Birth Isn't One Size Fits All. So Why Should Your Antenatal Education Be?
Why I Ditched Group Hypnobirthing - And Why I Think Private Is Worth It!
And no, it's not because I don't like teaching groups - I actually love the teaching part! But... after almost 13 years of teaching Hypnobirthing in Cornwall, and having taught both group and private courses side by side for many years, I've made a very deliberate decision to focus solely on private, bespoke courses.
Business strategists might think I'm crazy because getting 6 couples to invest in my course and only having to teach it once makes a lot of financial sense! But despite this, I've made the decision that I only offer private, bespoke Hypnobirthing courses now. Because honestly? I think it's a better investment for most couples.
Here's why…
Firstly, the course is about YOU!
Your pregnancy. Your previous experiences. Your worries. Your choices. Your hopes for birth. We can focus on your birth and what matters to you. You're not sitting through conversations about someone else's circumstances that may not be relevant to you. Instead, the time is yours to explore the things that are important to you, ask questions and really get into the detail of your own situation.
To give you an example, one of the last group courses I ran included:
A couple expecting twins
A couple planning a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) who were carrying a lot of trauma from their first birth
A couple who had conceived through IVF
A couple navigating gestational diabetes
And a couple who were your basic 'low risk' pregnancy with no other factors
Three of these couples were first-time parents and two were preparing for a subsequent birth. Every single couple had their own individual circumstances, questions, concerns and things they needed to understand. And this is where the difference between a group course and a private course really becomes apparent.
Group courses can absolutely be useful. The core antenatal education is there, the couples I have taught have been happy with what they learned and the opportunity to learn alongside other expectant parents can be lovely. (Although, if I'm honest, they're not always as conducive to making friends as you might think! Which is often as reason people choose a group setting) But by their very nature, group courses need to be more general. When you're teaching several couples at once, you have to balance the needs of everyone in the room. There simply isn't the same time or space to stop and explore one couple's particular circumstances in depth. With a private course, we don't have that limitation. Which leads me to my next point...
A private course means you can ask the REAL questions.
Sometimes the questions people want to ask are the questions they don't necessarily feel comfortable asking in front of a room full of strangers. Private sessions give you the space to ask the nitty gritty stuff. No judgement. No embarrassment. No worrying about what anyone else thinks. Just honest conversations around you and your specific needs.
And that's what I love about private courses - IT'S COMPLETELY BESPOKE
There isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to birth. So I adapt the course around your individual circumstances.
First baby?
Previous difficult birth?
Planning a VBAC?
Twins?
Home birth?
Over 35?
Gestational diabetes?
Planned caesarean?
Induction?
Something else entirely?
We can spend more time on the things that are actually relevant to you.
One thing that sets me apart from other Hypnobirthing courses: YOU GET MY EXPERIENCE - NOT JUST A COURSE
I've been teaching Hypnobirthing in Cornwall for almost 13 years, I'm a Doula and I've supported over 100 clients, so I've seen birth in Cornwall from pretty much all angles. From freebirths to planned caesareans. That experience means I can answer questions, talk through different scenarios and bring real-world birth experience into your education.
My course isn't simply me reading from a manual or following a structure that was set out by a training provider on a weekend online Zoom course. (No shade, because we all have to start somewhere!) But when you're investing your hard-earned money in your antenatal education, I think it's useful to know that we aren't all the same when it comes to our course content, experience and knowledge.
When it's just us, THERE'S TIME TO GO DEEPER!
I want you to understand birth, not just learn a few breathing techniques and listen to some relaxation tracks. We cover your physiology, hormones, mindset, birth environment, positions, comfort measures, interventions, choices, your rights, birth planning, birth partners and so much more. And yes, you got all of this in a group course too. But because it's private, we can slow down, explore things properly and go off on the useful tangents that often come from YOUR questions.
YOU GET A SAFE SPACE THAT FEELS RIGHT FOR YOU
I worked hard to create a space where everyone felt comfortable and safe in my groups. However, the honest truth is that nothing compares to having the course taught in your own home, or in my specially designed, intermate therapy pod. It's more personal. It's your space. And there isn't a room full of other people listening while you talk about your pregnancy, your worries or your birth.
And this point is huge. Birth can bring up some BIG conversations.
Fear.
Previous experiences.
Anxiety.
Expectations.
Family opinions.
Hospital experiences.
Things you've heard from friends.
A private course gives us the time and space to talk about those things properly. And as a clinical hypnotherapist specialising in birth, anxiety, confidence and birth trauma, that's an important part of how I work.
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