Antenatal Courses, Postnatal Courses and Hypnobirthing

Pregnancy preparation with a difference
across Buckinghamshire and Berkshire

A relaxed, friendly and supportive antenatal and postnatal course during pregnancy, written and taught by a practising midwife. Join us for a fresh perspective on birth and new parenthood and come away feeling positive and empowered about the journey ahead as well as making friends at the same stage as you!

Email sophie@thevillagemidwife.co.uk
if you have any questions, or find out more about the classes and book below!

Online courses are running throughout the COVID-19 crisis as we understand this support is now more important than ever! You will be posted your goodie bag, course handout and all materials for the course and then the course will go ahead on Zoom until guidelines change! You will still get 24/ 7 personalised support from me and also the support of your lovely antenatal group – then once this is all over you can do the postnatal course together!

About me

I am a registered midwife living in Buckinghamshire and working in a busy London hospital. I am also a trained hypnobirthing teacher and I’m a current breastfeeding mother with lots of experience supporting parents with feeding as well as all other postnatal issues! I’m passionate about providing well rounded, evidence based antenatal education and friendly, consistent postnatal support to families in Buckinghamshire based on my knowledge and experience as a midwife and mum. I am very proud to see our relaxed and friendly Village Midwife community growing and growing and the amazing support that our parents give each other through the highs and lows of parenthood!

"Above all Sophie made the course accessible and friendly, she is approachable, extremely knowledgeable and very caring and empowering."

"I would recommend Sophie's course in an instant, you will be so pleased you did."

"Never could I have imagined how one stranger - a mum, a highly qualified midwife and altogether spectacular human would play such a big role in helping us and bringing us into a community of like minded first time mums and dads"

Friendly. Non-judgemental. Inclusive. Relaxed. Local.

Our approach to antenatal and postnatal courses

Why are we different?

Our antenatal course is written and designed by a practising midwife, and constantly reviewed to add the latest evidence and statistics which means people benefit from up to date support and knowledge throughout their pregnancy

As well as a friendly and relaxed antenatal course, we provide personalised midwifery support for people through their pregnancy and afterwards by text or phone, from individualised birth plans to questions by text at 11pm, which comes with any course you book onto!

We aim to prepare you for labour and birth as well as life as parents which includes preparation for whatever type of feeding you choose and how to prepare for that postnatal period with your new baby. Our ethos is all about informed choice and is a no judgement zone!

Who better to learn from how to navigate the maternity system that you’re giving birth in than someone who has lots of experience working in it?

We are the only local midwife run antenatal course to have a postnatal course too! This is because we believe passionately in supporting new parents after their baby has been born.

We have built up a community of parents supporting each other, with The No Sleep Club (a weekly social group for pregnancy and beyond) and whatsapp groups for mums to give advice to each other. As well as a firm group of parent friends from your course, you get a wider support network!

We are fully inclusive which also includes flexible payment plans and a single parent discount.

Check out our reviews – they speak for themselves!

"Go on this course if you have any fears, just want to feel extra prepared or want to meet people in the same boat as you, you will not regret it."

"I can't recommend Sophie enough, she was the luckiest stumble I found on instagram! I truly believe without Sophie my partner and I would not have felt so confident in communicating our birth choices during our labour. Not only are both the antenatal and postnatal courses so insightful, you are welcomed into a supportive and loving community."

"I didn't want the classes to finish!"

"The word that best describes how I felt each week in Sophie's class is 'empowered' - she champions every woman in the room and teaches that you have options and choices when it comes to giving birth."

Where are the courses?

Our courses are set in beautiful locations and taught by a current practising midwife who is very passionate about what she does! (as you might be able to tell!)

Our Prestwood courses are at Nanfans Ballet School in Prestwood near Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire. We have pregnant and postnatal clients from Prestwood, Great Missenden, Hazlemere, High Wycombe, Hughenden, Amersham, Chesham, Beaconsfield, Marlow, Berkhamsted and so on!

Our Cookham course is taught at Elizabeth House in Cookham and is for pregnant and postnatal clients from Cookham, Bourne End, Marlow, Maidenhead, Bisham, Flackwell Heath, Taplow and Wooburn Green and so on!

1-1 Hypnobirthing and birth chats are at your home (within Buckinghamshire)

PLEASE NOTE: While the COVID-19 crisis continues, I will only be teaching via online video conferencing as per government guidelines to stay at home unless necessary to leave the house!

"This course and Sophie really do not stop giving, it has been an invaluable experience to us as first time parents to be and we will be highly recommending The Village Midwife to all our friends. Thank you Sophie"

"Sophie's approach is fun, honest, informative and current with no stigmas or pressure attached. I felt totally prepared for my birth experience because of Sophie's knowledge and advice!"

The Antenatal Courses and Postnatal Courses

Our antenatal and postnatal courses in beautiful Buckinghamshire guide you through your pregnancy, birth and your journey into motherhood.

A well rounded preparation for pregnancy, birth and new parenthood with a fresh perspective! It includes 1-1 support from a midwife throughout and a goodie bag with birth and postnatal plan templates, plus be part of our growing, supportive community! We prepare you for all types of birth experience and how to create a birth plan that’s flexible and prepared for all eventualities. We also prepare both of you for the postnatal period, feeding your baby and taking care of them! Get ready for an antenatal course with a difference…

The postnatal course covers baby massage, how to adapt to your life as a new mum, a check in session with a Women’s Health Physio and a ‘how to’ on slings and carriers – our postnatal course runs over 8 weeks with a group of new mums like yourself! It also involves tea/coffee and biscuits as all good things should, and comes with support from a midwife as well as the support from the new, local mum friends you will meet!

I developed my own hypnobirthing course with two main goals – educating people about birth from a midwifery perspective and helping them to relax as much as possible during their pregnancy and labour in order to make it a more positive experience! I have options for those doing a separate antenatal course as well.

Time to discuss your birth plan or preparations for labour at your home around your schedule with a midwife, with support before and after as needed. I understand that sometimes you just need to talk things over and have some 1-1 time with a midwife to ask all of your questions in a relaxed setting as the standard length of NHS appointments doesn’t always leave much time for all of your questions! The Village Midwife birth and postnatal plan templates are also provided.