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Postnatal Recovery Matters

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:27:06 GMT

Postnatal Recovery Matters - Why Making a Postnatal Recovery Plan can be as Important as a Birth Plan

For years, new mothers have been under immense pressure to “bounce back” after birth. Too much emphasis has been placed on appearance - how quickly is she back in her old jeans? But who really cares?

What matters far more is how supported she has felt. Whether she has been listened to without judgement. Whether she has been nourished, cared for, and gently held during her postnatal recovery.

The weeks and months after birth can be emotionally and physically intense. You may be sleep-deprived, your hormones rushing through your body,

and your priorities shifting almost overnight. Your body can feel unfamiliar, and there may be a sense of losing who you were before, even as you begin to grow into someone new.

This is not a time for rushing. It is a time for slowing down, noticing the small wins, and feeling your way forward, with the right support around you.

Why a Postnatal Recovery Plan Matters

There are many ways to support this precious period, and creating a postnatal recovery plan can help make gentle recovery more possible. Just as a birth plan encourages informed choices and clear communication, a postnatal plan helps ensure your needs are considered when energy is low and emotions are high.

A postnatal recovery plan is not about control or rigid expectations. It is about care. It offers space to think ahead about what might help you feel supported - physically, emotionally, and practically and to put that support in place before you need it most.

Supporting your Physical Recovery

Physically, you may want to consider what could help your body heal and feel nurtured. Are there local services that offer postnatal massage, belly wrapping, or other complementary therapies? These can aid recovery while giving you rare, uninterrupted time focused solely on you.

You might also consider gentle movement, such as exercise classes designed specifically for the postnatal body. Some people find these sessions help them reconnect with their strength, while also providing reassurance and community. The key question is simple: what feels supportive and appealing to you?

Emotional and Practical Support

Emotional and practical support often comes from family or friends, but this is not always straightforward. Many new families live far from their support networks. Even when loved ones are nearby, it can feel difficult to ask for help, or to receive support in a way that truly meets your needs.

It can be helpful to think about the specific areas where extra support would ease the load. For some, having a cleaner once or twice a week reduces feelings of overwhelm. Others find comfort in a meal delivery service that removes the daily pressure of cooking.

You may also choose to work with a postnatal doula, who can offer practical help while also providing emotional space. This might include giving you time to rest, listening without judgement, offering reassurance around newborn care, preparing nourishing food, or helping with household tasks.

Support like this can make a profound difference during the early postnatal weeks.

Honouring this Transition

A postnatal recovery plan is not about doing more, it is about being held more. It is a reminder that recovery deserves time, gentleness, and intention.

This transition is profound. You are not meant to rush through it alone. By planning for your postnatal recovery, you give yourself permission to be cared for; because postnatal recovery matters, and so do you.

Do you Know How to Reduce Medical Interventions During Labour?

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 14:06:42 GMT

The best way to reduce interventions is to prepare both your mind and your body so you feel calm, confident, and supported at every stage of labour.

Many women want a birth that feels natural, calm, and in tune with their bodies, but very few are shown how to make that possible. Reducing medical interventions is not about being lucky or determined; it is about being prepared, informed, and confident.

Medical interventions absolutely have their place and can be life-saving when needed. But too often, they are used routinely rather than thoughtfully, and that can sometimes set off a cascade of further procedures that change the direction of birth.

Understanding how to support your body’s natural process and how to make decisions that feel right for you is the key to finding balance.

1. Understand how your body works

One of the most powerful ways to reduce interventions is to learn how labour actually unfolds and what your birthing body is capable of. When you understand what is happening physiologically, you can work with your body rather than fighting against it.

When you know what your body is doing and why, every stage of labour makes more sense. You can respond with confidence rather than anxiety, and that calm focus makes interventions less likely.

2. Learn how to stay calm and relaxed

Birth is both a physical and mental experience. When you can switch off your conscious, thinking mind and move into deep relaxation, your body releases the hormones that help labour flow more smoothly.

This is one of the key principles of hypnobirthing, which we include on our course. Through practice, you learn how to bring your mind and body into a state of calm focus, even as contractions grow stronger. This ability to relax under intensity reduces tension, pain, and anxiety, all of which can otherwise slow progress and increase the need for intervention.

It is not about being silent or still; it is about learning how to let go and allow your body to do what it is designed to do.

3. Ask questions and understand your choices

Feeling empowered during labour comes from understanding that you always have choices. It can be easy to feel swept along by routine but remember that this is your body and your baby.

