Preparing for Birth Programme

Recent studies suggest mindfulness training carefully tailored to address anxiety and pain of childbirth can lead to important maternal mental health benefits, including improvements in positive birthing outcome and the prevention of postpartum depression symptom

PEARLS study is: NCT02327559. The study was retrospectively registered on June 23, 2014

PRESENT MOMENT AWARENESS 

Prepare the body, mind and emotions for birth through the practice of mindfulness based pain management strategies ( MBPM) mindful meditation, breath and body awareness, active birth, yoga and relaxation techniques that will provide you with the skills needed to relax, be fully present and to be an active participant in your unique labour and birth experience.

Expect to develop a specific set of skills which encourages participants to pay close attention to whatever they’re feeling mentally and physically in the present moment, without trying to change those feelings

Practice sensing and even accepting and turning towards the pain of childbirth rather than focusing on whether that pain is going to get worse.

Come away each week feeling part of a community, supported and encouraged to make your own informed choices for your own unique birth experience within the Irish hospital or home birth environment.

What can you expect from a Preparing for Birth programme?

• Learn about the deep mind and body connection, how dropping into the limbic brain during birth is needed

• Optimise space in the body and learn how daily habitual body movements can impact optimal foetal positioning

• Explore the breath, the parasympathetic nervous system / rest and digest branch and learn how to self-sooth

• Cultivate the ability to listen to your body, sensing into body sensations and learn the skills required to help develop body awareness

• Experience and discover why oxytocin, self care and kindness practice are helpful to cultivate for a more positive experience

• Practice & prepare with movement for labour, hopscotch labour, tips for labouring at home, managing second stage of labour, taking care of the pelvic floor region, perineum massage and preparing for the fourth trimester ..and much much more!!

Feel “The fear level going down and confidence goes up”

Each week is an opportunity to check in and engage with other pregnant women preparing for birth in the hospital and home birth environment during this challenging time.

These classes may be partly reclaimed from your Private Health Insurance provider.

Twenty years of experiential teaching

This is one of my signature courses, I have been fine tuning and teaching this programme since 2001, having experienced two wonderful home births and one wonderful partially managed hospital experience, sharing hundreds of hours teaching women ( and their partners ) skills for birth and labour, I firmly believe the techniques, which now include MBPM strategies, that you develop during this programme are probably even more valuable after birth than they are before!

This 8 week programme offers an after birth session ( approximately 6-8 weeks ) with babies in tow, for a final get together, making time to sit, practice mindful movement and discuss the joys and challenges of the fourth trimester and parenting. This is an opportunity to share your own unique experience in a kind and supportive space. The sharing of these stories has been carefully weaved and recycled back into the content of this course over the years as a way for us to learn and support each other.

Please ensure you have filled out the health screening form below, before participating in this programme and you have discussed attendance with your GP / Health Care provider

Please ensure you have filled out the health screening form below, before participating in this programme and you have discussed attendance with your GP / Health Care provider

Booking Policy

Once this booking is confirmed sessions are non refundable and transferable. Please do not request a refund if you are unwell or unexpectedly unable to attend.

The only exception is in extenuating circumstances such as admission to hospital or baby being born early or additionally a confirmed Covid 19 case.

Thank you for your understanding. I appreciate that you don’t ask me to make exceptions. This policy was created with your best interests in mind and to make the system manageable and class numbers consistent.