only teach a maximum of five couples per course. This group size allows me to get to know you all individually.

The cost is £295 per couple.

What would I get out of a group Hypnobirthing class?

Joining this group hypnobirthing course in Hampton is a great way to not only to learn all about hypnobirthing but also to meet other local expectant parents in the area. I often meet expectant parents who may be new to the area who want to meet other parents to be in the area. A group course offers you the opportunity to meet friendly faces who share the same outlook on birth as you do.

An environment where I encourage you to share your thoughts around birth with like-minded people. Many of which have heard about the benefits of hypnobirthing for Mum, Dad and baby and want to learn as much as possible.

As a class I encourage us all to meet up once all the babies have arrived for a Postnatal Reunion.  This is held during the daytime in the week. An opportunity for mum, baby and of course Dad if he is free to meet and talk about your experiences of birth and early parenting.

The benefits of Hypnobirthing

  • You are likely to experience a more comfortable and sometimes women refer to their birth being pain free.
  • Length of labour is often much shorter with hypnobirthing births.
  • The need for drugs and intervention is reduced, which allows your baby to develop naturally and easily after they arrive.
  • Your baby will arrive to a serene and relaxed environment, alert and ready to bond with you as nature intended.
  • Mums often bounce back quicker after a Hypnobirthing birth as the physical impact of giving birth is reduced.
  • Hypnobirthing babies tend to show less distress during birth, are often very alert after birth and calmer babies.
  • Your birth partner will learn how to support you and have a central and active role in the birth. A truly shared and loving experience.

Interested in booking a hypnobirthing course? What to know more?

I offer the group hypnobirthing course in Hampton and St Margarets. I also teach private hypnobirthing courses in Hampton, Richmond, Twickenham, Isleworth, St Margarets, Kingston, Surbiton and surrounding areas. So to find out more about hypnobirthing or to book your hypnobirthing classes get in touch – i’d love to hear from you.

Follow me via my blog,  FacebookInstagram or Twitter to keep up to date with all workshops and events taking place.

Ali x

FAQs is labour painful top five tips for labour Group hypnobirthing course in St Margarets Group Hypnobirthing Course in Hampton Hill

Is Hypnobirthing Worth It?

What price do we put on our birth experiences? Is hypnobirthing worth it?

As women we often put investment into our daily life routine. Be it our hair being cut and coloured, having regular blow drys, manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing appointments. These appointments become part of our routine even though they are costly and take a chunk of our disposable income.

When it comes to weddings there’s often no expense spared. On average, a wedding in the UK now costs £27,000 with the figure in London reaching £38,000! But when it comes to what is said to be one of the most memorable days of your life we can become complacent about how much is being spent. We want to have the best experience on our wedding day.

I know as a bride to be I spent an eye watering amount on beauty treatments leading up to the big day. Changing my gym routine. Being more conscious of my diet. A lot of preparation went into my big day. My budget for my dress doubled when I saw ‘the dress’.

So why when it comes to our birth experience why aren’t we encouraged to treat it in the same way as any other memorable occasion in our life? Why are we put off investing in educating and preparing ourselves for birth? We can’t just hope for a good birth experience we have to prepare for one.

How can hypnobirthing prepare me for a better birth experience?

Some people are put off by the cost of a hypnobirthing course. I often have parents say to me i’d like to do it but there is so much more to pay out for when you’re having a baby. This of course is very true. They are weighing up is hypnobirthing worth it. Preparing for a new arrival can become very costly. But what we can’t put a price on is an woman’s birth experience. A bad birth experience can haunt women for life. It can lead to post natal depression and consequently put a woman off having another baby. Even women who had planned to have more than one child stop at one after a negative experience.

Hypnobirthing prepares expectant parents for a birth they can feel in control of and approach in a calm manner. Understanding how the body works during the birthing process is a vital part of a calm birth. The more we understand the birthing body the easier it is to work with it. The more educated we are on birth the better prepared we are. Knowledge is power after all.

A pain free birth?