If something is suggested, ask why it is needed and what alternatives there might be. Ask whether it is urgent or whether you have time to think. Making informed decisions helps you stay in control and ensures that any intervention, if it becomes necessary, is a positive and conscious choice.

4. Prepare your birth partner

Your birth partner plays an essential role in helping reduce interventions. During labour, you will likely be deep in what we often call the birth zone. This is the calm, focused state that allows your body to birth instinctively.

Because of that, you may not want to speak much or make detailed decisions. A well-prepared birth partner can protect that space for you. They can ask questions, communicate your wishes, and help maintain the calm environment you have created.

When your partner feels confident and informed, everyone benefits. It helps midwives and doctors understand what you want, and it allows you to stay focused and relaxed.

5. Be open but prepared for change

Even with the best preparation, birth can take unexpected turns. The goal is not to control every moment but to feel confident and informed no matter what happens.

If interventions do become necessary, your preparation helps you understand why and to make decisions from a place of calm understanding rather than fear. That confidence is what turns a birth with interventions into one that still feels positive and empowering.

A calm mind, an informed body, and the right preparation

Reducing medical interventions is not about resisting help; it is about working with your body and your care team in a way that feels balanced and empowering.

When you understand the process, learn to relax, and prepare your partner, you set yourself up for a more positive birth experience.

How are you feeling about the birth? Are you planning an unmedicated or low intervention filled birth? We’d love to hear from you.

Debbie and Helen

Antenatal Academy

Our 3 Essential Tips for Being Heard in the Birth Room

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 15:49:55 GMT

Navigating the birth room with confidence is essential for a positive birth experience. At Antenatal Academy, we emphasize the importance of informed, evidence-based decision-making to empower you during this pivotal time. Here are our top three tips to ensure your voice is heard and respected during the birth:

1. Embrace Your Autonomy: It's Your Body and Your Baby

Remember, you have the ultimate authority over your body and birth choices. Healthcare providers are there to support and guide you, but the final decisions rest with you. Understanding this autonomy allows you to advocate effectively for your preferences and ensures that your birth experience aligns with your values.

2. Ask Questions and Seek Clarity

Don't hesitate to ask questions about any procedures, interventions, or recommendations presented to you. Gaining a clear understanding of the risks, benefits, and alternatives enables you to make informed choices that are best for you and your baby. If you need time to consider your options, it's entirely appropriate to request it. Taking this time ensures that your decisions are well-informed and aligned with your birth plan.

3. Use Evidence-Based Tools and Frameworks

Equip yourself with evidence-based tools and frameworks to navigate decision-making during birth. Our antenatal courses provide comprehensive information on various aspects of pregnancy and birth, including understanding your options and making informed decisions. By familiarizing yourself with these resources, you can approach your birth with confidence and clarity.

By embracing your autonomy, asking questions, and using evidence-based tools, you can ensure that your voice is heard in the birth room. At Antenatal Academy, we're dedicated to providing you with the knowledge and support needed to make empowered decisions for a positive birth experience.

Debbie and Helen

Antenatal Academy

Cesarean Recovery Top Tips

Antenatalacademy@gmail.com (Antenatal Academy) — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 15:42:25 GMT

Recovery from a Cesarean Birth can be hard alongside caring for your newborn baby.

Through caring for mums who have undergone a cesarean birth, I have developed my top 5 tips that can make recovery gentler and more effective:

1. Make sure you have plenty of pillows to help prop you up in bed. An A-shape pillow can be really useful

2. Don’t push your body to do anything that feels painful. Listen to your body. Gentle exercise can start to return when you feel ready, but try to avoid any strenuous exercise for the first 6 weeks (longer if your body is telling you that you aren’t ready). Get help with household chores if you can and don’t do anything that can wait until you feel stronger.

3. Often, the hardest part in the first week is getting from horizontal to sitting up, so you could ask your partner to lever you up, with your arms around their shoulders and neck; Or you can attach a rope/strong scarf to the bottom of the bed and use that to pull yourself up.

4. Have plenty of skin-to-skin time with your baby/babies. This will help with bonding, support you to establish breastfeeding (if that is what you have chosen to do) and gives your baby exposure to your microbiome, so they can give themselves a boost to their immune system.

5. Keep an eye on your scar (or ask your partner to look for you); if it looks like it is weeping, or if it is hot or red, this can be a sign of infection.

Please seek medical attention if you are at all worried.

