Pregnancy and birth preparation and support
This is for families seeking preparation and support throughout their journey to meeting their baby, gaining the maximum benefits of continuity of care and connection. In person support throughout.
This package includes:
- initial interview without obligation
- at least 2 appointments during your pregnancy covering antenatal education and information on birth planning and comfort measures for pregnancy and birth – these are informational and practical sessions designed to build confidence and trust
- contact and support during your pregnancy - helping you understand things as they happen and feel empowered throughout your experience
- access to my library of pregnancy, birth and parenting books and videos
- I’m on call for you for 2 weeks either side of your due date
- complete personal labour and birth support, I’m with you at this crucial time
- one postnatal visit to debrief and troubleshoot any early issues
Pregnancy only coaching and support
Perfect for families who are seeking comprehensive preparation and support during their pregnancy but cannot have, or do not want an extra person with them on the day of their birth. Spend your pregnancy with access to me, an experienced childbirth educator and doula - I’ve got you covered.
This package includes:
- initial interview without obligation
- at least 2 appointments during your pregnancy covering antenatal education and information on birth planning and comfort measures for pregnancy and birth - these are informational and practical sessions designed to equip you both to engage with and navigate your labour.
- contact and support during your pregnancy - helping you understand things as they happen and feel empowered throughout your experience
- access to my library of pregnancy, birth and parenting books and videos
- one postnatal visit to debrief and troubleshoot any early issues
Post-natal support
Amongst other things, a postnatal doula can help with:
- debriefing your birth experience/s
- supporting feeding, both breast and bottle
- light housework/shopping etc
- emotional support – having someone to talk to and that will listen can be so helpful
- practical advice – as a doula, we are trained to ‘signpost’, this means helping people sift through the vast amount of information on offer, to make their own informed decisions.
- help learning to recognise baby’s cues and trusting your instinct, helping to build your confidence.
- enabling you to rest and recover from your birth
- offer reassurance and perspective
Fees
For postnatal doula services, the fee is as follows:
£20 per hour with a minimum 2 hours booked (this is primarily because an hour can feel too rushed, it’s very important to me that you are given the time and space to fully utilise my services). This includes all travel expenses within a 15 mile radius.
You can book daily Postnatal Support, weekly or monthly – whatever best suits your needs. We will regularly discuss whether you would like more or less, and arrange accordingly. This support is offered in Package of at least 10 hours. £200 for 10 hours, £380 for 20 and £550 for 30.
I do offer post-natal support via zoom. This can be a one hour daily or weekly mentoring support service and is available at £15 per hour.
A bespoke package of what you require is normally the best way forward and I am very flexible.
Trauma relief
Would you describe your experience of birth, pregnancy, fertility treatment, miscarriage or breastfeeding as traumatic? Do you struggle with negative feelings as a result? Do you live in north East England?
If so, you are not alone, you don't have to 'learn to live with it' or 'just get on with it'; I can help you. These feelings can be especially difficult to deal with when you become pregnant again and it can be hugely beneficial to resolve them, so that you can free your mind to concentrate on your current pregnancy.
Although people who meet the formal diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to their birth is only about 5%, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more who experience symptoms of trauma which are distressing and significantly affecting their lives and their transition into parenthood.
If you identify with difficult and sometimes intense feelings which interfere or have interfered with your ability to enjoy your baby/child – please do get in touch. Break the isolation of your experience and feelings.
Trauma relief sessions
In a session I offer:
- time to listen and explore your birth experience
- to discuss the feelings you may have about your birth experience
- identify any triggers and how they are affecting you
- what the next steps are to help you on your path to recovery
- support for further pregnancies or births, including birth preferences
I don’t offer:
- therapy for PTDS from birth trauma such as EMDR
- debriefs of medical notes
Is this for me?
- are you are looking for support for your feelings about your birth?
- do you want to be heard and tell your birth story?
- are you wishing to talk through your experience and look at your triggers?
- do you want to explore your feelings around a current pregnancy or approaching birth?
- what is the cost of a birth reflection session? – I ask for a small fee to cover my time only
The process
Here is a little bit more about the process I offer step by step:
For people who are struggling with trauma symptoms (anxiety, recurrent thoughts, flashbacks, anger, avoidance and hyper vigilance) I offer a 3 step therapy process that aims to lift those symptoms.
I work with people to understand the impact of what happened, how it is effecting their day to day life, disturbing their inner world and causing them to respond in ways that are sometimes unhelpful.
From here we work together to discover the changes that could take place without these symptoms (ways of thinking, feeling and responding) in play. I use a safe, gentle and effective NLP exercise called Rewind to re-process the memory of what happened. This clears the trauma and creates the space to begin experiencing peace, hope and more positive feelings.
The steps
Here is what the process looks like step by step:
Step 1: session 1 – usually 90 minutes – to hear your story (should you want to tell it, you don't have to if you don't want to), to understand how it is still impacting on your day to day life now and how you would like to feel if these feelings/ways of responding were lifted. Practice relaxation and imagine your future free of those feelings whilst deeply relaxed.
Step 2: session 2 – usually 60 minutes – to use rewind to re-process the memory of your birth so it no longer holds any emotional charge or anxiety. To experience your future solution state whilst deeply relaxed.
Step 3: session 3 – usually 60 minutes – to check back in that those changes have taken place. To focus on building confidence and resilience so that you no longer feel like you are owned by what happened and are able to begin enjoying your life as a new mother.
All sessions include a recorded exercise to listen to in between sessions.
Price
The session price is £90.
You can pay by session (£90) or for all 3 sessions together (£270).
PayPal: heathhypnotherapy@gmail.com (please use the 'friend' setting to avoid charges)
Bank transfer: Account No: xxxxxxxx Sort code: xx-xx-xx.
The latter is an online bank and so sometimes it's not recognised by traditional banks but transactions do always go through.
Hourly rate support
Are you looking for something more flexible? Just a few appointments? You can book time for any of the following in minimum blocks of 2 hours:
- antenatal support
- birth plan preparation
- additional birth debrief
- breech or Spinning Babies consult