Pregnancy Pamper Day!

The Calm Births Pregnancy Pamper Day is here!! On June 23rd 2018 prepare for a day of ultimate pampering in luxurious surroundings. Allow our lovely, friendly team of specialists to treat you like a Queen for the day, and leave us floating on a cloud of blissful relaxation and empowerment. On this day in the wonderful  Regency Park Hotel and Spa in Berkshire,  your day will look like this:

• Arrival & Welcome with welcome Tea, Coffee, Pastries

• Blissful Pregnancy Relaxation Session

• Time to relax in the Spa and Pool

• Refreshments

• Choice of two of: Indulgent Pregnancy Massage with Linda; Glamorous Make-over with Samantha or Stunning Bump Photo Shoot with Allison

• Lovely healthy Lunch

• Birth Preparation session with Hannah, covering Hypnobirthing, designing the Perfect Birth Plan and all you need to know for a Positive Birth.

• Refreshments

• A super calming Relaxation session to finish.

Meet the Team!

Hannah Barnes - owner of Calm Births, former Midwife of 10 years, Hypnotherapist, Doula & Hypnobirthing Teacher.

Linda Cook - owner of The Celtic Touch, Holistic Treatment specialist for Pregnancy, Labour and the Postnatal period & lovely Doula

Allison Dench - owner of Magic Photography, wonderful experienced photographer specialising in Bump, Newborn and family shoots.

Samantha McChesney - owner of Samantha Melanie Hair & Make up,  experienced Make up Artist to leave you feeling AMAZING.

After a full day of pampering and birth preparation you will leave us feeling like the Queen that you are, ready to birth your baby in an empowered, positive way.

For the full day from 9am to 5pm including ALL of the above, the cost is just £199 per person!! There are just 20 places available on this amazing day on June 23rd, so if you'd like to book yours please click here or email: hannah@calmbirths.uk for more information! 

But I have a Toddler - how can I find time to do Hypnobirthing??!

So you have a two year old, you're pregnant with your second, and it's really, REALLY tiring. Remember the first time around when you could just nap when you needed to and maternity leave meant vegging on the sofa eating Haribo, watching daytime TV? Not so much the second time round and it's really bloody hard right? And then there's me telling you that you need to find time to relax? And you think 'really lady?!!'. 

Calm Births Hypnobirthing

I know lovely, I've been there too - when I was pregnant with my third baby, I was dealing with a 3 year old and a 2 year old and, quite frankly, it sucked a lot of the time. I was just permanently knackered and they were just permanently crazy. It was relentless. I literally forgot I was pregnant for a lot of the first two trimesters - one memorable occasion a lady at a toddler group asked me when I was due, and I actually asked her 'when's what due?' She must've thought I was batsh*t crazy as five seconds later I remembered I was pregnant and told her when I was due.  BUT. I knew that I had to do something, I knew that I had to make time for this poor little baby who hadn't asked to be the third down in the pecking order. I knew how important it was to create space, time and love just for him or her.

And so this is how I know that it can be done - you just have to be a bit more flexible with it. In my continuing experience a lot of the relaxation techniques are actually massively beneficial for parenting too. When the children are going crazy and you're feeling the stress rise up, you have the tools and techniques to make you feel calm - and by practising this you are giving your baby some chill time and love too. Win-Win!!! 

When pregnant with second (or subsequent) baby you often just need to fall into bed at 8pm, but there's nothing stopping you falling into bed plugged in to your Relaxation audio, and falling asleep to the positive self hypnosis tracks. 

I KNOW it's difficult, but I also know that it is so worth it and you and this little baby will benefit so much from you just squeezing in any relaxation practice that you can each day. You deserve it, and this little one does too. 

There are some really interesting studies around how what we do during pregnancy shapes who are babies become. There's a wonderful TED talk here, where a scientist explains several studies that have been undertaken which have determined that our babies whole brain structure is altered according to our behaviours during pregnancy! For example how we eat determines how their metabolism is formed, if they perceive that they are coming into a world of scarcity because Mummy isn't eating much, then their body will form so that they store calories when they eat to keep them going for longer. Amazing right?

I tell you this not to terrify you, but to remind you of how important it is to care for yourself, and to just take any minutes you can to sit quietly with your bump and relax each day.  Many of the relaxation and breathing techniques we learn in Hypnobirthing can be done whilst sitting with a toddler who's playing. Your toddler will just think you're Supermum being all calm and chilled - and I can pretty much guarantee you'll notice a change in their behaviour too. 

In practical terms, a Hypnobirthing course is 5 sessions - so this means either finding a babysitter for 5 two hour slots, or having the classes privately in your home after your other child or children are in bed. It is achievable, and it is definitely worth it, I promise you!