We always talk through cesarean birth during our classes, what to expect if you are planning one or an unplanned one happens, and how to have a healthy recovery afterwards.

Helen

Antenatal Academy

How is our Antenatal Course different?

Wed, 08 May 2024 15:38:25 GMT

What makes our course different to other courses?

Simply put, our antenatal courses are modern, fun, educational and unique.

But if you want to delve deeper.... our classes are right for you if you want..

to feel like you have been listened to during your pregnancy and birth;
to feel in control and calm during labour, birth and postnatally;
to know how to work with your body and mind to increase the likelihood of a straightforward, physiological birth;
to know that your birth partner has a role during the birth, knows how to be your advocate and knows exactly what to do to support you no matter what happens;
two experienced and knowledgeable course facilitators who have been supporting couples during pregnancy, in the birth room and post birth for many years, and have birthed 5 babies between them; so lots of real-life expertise and knowledge to pass on to expectant couples. Most other antenatal courses only have one teacher!
a course packed with practical information, plus guidance on how to support your emotional needs ;
interactive, modern, fun and engaging classes , but no role play (we promise!!);
your birth partner to have a role during the birth, to know how to support you, helping you cope with birth and be your advocate with the medical team;
to meet other like-minded soon-to-be parents - many couples will form friendships for life!;
regular classes , once a week for 3 or 6 weeks, to build up knowledge and friendship, and ask all those burning questions as they crop up!
peer support, and birth and postnatal support outside of class time and after your baby has been born;
a course that changes with the times, so is modern and regularly updated with the latest evidence based science and information;
to know your options and how to make evidenced-based decisions for you and your baby;
a course that is down to earth, realistic and yet helps you to develop a positive mindset for birth and parenting.

Our in-person group antenatal classes are for parents in Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket, Sudbury, Newmarket, Thetford, Needham Market, Diss, Eye, Ipswich, Haverhill, or Cambridge and anywhere in between!

You may be planning on a home birth or at a hospital labour suite or midwifery led birthing unit at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, or The Rosie Hospital in Cambridge or Ipswich Hospital (or any of the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS locations).

Helen & Debbie

Antenatal Academy

Our FREE Pregnancy Support Group in Bury St Edmunds - NEW VENUE!

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 08:21:12 GMT

We are really pleased to find the perfect new venue for our meet ups!

We run a free community support group for pregnancy, birth and beyond. This group is a community of local pregnant folks, parents and birth professionals. We share positive stories and support women in birth in a positive way - helping them to have a positive birth and parenting journey.

The purpose of the group is to link with others locally - both virtually and in person through our facebook group, and our local meet ups - to share information, articles, knowledge and birth stories that help to inspire and support local pregnant folks in a positive way.

We have regular meet ups at Joy Connection, a new family-focused cafe and creative hub on Angel Hill in Bury St Edmunds.

Starting on Wednesday 8th November 2023 our meet ups will be every other week on a Wednesday from 10.00 to 12.00 midday in the cafe at Joy Connection.

PLUS most weeks we will have a guest appearance from a local pregnancy, birth or baby professional!

We are often found chatting about topics such as your options during labour, pros and cons of home birth, measuring the size of your baby, how to have a positive induction, natural pain relief techniques, decision making re cesareans, etc.

We would love to meet you at our group, whether you are 4 weeks or 40 weeks pregnant, a mum with a positive birth story, first time or fifth time pregnant, or a birth partner... EVERYONE (including your toddler!) is welcome!

Please link into our Facebook Group too, we share lots of info around your pregnancy and birth choices, who our guest will be at our next meet up and friendly reminders of when we are meeting.

And so that we can keep an eye on the numbers attending we would appreciate all attendees to book onto the meet up via the following link, you can check the dates of the next meet up too:

https://joyconnection.as.me/pregnancysupportgroup .

Informed, Evidence-Based Decision Making

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:32:01 GMT

At Antenatal Academy, we believe wholeheartedly in your right to autonomy throughout your pregnancy and birth.

It is your body and your baby.

In order to support you to step into this power with confidence, we want to make sure you have everything you need to make informed, evidence-based decisions for you and your baby.

We hear a lot of 'I've been told I'm not allowed to.....' and 'they won't let me...', but the truth is that you always have a choice and having an understanding of all the risks, benefits and alternatives, will make you feel far happier with your decisions and the birth experience that you have.