Hypnobirthing doesn’t promise you a pain free birth but what it does do is allow you to reframe birth. Lets not talk about pain lets talk about sensations. Those sensations you will experience will be far more manageable if you’re calm and relaxed. The reason for this is because the body won’t be producing adrenaline – we don’t need this during birth. We need the body to be be producing oxytocin – the feel good hormone and endorphins as these will ensure your uterus works effectively and efficiently.

All this being said many hypnobirthing mums will say their birth was relatively ‘pain’ free. I for one describe my birth experience as and enjoyable experience and i’d had harder days at work. Some would say I was just ‘lucky’. I wouldn’t I would say my husband and I educated ourselves in the lead up. We prepared as best as we could so when that day arrived we would feel prepared and we did.

Own your birth experience

My advice to all expectant Mum’s would be to own your birth experience. Don’t expect anybody else to take control of it for you. At the end of the day a busy London hospital will see 1000’s of women come through their doors on a monthly basis. They are there to facilitate your birth but you need to have the voice and communicate with your caregivers. Don’t allow choices to be taken away from you by not educating yourself. Unfortunately many women will say about their birth experience ‘I wasn’t allowed to do that’. ‘The hospital said I had to do that’. As birthing women we always have a choice. We have to consent to anything that happens to us. Hypnobirthing educates us on this.

Hypnobirthing gave me a voice when I was in labour. Being transferred to the labour ward after having had a nice experience on the natural birthing centre. It was hospital protocol i’d be in second stage too long to remain there. I had a voice when they started to prep me for theatre for an epidural. Asking what the alternative was. What happened? The alternative meant my baby was delivered promptly without me having an epidural.

So is hypnobirthing worth it?

In my eyes its worth every penny. It was the best investment I made during my pregnancy. The course left me feeling prepared and confident. A feeling I now love hearing that my clients have experienced also when we finish a course together.

I’d advise any pregnant lady give up a couple of those things that we have in our monthly routines. Get your other half to forgo a few nights out with friends. Those sports or gig tickets. By the time you forgo a few you’ve paid for a hypnobirthing course. A course that will leave you feeling prepared. So what your nails and hair may not look as preened but having a birth experience that you look back on as a positive and happy day is worth it.

Every woman deserves a birth that she felt in control of. One that may have been textbook or one that took a different route. Regardless of that it needs to be one that you were in control of and was the best birth for you. It’s your birth – own your birth and your body.

So is hypnobirthing worth it? I strongly believe so. Treat your birth in the same way you’d treat buying a house, getting married. Let it be a memorable experience. Investing in it as you would any other significant life event.

Interested in booking a hypnobirthing course? What to know more?

I teach private hypnobirthing courses in Teddington, St Margarets, Richmond, Twickenham, Isleworth, Hampton, Kingston and surrounding areas. I also offer group courses in St Margarets. So to find out more about hypnobirthing or to book your hypnobirthing classes get in touch – i’d love to hear from you.

I offer Twick Mum and YogaBellies Richmond ladies a 10% discount on all my courses.

Follow me via my blog,  FacebookInstagram or Twitter to keep up to date with all workshops and events taking place.

Ali x

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Hypnobirthing & Yoga Birth Preparation Workshop

Hypnobirthing courses in Richmond

Are you thinking about hypnobirthing or pregnancy yoga? Like the idea but aren’t convinced they’re for you? I work with Triona who runs YogaBellies, Richmond to offer ladies a birth preparation workshop that combines hypnobirthing and yoga.

We start with a one hour yoga class lead by Triona followed by a two hour hypnobirthing session by Hypnobirthing Mumma. I welcome birth partners to join in for they hypnobirthing session as hypnobirthing isn’t only beneficial for expectant Mums. It’s beneficial for birth partners and your baby. Expectant mums start the session after an hours wonderful yoga with Triona feeling nourished and relaxed. The best place to be for hypnobirthing. Although our workshops take place in Richmond and I offer private hypnobirthing courses in Richmond and surrounding areas. Get it touch to find out the areas that I cover.

