During the sessions...
1.
During the first session you will learn all about early labour, how to recognise when things are starting and different ways of coping at home, as well as the importance of creating an optimal birth environment.
We’ll explore what can help labour progress, when to contact the hospital (or your homebirth team if you are planning a homebirth) and when it might be time to go in or call the homebirth team to come to you.
We’ll also start thinking about your birth preferences, the choices you may be offered, and how different decisions or interventions might influence what happens next. This will help you feel informed, prepared and able to play an active part in making decisions about your care.
2.
The second session concentrates on active labour and birth, including both waterbirth and land birth, as well as exploring all of the pain relief options available at your local hospital.
We’ll look at different positions for labour and birth, what your birth partner can do to support you, and what may happen if labour doesn’t quite go to plan, including assisted birth and Caesarean birth. You’ll learn about your options and how to make informed decisions, so that you can remain an active participant in your care however your baby is born.
3.
The third session is Infant first aid and hypnobirthing relaxation. We will cover baby CPR, choking and other common emergencies. This session is designed to give new parents the confidence and practical skills to respond if your baby becomes unwell or injured, without feeling overwhelmed.
The second part of the session introduces hypnobirthing relaxation, breathing techniques and relaxation scripts, to help you feel calm, confident and more prepared for labour and birth.
4.
The fourth session is all about infant feeding - this session is much more than a generic overview of breastfeeding and bottle feeding.
As a midwife and IBCLC Lactation Consultant who supports new parents with feeding every day, I’ll teach you the practical skills and knowledge that really matter in those first few days and weeks. You'll gain in depth knowledge of breastfeeding, expressing, bottle feeding and combi-feeding, so you feel informed and prepared whichever way you choose to feed your baby.
You’ll learn how to get feeding off to the best possible start, how to recognise and achieve effective positioning and attachment, what normal newborn feeding actually looks like, how to tell when feeding is going well, and what to do if something doesn’t feel right.
Throughout the session, you’ll have your own weighted baby doll to practise with, giving you the chance to develop practical skills and confidence before your baby arrives.
5.
The final session focuses on those early days at home with your new baby, helping you feel more confident about the practical side of caring for a newborn.
We’ll cover skin and cord care, nails, safe sleep and sleep expectations and lots of the common questions new parents have in the first few weeks.
You’ll also get plenty of hands-on practice using my weighted baby dolls again, including nappy changing, dressing, bathing and babywearing, so these things feel much less daunting when your baby arrives.
Course details...
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This is a 5 week course, consisting of 15+ hours of midwife-led teaching and includes an Infant first aid session for parents
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Each session lasts around 3 hours and includes a break with refreshments
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Chance to meet other expectant parents with babies due at similar times
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Support by your midwife for the duration of the course via email or WhatsApp
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Social WhatsApp group created for the course participants who wish to be stay in touch with the rest of the group (optional)
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It is recommended to start the course when you are between 25 – 34 weeks pregnant (although I strongly recommend booking in advance to guarantee your place)
Each antenatal session includes a break, during which you will be able to enjoy a cuppa and chat to the other course participants. This, together with being a part of a WhatsApp group, is a great opportunity to create a support network of new parents with babies due at similar times.
You will be encouraged to ask any questions throughout the course. I’m also always happy to answer questions in between the sessions as well as after the course via WhatsApp – enabling you to have a support of a local practising midwife at your fingertips!
My courses take place at ‘That Little Norfolk Shop & Studio‘ at The Abbey Schoolrooms, Church Street, Wymondham, NR18 0PH on Monday evenings. The Studio is on the first floor and sadly does not have disabled access at present (there is plan for a platform lift to be installed in the near future).
Pricing...
ANTENATAL COURSE | £225
This price includes yourself and your birth partner*. You are welcome to bring a friend or a relative instead of your partner, or attend alone**.
*Please contact me before booking if you are planning to attend alone and I will adjust the price accordingly.
** With the cost of living rising I am aware that not everyone can afford to pay for antenatal education. I therefore offer some spaces each month at a reduced price. If you would like to attend one of my courses but can’t afford to pay the full price, please don’t hesitate to contact me here.
What clients say...
"My husband and I have just completed The Birth Preparation Company’s antenatal classes. Andrea is absolutely wonderful – so kind, approachable and knowledgeable. The course covers so much content, but in a really digestible way, with a mixture of information-led and hands-on learning. The fact that Andrea is a practising midwife too means that she has that extra level of experience and understanding. We now feel so much more informed and ready for our little one’s arrival – with the added benefit of meeting some lovely Mum and Dad’s-to-be. We would absolutely recommend these classes. We might not all be lucky enough to have Andrea deliver our babies, but her support and guidance as part of this course is the next best thing!"
Antenatal Course
MIDWIFE-LED ANTENATAL COURSE IN NORFOLK
5 WEEK COURSE | 15+ hours of midwife-led teaching
That Little Norfolk Shop & Studio at The Abbey Schoolrooms, Church Street, Wymondham, NR18 0PH.
The Birth Preparation Company was born from meeting so many new parents who felt unprepared for the reality of labour, birth and those early days with a new baby. I believe that understanding your options and feeling prepared for the different ways your birth might unfold can make a huge difference to how you experience it.
As an experienced practising midwife and IBCLC Lactation Consultant, I’ve created a modern, comprehensive antenatal course that goes far beyond the basics of traditional antenatal education. The course draws not only on my experience of supporting families through pregnancy and birth, but also on the work I do every day supporting new parents once their babies are here. This means we can explore the things I know parents genuinely wish they had understood or practised before their baby arrived.
You’ll learn about your options, the decisions you may be faced with and how different choices and interventions can influence what happens next, so that you can feel confident making informed decisions about your care.
Everything is taught in a friendly, relaxed and non-judgemental way, with evidence-based, unbiased information, plenty of practical, hands-on learning and a good dose of humour along the way.
We’ll cover labour and birth, pain relief and decision-making, hypnobirthing relaxation, infant feeding, newborn care, babywearing and infant first aid and more.
The course consists of five weekly sessions, each around 3 - 3.5 hours long, giving us plenty of time to explore each topic properly, with time for questions, discussion and practical learning along the way.