Key points to remember:

�� It is your body, your baby, your birth

�� You can ask for time to consider the options once you have been given all the information

�� You do not have to justify your decisions to anyone - 'No.' can be a complete sentence

❤️ Our course will give you the tools and knowledge to navigate your way to a really positive birth experience

Helen & Debbie

Antenatal Academy

3 Things I wish I'd known as a New Parent

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 15:30:05 GMT

Well it is difficult to choose just 3 things I wish I’d known as a new parent!

There are so many things I have learned, some the hard way in my own parenting, and lots more by supporting so many new parents as a postnatal doula.

In our Antenatal Academy classes, we cover a whole range of knowledge and practical skills to take into looking after newborns and your parenting journey.

Most importantly, we want you to know you aren’t alone; parenting can be hard, whilst also being wonderful. Attending our group course will give you the opportunity to begin to build a support network and friendships with other parents-to-be.

Helen Fortes
Antenatal Academy

5 Tips for Self Care During Pregnancy

Antenatalacademy@gmail.com (Antenatal Academy) — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 16:12:42 GMT

Often we know that it is important to keep ourselves well and healthy during pregnancy, but it can be difficult to work out how to take that time out for self care, so we have pulled together some top tips to help:

1. Eat well. No doubt you will be discovering how hard it can be to eat a balanced and nutritious diet during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, but whenever you can physically stomach it, make sure you eat well. It is important to get nutritious food into your diet as it will help you feel better and it will help your baby grow and develop as it should be.

2. Exercise or be active as much as you can. Our bodies are designed to be active during pregnancy, exercise will help you become stronger and more flexible, which may make labour and birth easier. Being active will also help lift your mood. Try to get outside as much as you can, especially in the winter as it will really help to boost your feel-good hormones. Yoga classes and swimming are great exercises for pregnancy, so we always recommend getting in your local pool and finding your local antenatal yoga practitioner.

3. Listen to your body. If your body says its time to have a break then listen, rest and even take time out of your day for a little nap, you will often find yourself completely revitalized after a 15-minute lie down! We also recommend regular massage by a professional masseuse if you can, or even encourage your birth partner to massage your neck, shoulders and back, and/or feet to help loosen those muscles and calm your mind at the same time. You will also find that taking a few days away from home for a Babymoon with your partner or attending a pregnancy retreat will help you make time for you and your baby.

4. A healthy mind will help you to have a healthy pregnant body. Practising relaxation, mindfulness or hypnobirthing techniques always has a knock-on effect on your body and your baby. Simply taking time out to focus on relaxing all your muscles or listening to a calming guided relaxation will make a big difference to your overall wellbeing.

5. Don’t forget to do some fun stuff too! Make time in your diary for activities or projects that boost your feel-good hormones, whether it’s crafting, dog-walking, coffee with your friends or going to the movies, spending time having fun will always be a good move for you and your baby’s health.

Debbie and Helen

Antenatal Academy

5 Ways to Reduce Your Pregnancy Anxiety

Antenatalacademy@gmail.com (Antenatal Academy) — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 13:01:00 GMT

15% of pregnant women experience anxiety whilst pregnant (that's 1 in 7).

AND these studies were completed before covid times.. so the numbers of pregnant folks with anxiety is likely to be even higher currently!

When you are anxious, worried or stressed then often your body will go into fight or flight mode – where all the oxygen will go out to the arms and legs and head and not to the placenta and the baby.

So we need to look at ways to reduce anxiety, and the good news is there are a number of things you can do. Here are our top 5 tips for anyone who is pregnant and feeling anxious.

1. PRACTISE RELAXATION

One of the things we can do to reduce any anxiety is to take regular time out for relaxation. Find what relaxation techniques work for you. We are all different! It might be learning some breathing techniques to slow down your breathing to help you get lots of oxygen down to your baby .. it might be listening to guided meditation that will also help you have some quiet time bonding with your baby. Relaxation is really effective and really important because, put very simply, when you are calm and relaxed.. so is your baby.

Getting into a deeply relaxed state is essential for when you are birthing your baby too.. it is not just your baby needing Oxygen but your muscles of your uterus need it to – so those contractions can work properly and effectively and to reduce any pain that you may be feeling. This is something we delve into more on our course… it's really important to know how your body works to birth your baby and how you can help your body do what it is perfectly designed to do. Practise is key… spending time practising your relaxation techniques is also just what you and baby need during those 9 months.