The benefits of yoga in pregnancy

Research suggests that practising yoga while pregnancy can help improve sleep, reduce stress and anxiety, increase the strength, flexibility and endurance of muscles needed for childbirth.
  •  Your body can feel more supported from yoga including helping ease any back pain you might be experiencing from carrying your baby bump around. Supporting the changes that are happening in a pregnant body.
  • Helps tone the physical body, especially the pelvic floor, hip, and abdominal core muscles, in preparation for the birthing process.
  • Works to connect with yoga methods around deep, mindful breathing which helps the body loosen and relax during labour.
  • Women find they connect more with their baby when they attend a yoga class. They have that sense of relaxation and being present in that moment. Disconnecting from anything else going on in the outside world.
  • Through stretching and toning your muscles yoga can help ease common pregnancy symptoms. These include back pain, nausea, insomnia, headaches, shortness of breath and carpal tunnel syndrome. Yoga encourages healthy blood circulation throughout the body. Combined with the deep breathing it can bring much needed oxygen to your baby and to your own muscles.
  • It’s also a great way to meet other expectant Mums!

The benefits of Hypnobirthing

  • You are likely to experience a more comfortable and sometimes pain free birth.
  • Length of labour is often much shorter with hypnobirthing births.
  • Less drugs and medical intervention are used in hypnobirthing births allowing your baby to develop naturally and easily after they arrive.
  • Your baby will arrive to a serene and relaxed environment, alert and ready to bond with you as nature intended.
  • Mums often bounce back quicker after a hypnobirthing birth as the physical impact of giving birth is reduced.
  • Hypnobirthing babies tend to show less distress during birth, are often very alert after birth and calmer babies.
  • Your birth partner will learn how to support you and have a central and active role in the birth. A truly shared and loving experience.

How often are the Birth Preparation Workshops held?

We aim to hold Birth Preparation Workshops every 2 months. The next workshop is being held on Saturday 14 April from 10.00 – 14.00. Held in central Richmond at Hamptons International.

The intention with the birth preparation workshop is for expectant parents to feel nourished and informed. I always encourage parents that even if they don’t go on to book a full KG hypnobirthing course to take away simple snippets of info that can help them achieve a better birth.

Many expectant parents do leave feeling inspired and go on to book a full hypnobirthing course. From the last workshop half of the attendees went on to book a private course.

Interested in booking a hypnobirthing course? What to know more?

I offer hypnobirthing courses in Richmond, Twickenham, Isleworth, Hampton, Kingston and surrounding areas. So to find out more about hypnobirthing or to book your hypnobirthing classes get in touch – i’d love to hear from you.

Follow me via my blog,  FacebookInstagram or Twitter to keep up to date with all workshops and events taking place.

Ali x

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Top Five Tips for Labour

Hypnobirthing Mumma’s top five tips for labour

As a hypnobirthing practitioner I truly believe in the benefits of hypnobirthing to give women the best birth for them. It empowers woman to make them feel in control and to trust their bodies. As a mother who had a hypnobirth these are my five tips that I always share with my clients in addition to hypnobirthing.

ONE · DON’T FORGET TO BREATHE

Breath is king! Breathe throughout your labour – from the initial first stage through to the moment you meet your baby. It is such a powerful part of labour but can be underrated and overlooked. Breathing is a natural pain relief for the body. It allows you to re-oxygenate your muscles and don’t forget your uterus is a muscle. It encourages oxytocin which is the vital hormone that needs to be flowing around the body to encourage labour. With the breathing technique I teach called ‘Up Breath’ it is on the out breath where the body produces the most oxytocin. Its a relaxing form of breath work to keep any stress or anxiety at a minimum.

TWO · KEEP HYDRATED

Keeping yourself hydrated is very important during pregnancy and it’s equally important when in labour. Keep the body fuelled with liquids to encourage your energy levels. I encourage women to drink water or coconut water if you’re looking for sweetness. Coconut water is low in calories, rich in potassium, fat and cholesterol free. Compared to an average sports drink too that many people drink for energy it has fewer calories, less sodium, but higher amounts of potassium.  It also has much less sugar than regular sodas or fruit juices.

For those expectant mothers during the summer months I encourage them to freeze bottles of water. That way you can take them to the hospital and they’ll begin to defrost leaving you with cool water.

