Mindful Mamma® one day express class

Mindful Mamma® - Express birth preparation class

From only £99 - £150 a couple (prices vary according to location in the UK). Includes free CD.

This popular one day positive birth class teaches you about how your mind affects your body during labour. We show you why some women lose control, and how this sense of fear and loss of control can actually impact on your baby and type of birth you have.

If you want to be in control, and if your partner wants to understand their role during the birth and how they can support you - then this is the antenatal class for you.

Our classes are well regarded by midwives and other professionals as they know we can guarantee that all our practitioners are professionals who are have some formal training in counselling, hypnotherapy, psychology or psychotherapy and are able to offer you a personal and individualised approach, even within a group setting.

In the Mindful Mamma one day antenatal class you will be taught things that you will not be taught in any other standard antenatal class. Although we do teach hypnosis for birth and hypnobirthing, we base our teaching on the use of hypnosis for birth alongside other techniques, and the class encourages you to learn how hypnosis and relaxation techniques can be adapted to be flexible for each couple. Our classes are very informal and relaxed. We also keep them small with no more than 5 couples which allows for people to ask questions and feel comfortable.

Understanding how your mind affects your body during labour is very important. Often the psychological preparation for birth is neglected in our society, while still a very central part in many other parts of the world. Even birth units today are beginning to change based on the idea that a woman needs to feel safe, comfortable and unobserved during labour.

Did you know that if you are scared of birthing, this will impact on your birth. If you are calm, you maximise your chances of a great birth. Feeling reassured and calm are essential for a good birth, we specialise and prioritise this and teach you why this is so important.

Hypnosis for birth is different to just birth relaxation classes and women that have used hypnobirthing say that they experience a subtle shift in how well they feel and how prepared they are, often reporting that they were just very calm as well during labour.

This course explains the theory of the mind and body connection in simple terms using case studies and examples, then you learn techniques, including relaxation, creative visualisation and self-hypnosis.

There is a lot of focus on what to do on the day, the role of the birthing partner, and how both of you can prepare and work together to feel confident and in control. Dads say they love this course as it tells them "what happens, why it happens, and what do do about it".

Andy wrote to us after taking this class: "I would just like to commend you on designing and running such a really fantastic course! It really has empowered both of us,to the point where most of our fears about birth have disappeared already. We have always wanted to go down the natural birth route, but felt that there was not enough support & advice out there about how to do it drug and pain free. Your course, although short, covered pretty much all aspects that I felt were missing from our antenatal classes & many more. Vic now feels a lot more confidant, and I actually feel like I have a proper role in the whole event, other that driving her to the hospital & sitting on the rocking chair! "

Benefits:

A calmer baby, who has benefited from the receiving your relaxing hormones
Learn to feel calm and positive about your birth
Release your fear of birthing and parenting
Give your birthing partner a special and important role for this special day - he needs to be calm too!
Learn amazing and powerful techniques for instant relaxation which you will be able to use on the day
Addressing the pain issue -learn how you can harness your own coping skills for managing your labour
Mums find they sleep better during their pregnancy - and we find they are much more positive after this class!

You will receive a Mindful Mamma® birth hypnobirthing cd set recorded by Sophie and Mia based on the best techniques for relaxation and guided visualisation that have been used successfully for years by women who have achieved a calm birth.

This class goes very well alongside NCT classes - if you have enjoyed the elements about oxytocin and adrenaline and birth hormones but feel you would like to know more about this - you can learn much more about this in our class, with practical techniques to increase the flow of oxytocin and reduce adrenaline.

We work in close contact with Independent Midwives, the National Childbirth Trust and other therapists, including acupuncturists, reflexologists, doulas, and aromatherapists to help you achieve the birth you want.

The course costs from just £99 per couple (please check with your practitioner as prices vary according to location) which includes pregnancy and birth CD (worth £9.99) and all your handouts. If you have already bought a CD from us, you get your money back for the CD when you book a class.

Don't just take our word for it - read what other people think

Natalie, third time mum, June 2010

“Dear Mia

I just wanted to say many thanks for the workshop on Saturday. I got a lot from it and learnt some really useful things. Dan enjoyed it too and thought that it was a very positive thing for us to do. In particular, the information you gave him about how to deal with ‘helpful suggestions' during the birth is very useful. This is empowering to me too as, as I mentioned I have felt a bit in ‘patient mode' before. I will be viewing this experience very differently!

The information about hormones / stress and fear was very enlightening. That is something which will definitely benefit me in the forthcoming months. Thanks for the birth plan suggestions too which are very useful. I have been listening to the CD and have found it relaxing, I am sure it will benefit me.

Thanks again, and very best wishes

Natalie x "

Nikki joined our class while pregnant and doing her midwifery training.

"Hi Sophie,

I just wanted to say thank you, for such an interesting relaxing and empowering day. Both Martin and I really enjoyed it, and he's got just what I hoped he would out of it - some confidence in his own abilities as a husband, supporter, advocate and future Dad! We had a
good talk on the way home and have made some minor revisions to our birth plan... next step today is to work out which affirmations work best for both of us and make some little reminders to dot around the house! And of course, our practices - like good students! :)

Nikki (Student Midwife)

February 2009 - Maria, pregnant with her first baby found us via the internet. She wrote to thank us following the class.

Hi Sophie and Mia,

I just wanted to drop you an email to thank you for the fantastic course on Saturday. We have talked about almost nothing else since we left your home and both feel that we have gained so much from it.

I came in with a very sceptical husband who was telling his mates on Saturday night how fantastic the course was and giving tips to those who are going to be Dads later in the year.

We also learned so many simple things that we wouldn't have even thought about before like the fact that I find it so much easier to relax when Mike is touching me.

You also dispelled so many of the myths around birth. So many people have talked to me about their labour 'stopping' and it doesn’t occur to you to question these statements but it is now so obvious and we have the tools to question what is being said to us.

We have already done some practice with the Ibiza sunset and he is having a new tattoo next week so is going to try the techniques out himself to cope with the pain! I had thought that I would find it difficult to use relaxation on myself as I have such a busy mind but found it incredibly easy using the techniques you taught and am confident now that with practice I can do it. I really think is shows how comfortable I was with yourself that I was able to relax so easily and quickly.

Everything about the course made sense to us and without it we don't believe we would have gained the knowledge, tools, confidence or strength to plan for and achieve the natural birth that we both want for our little girl and can never thank you enough for your help with that!!

Mike & Maria

Classes are in Surrey, Sussex, Yorkshire London Nottingham, Birmingham, Worcester, Leicester, Derby, Newark, Grantham and Leighton Buzzard. Click Here to find out the most convenient class for you.