2. GAIN KNOWLEDGE

When we learn about something, i.e. how something works or how to do something, we feel more in control of that thing, and this can alleviate a huge amount of anxiety. We often learn that the thing we were worried about isn't actually something we need to worry about at all, and it was simply fear of the unknown that was fueling the anxiety or feeding the worst case scenarios going round our head! For many the birth can be a source of worry, so how about learning what your body does during labour and birth and learning some skills or techniques to help you to cope with contractions? We find many pregnant folks have reduced birth anxieties after we have spent time on this during our course.

3. TALKING

Talk to someone ab out any worries that you have – about being a new parent, or how your new baby will fit onto the family or how you are going to cope with birthing your baby if your partner isn’t there – because sometimes just simply talking about them can reduce them considerably and help you to be able to relax even further.. again this is something we do a lot on my course – and this will often make you feel much more in control and empowered to have a positive experience.

Get your birth partner involved in helping you to relax and talk to them about what you want to happen during labour and birth, how can they support you and how can they keep you calm and relaxed – think about getting away just the two of you so you have time and space to relax and talk about your birth plan.

4. LETTING GO

Sometimes you just cant do anything about that thing that is worrying you. If you can do something about it, then do something about it, but if you can't, then let it go. I know that sounds simple, but for many it can be difficult, especially when it is a deep seated subconscious fear or worry. At Antenatal Academy we go through how yu can change both the conscious mind and the subconscious mind to help you to have a positive experience. For those who want to let go of the subconscious fears hypnosis can work really well, which is why we teach hypnobirthing too.

5. POSITIVE MINDSET

Feeding your mind with the positive - positive birth stories, birth videos, books - will really help to remind you that it is possible for you to have a positive birth to. Where the focus goes the energy flows, and studies have shown that those who feed their minds with positive thoughts are likely to receive a wide range of health benefits, including better stress management and coping skills, enhanced psychological health, increased physical well-being, lower rates of depression and more.

Let us know what you do to help your mind and body reduce any anxiety and relax during pregnancy.

Debbie & Helen

Antenatal Academy

Pooing In Labour!

Antenatalacademy@gmail.com (Antenatal Academy) — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 13:14:42 GMT

So THIS happened after Pregnancy Support Group in Bury St Edmunds this week.. our cafe natter all about pooing in labour !! ��

Key takeaway is that it is completely normal and midwives see it all the time, so please don't worry about it. Excuse the giggles!

Click on the Photo and our video on Facebook will open up.

Debbie & Helen

Antenatal Academy ��

Our August Bumps & Babies Picnic

Antenatalacademy@gmail.com (Antenatal Academy) — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 08:43:17 GMT

We had such a great turnout for our August Bumps & Babies Picnic at Nowton Park in Bury St Edmunds yesterday!

At Antenatal Academy we believe that having babies is not just about education and empowerment but also about community. We love organising free meet ups so that our parents can see and chat to their fellow class mates but also those in other classes too. We also open it up to anyone who wants to join us, for example those who are interested in attending classes in the future and those couples that I have worked with through Hypnobirthing courses and those that Helen has supported with her Birth and Postnatal Doula work.

A chance for everyone to get together and have a good old natter - and of course a chance for Helen and I to cuddle babies too!

Keep an eye out on our socials for the next one.

Debbie

Antenatal Academy

Pregnancy Support Group - Bury St Edmunds

Antenatalacademy@gmail.com (Antenatal Academy) — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 13:40:05 GMT

Ready for lots of pregnancy, birth and baby discussions at our free recent meet up

We have great discussions at our free Pregnancy Support Group meet ups in Bury St Edmunds.

Here we are just before the start of a recent meet up, fresh coffee and ready for a chat, and wow our conversation went all round the houses... making decisions in labour, age gaps between babies, reducing your chance of tearing during birth, home birth options and even the most important things to take with you and what questions to ask at your midwife appointments!

Well, that's what we're here for.. we really love chatting all about pregnancy, birth and baby and we are happy to help guide you and support you and help you make the right decisions for you and baby.

If you're pregnant and want to attend, keep an eye on our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pregnancysupportgroupbse or the Antenatal Academy Instagram account (@antenatalacademy) for our meet up dates, but we generally meet up every other week from 10-12 on a Wednesday - see here for more info .

We would love to see you there!

Debbie & Helen

Antenatal Academy

Can I Choose Where to Give Birth?

Antenatalacademy@gmail.com (Antenatal Academy) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 10:54:28 GMT

Yes. You have the right to choose where you give birth.