Don’t forgot to keep emptying your bladder though with all this drinking! The baby needs to pass the bladder to come down the birth canal so a full bladder can prevent this.

THREE · RELAX YOUR JAW SHOULDERS & NECK

Keep your jaw, shoulders and neck relaxed and resist clenching them during labour.  Clenching in the jaw and neck is directly linked to tension in the stomach. Therefore focusing on letting go of your facial muscles will bring relaxation to your uterus and cervix. Conserve your energy don’t waste it on bringing tension into the body.

Look at a runner during a race and you’ll normally notice that their jaw is completely relaxed and obviously moves when they are sprinting. The principle is the same here for them they are trying to keep their abdominal muscles and pelvic region as relaxed as possible. The nerves in the body are intricately intertwined, and releasing tension in one area can relax muscles in another part of the body

FOUR · FEED YOUR BODY

Birthing is like running a marathon you need to fuel the body. Try to eat a meal during your first stage or labour. It doesn’t have to be a massive meal but a balanced plate of food will give you energy you need. If you can’t face a meal have small snacks regularly. Nuts, avocados, a piece of fruit are all great snacks that will give you an energy boost. Eating foods with a low GI means they have a low score on the glycaemic index and can keep blood sugar levels steady during labour. Low-GI foods provide natural, slowly released energy which is beneficial during labour. Foods such as:

  • Porridge
  • Natural muesli
  • Wholegrain bread, pasta and crackers
  • Hummus
  • Avocados
  • Dried apricots
  • Peanuts, walnuts, cashew nuts
  • Grapes, strawberries, kiwis
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Lentils
  • Beans – kidney, black-eyed, butter beans

A homemade smoothie is also a great way to fuel the body as you can load it full of wonderful healthy and beneficial foods. Its quickly made and easy to digest.

FIVE · BE ACTIVE

I encourage expectant mums to be as active as they can be during pregnancy. Keeping up fitness that is safe for you and baby that you’ve always practised. Going to yoga and pilates. Swimming – anything that keeps you strong will help you during labour.

Being active then continues during labour and enhances comfort by stimulating the receptors in the brain that decrease the perception of discomfort. Any active movement in response to your contractions decreases pain and facilitates labour. Movement helps the baby move through the pelvis and there are many positions that enlarge pelvic diameters. I always try to discourage women from lying on their back as this narrows the pelvic diameter to birth the baby. If you need to rest I encourage women to lie on their side although this still prevents the effects of gravity.

Being upright really helps the body birth more effectively. There are many active birthing positions that can be used:

  • Walking around
  • Standing
  • Rocking back and forth on all fours
  • Supported standing squat
  • Squatting
  • Sitting on a toilet
  • Sitting astride a chair
  • Kneeling on one knee and the other leg at a 90 degrees angle

These five tips combined with hypnobirthing really helped me achieve a birth I look back on as an amazing experience. If you can just remember a couple during your labour i’m sure they will help you achieve a better birth.

Interested in booking a hypnobirthing course? What to know more?

I offer hypnobirthing classes across Teddington, Twickenham, Richmond, Kingston and surrounding areas in London. So to find out more about my five tips, hypnobirthing or to book your hypnobirthing classes get in touch – I’d love to hear from you.

Follow me via my blog,  FacebookInstagram or Twitter to keep up to date with all workshops and events taking place.

Ali x

FAQs is labour painful top five tips for labour

Is Labour Painful?

Is labour painful?

The question that so many women have around labour and birth. Is labour painful? We’re surrounded with many stories that allude to this. Most women have been surrounded by this belief from a very young age. TV, films, books, peoples birth stories contribute to this belief. Its such an awful notion to believe that to have a family women have to endure hours of pain whilst in labour. We need to reframe this belief. We can’t hang on to negative thoughts or comments they aren’t helpful whatsoever. Don’t underestimate that ‘where the mind leads, the body follows’. Positive thinking is what you need not a belief that it has to be the painful way or no way!

I’m here to share with you that it doesn’t have to be this way.

