Antenatal Course, 4 Classes in 2 Weeks, Starts 12th December 2023

Journey to Motherhood is the first class for pregnant women in our 8-session antenatal courses, focusing upon antenatal care and choices and preparing for your pregnancy labour birth. During the antenatal classes we guide you through:

• The role of your midwife and maternity care team
• Your antenatal appointment schedule
• Self-care in pregnancy
• Pregnancy health & complications
• Diet, exercise and things to avoid
• Birth options – where to have your baby
• What to pack in your hospital bags
• Creating a birth plan – where to start

Preparing Mind and Body is based on what labour and birth is from a physiological and emotional perspective. Amina, our midwife and course leader believes “that reframing how we view birth and understanding how your birth hormones can affect your birth is key in having a positive and empowered birth experience – however that may be. We can’t predict or plan birth, but we can prepare positively for it.” This class involves:

• Ideas about pregnancy labour birth
• The physiology of labour birth
• Hormones and what role they play
• The impact of fear and tension on birthing
• Creating your birth zone
• Preparing a toolkit for birthing
• Optimum fetal positioning
• Perineal Massage

Attend our Labour and Birth Process class to find out about what happens in and during childbirth.

• Birth pathway and how that might look
• Different stages of childbirth
• How to tell if you may be in labour
• Latent & active phases
• The second stage and how it may feel
• Transition of childbirth and how impacts you
• Third stage of childbirth and how it can be managed
• Current practices such as delayed cord clamping

This class takes an alternative pathway to birth because we know that birth comes in different forms.

• The induction and augmentation of childbirth
• Pain management / Pain relief – from TENS machines to Epidurals
• What is birth variation and why it may happen
• Addressing the myths and facts about assisted and alternative births
• Assisted birth
• Birth by caesarean operation

This postnatal class is all about baby, aiming to help clear up some of the myths and facts and support you in feeling confident in making the right choices for a great life with a new baby

Starting from the first moments where you meet your baby we explore:

• Skin-to-Skin contact and the golden hour
• New-born checks after birth. The umbilical cord and healing
• Vitamin K – what it is and your options
• Ways your baby may behave in the first few days and weeks
• Baby hygiene – from nappy changes to bathing your newborn
• What your baby may look like – from newborn skin to birthmarks
• Jaundice in the early weeks after your baby is born
• Common concerns of parenting a newborn

We know that the changes that occur with your body and emotions after the birth of your baby are often overshadowed and overlooked by the focus on baby.  In this class no subject or questions are taboo and in our group we are free to talk about:

• Bleeding after birth and what it means
• Perineal tears and care
• Abdominal and pelvic floor exercises
• Breast care information and changes that occur
• Your emotional and mental health after your baby is due
• Adjusting to life with a baby and how to prepare

This evidence based class aims to help you feel confident about feeding your baby. We know how keen parents are to understand and discuss breastfeeding and there is no time better than the antenatal period to get started.  During the antenatal class we explore common issues related to breastfeeding. Find out more about our breastfeeding class here.

• The physiology of breastfeeding and the changes that happen
• Benefits of breastfeeding for mum and baby
• Understanding breastmilk – how it changes and why
• The supply and demand cycle of breastmilk
• Information on what a good latch and attachment is
• Different breastfeeding positions
• The feeding cues your baby expresses
• Your baby’s appetite and how it changes over time.

Join the final in our series of antenatal classes, in this course you learn about what to do in an emergency from our professionals. Find out more about our baby first aid class here.

• Support parents in trusting their instincts
• Tips on where to find free help
• Common childhood illnesses
• Recognise early signs of illness and infections
• What to do when your baby is unwell
• Learn how Meningitis affects a child and signs to look out for
• Choking & how to manage cuts & burns
• Essential advice on SIDS and keeping your baby safe
• CPR information and when you may need to use it