You can choose to give birth in a hospital, in a birth centre, or at home. A birth centre is a maternity unit that is run by midwives. It can be part of a hospital or completely separate.

Here is some great advice from www.birthrights.org.uk

'Your NHS trust may automatically book you into a hospital or birth centre. You can ask to discuss this and make your own choice.

A healthcare professional may say you ‘need’ or ‘have’ to give birth in a hospital. You can ask them why they think this. What medical reasons do they have for this advice? You do not have to agree with them.

In some cases, there may be restrictions on your right to choose a hospital or birth centre. However, no-one can make you give birth away from home if you want to stay at home.'

Which? also have some great information about your local maternity services: www.which.co.uk/reviews/birthing-options

Have you thought about where you want to give birth?

You cannot predict how your baby's birth is going to unfold, but you can equip yourself with the knowledge and the techniques to help you navigate whatever birth journey your baby takes you on.

In this weeks' Antenatal Academy class we went through the questions to ask when interventions are suggested or you experience a change in circumstances during labour (such as a potential transfer from home to hospital!), how to make decisions that help make your birth experience a positive one, no matter what happens along the way.

Our aim for you and your birth partner is for you to be able to able to navigate the unexpected from a place of preparation. Educating yourself and your birth partner can be so powerful that it can change your baby's birth, and change your experience of birth for the better.

Why Our Group Course is 'In-Person'.

Antenatalacademy@gmail.com (Antenatal Academy) — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 14:26:49 GMT

Before you say it.. no, it is not because you will be asked to do role play #noroleplayhere !!

We know that there are a number of online antenatal courses out there... so what makes THIS one different and why should you take our in-person group course?

We could go on about how 'you pay for what you get', but what does that really mean? and is it really true?

Let us tell you what you can expect to get from our Antenatal Academy course so you can see what you get for your investment...

Our ‘in-person’ group antenatal course isn't just a click and read/watch, our sessions are interactive with many benefits for you and your birth partner including the ability to ask questions and for us to explain things in a different way, if you need us too.

Being in-person with us means we can often tailor the course to your specific needs, even in a group setting. We will always be happy to cover your specific fears and concerns about the birth, because often there are others in the group with the same worries or queries!

You will get the knowledge and expertise of 2 highly experienced antenatal educators, having personally had 5 babies between us and having supported hundreds of couples over many years.

This is a comprehensive course so, for example, you will not only learn all about how the body and the mind works when birthing your baby but also about how your birth partner can support you, and how to navigate parenthood in those first few weeks.

You will be amongst like-minded expectant couples where you will undoubtedly forge friendships; something that is a lot more difficult to do online!

Did you know that when we have interactions with real people we are conditioned as human beings to remember it more and understand the conversation better? So you will learn more AND remember more AND make friends!

Our support doesn't stop at the last session, you will finish the course with membership to Antenatal Academy where you can tap into even more information on birth and parenting, if you need it AND you will be included in a WhatsApp group with other attendees if you wish.

If you are in any way concerned about being amongst other folks and the spread of covid, then be reassured that we have chosen a large venue to aid social distancing, have completed a risk assessment and a ‘Let’s Stay Safe’ Guide for all couples to agree to beforehand.

Investing in yours and your birth partners education is so important. It will mean that your baby could have a birth that you will never forget, for all the right reasons...

If you would like to chat about whether our course is right for you then please send us an email or message (also happy to chat over the ol’ phone!) because we love talking about birth and babies, especially yours!

Debbie & Helen

Antenatal Academy

Why you should question everything!

Antenatalacademy@gmail.com (Antenatal Academy) — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 14:20:07 GMT

When your health care provider starts mentioning statistics, or conveying broad statements about risks of waiting versus induction for example, always ask for the evidence and research . How your options are presented to you can often be biased and can influence your decisions.

When a health care provider says to you "if you go over 41 weeks the chance of stillbirth increases by 50%" what they aren't telling you is that increase in risk (or 'chance') goes up from 0.04% to 0.06%.

Navigating the facts can be really difficult when you are birthing in a system where they are looking after sick people, when you are not sick, birth is a normal physical function. It means that having the tools to help you to impartially navigate this system and knowing where to go to for research and reliable information is invaluable.

That’s where we can help. Our antenatal course will help you to navigate the system with tools and questions that help you to have a positive birth experience no matter what kind of intervention is being discussed or birth journey you have.

Debbie & Helen

Antenatal Academy