But we all have different pain thresholds I hear you say

I would tell you that i’m a wimp! Had you asked me many years ago before i became a Mum – is labour painful? I’d have said of course it is! Having not even experienced it I’d have confidently told you of course it would be. A paper cut hurts me, I’m often asked by beauticians does that hurt because my legs have gone bright red during waxing. Yes it does hurt even though I’ve been having it done for 18 years! But ask me is labour painful? I’ll tell you no. I had a great labour. I often say I’ve had harder days at work! The reason I strongly believe it was this way? Because i was relaxed. I was looking forward to birth and meeting my baby. I was never alarmed when labour started. You can read more about my birth story here.

By being relaxed it really helps you manage any sensations that you are experiencing. If you’re able to manage these sensations early on then you’re conserving your energy stores.

Don’t underestimate your body and don’t look to birth to be painful. Take any association of pain away from your believe of what labour is. Yes labour is a very different sensation to any you may have experience before. Although some women liken it to premenstrual cramp. Its a hard sensation to describe I find personally but its certainly not one I described as painful.

Managing labour effectively

As a hypnobirthing teacher and having experienced childbirth there are many ways that we can manage labour. Firstly understanding our bodies. Many women aren’t aware of how amazing their bodies are. They are designed to give birth. Of course, there are circumstances where women can’t give birth naturally due to medical reasons. For those women, who are in the majority, that can give birth naturally we need to understand our bodies.

Breath is King

To appreciate that breath is KING is a good start. Don’t ever underestimate how powerful breathing techniques are. Not only during labour but in all walks of life. When we’re stressed, taking deep breaths help to calm us down. I teach a breath work called the up breath which is used in the first stage of labour. This breath is used as a relaxing breath and it produces a hormone that the body needs on the out breath, Oxytocin.

Birthing hormones

Understanding the hormones we need to keep our bodies relaxed. By doing this the uterus which is the muscle that births our baby is relaxed. If this muscle is tense it won’t work effectively and like any other muscle will start to produce lactic acid. This is not effective during labour. We keep our uterus relaxed by our bodies producing oxytocin. Oxytocin is also know as the love hormone. The same hormone your body produces when we’re kissed, hugged, have sex.

If your body is producing oxytocin you’re going to be in a happy state not tense or anxious. It’s when the stress hormone adrenaline kicks in that labour will begin to stall. The body will be tense, stressed and anxious. This is not conducive for labour. This is when women can be branded with ‘failure to progress’. When actually if they were in the right environment they could begin to relax.

Oxytocin breeds. So if you’re producing it those around you will start to as well and vice-versa. So the more calm and relaxed anybody involved in the birth can be the better.

Oxytocin works in harmony with fellow hormones endorphins and melatonin. Melatonin is encouraged in dark and quiet settings and inhibited by interruption and observation. Endorphins are natures natural pain relief. Promoted by oxytocin, laughter, love and stimulated by light touch and massage.

It’s amazing how the body can naturally produce all of these things to naturally promote a manageable labour – if we work with it.

How can hypnobirthing help?

Hypnobirthing can help you achieve a better birth. One that you feel in control of by learning how the body works. Understanding how if we’re stressed where it can lead to and how it uses energy levels we should be conserving. Using techniques that help stimulate endorphins through gentle stroking and massage. Listening to relaxations and believing in the power of the mind.

We don’t want to hold on to negative thoughts and with hypnobirthing we encourage you to let go of those. Release any of the fear and tension you may hold on to in the subconscious mind.

Hypnobirthing isn’t pain relief but it teaches you to understand how you can be in control of your birth and remain calm. Being calm is key because as soon as you become stressed the adrenaline will kick in. This is then when we start to see intervention, women’s contractions slowing down.

Learning the tools of hypnobirthing will mean you’re not left asking is labour painful? You’ll feel confident that you will be able to have a birth that you feel in control of and can manage. This isn’t just for a natural birth but any route your birth takes.

Interested in booking a hypnobirthing course? What to know more?

I offer hypnobirthing classes across Teddington, Twickenham, Richmond, Kingston and surrounding areas in London. So to find out more about hypnobirthing or to book your hypnobirthing classes get in touch – i’d love to hear from you.

Follow me via my blog,  Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to keep up to date with all workshops and events taking place.

Ali x

FAQs is labour painful