1:1 Support Options for your Pregnancy in Buckinghamshire
You can do this during pregnancy or the postnatal period, either during the day or the evening on weekdays. If you are within an hour of Wendover in Buckinghamshire, then these options can be in person (at your home), but otherwise we offer sessions on Zoom.
The options include:
Hypnobirthing Courses
1:1 Antenatal Courses
1:1 Preparing for a Caesarean workshop
Birth Chats (one off birth prep session)
Feeding preparation & support
Babywearing support at home
“We went to Sophie for 1-1 hypnobirthing with our second child, following a traumatic birth with our first and a stressful pregnancy. Sophie was amazing! She spent so much time trying to understand our experience with our first child and reassure us, and it was like talking to a friend with the benefit of having years of medical experience. Sophie gave me the confidence to ask questions and push for a birth plan I felt comfortable with, which made me feel so much more relaxed about doing it again. She had endless tips and tricks to keep me calm and focused in the lead up to, and during, labour, and was also available to contact with questions outside of our booked sessions and following the birth of our son. I would 100% recommend her to everyone and wish we had done her antenatal course with our firstborn!” - Jo
“Totally blown away by Sophie’s generosity with her time, the level of impactful and valuable information provided and genuinely positive nature for all things pregnancy, birth and beyond. Thank you for preparing us for the biggest chapter of our lives!”
To check availability for 1:1 clients, please email sophie@thevillagemidwife.co.uk
“No question was a stupid question and Sophie went through things in detail and helped to eliviate my anxieties about pregnancy and birth. The techniques of hypnobirthing were amazing and although my labour didn't quite go as planned, I used a lot of the tools to get me through without medicated pain relief” - Vicki
Birth Chats: One-off Support from a midwife
£100 during the day or £150 in the evening
If you just want to talk things over and get a fresh opinion on your pregnancy or a particular issue, you can book a 2-3 hour birth chat. We can discuss the evidence/research behind anything you’ve been recommended or are interested in and can go over exactly what options you have. It is the opportunity to discuss things in an impartial environment with a midwife who’s worked in different hospitals and so has a broad perspective. You might just want to sit down with a midwife and discuss your birth plan or ask all the questions you haven’t had a chance to yet during your pregnancy in a non-rushed environment! You also get my continued support with any further questions and I can give you the Village Midwife birth preferences templates to help you prepare!
This can be in person at your home (if you are within an hour of Wendover, Bucks), at HQ in Wendover (HP22 6PE) or over Zoom (open to anyone UK wide) – I am flexible. Drop me an email at sophie@thevillagemidwife.co.uk to explore availability
““We had 1-2-1 sessions with Sophie prior to the birth of our first baby. Sophie is very experienced, gives great advice based on research, and is incredibly passionate about what she does. Sophie was really supportive and gave well rounded and balanced advice when our birth plan changed. Sophie also provided support in between sessions and even after our baby was born...Sophie is always just a message away. Sophie also has a great network of people who can support with other aspects of pregnancy and birth prep. Without a doubt having the sessions with Sophie made our pregnancy journey easier, gave us confidence to have difficult discussions and it was fun!! Sophie genuinely cares about what she does and equipping new parents to make informed decisions. We would highly recommend Sophie!””
1-1 Antenatal Courses
£50/hour
What does the 1:1 antenatal course cover?
We cover everything from The Village Midwife antenatal course but in a 1:1 setting so that I can tailor it to you and your needs, whether you’re on your own or doing the course with your partner! This involves birth prep for a variety of different birth experiences, birth preferences for different scenarios and how to confidently express these (useful for partners!) We also cover active birth and the biomechanics of the pelvis, caesarean preferences, and how to care for yourself during the postnatal period. We cover baby care including safe sleep, feeding baby (and all of your options/potential challenges) and how to dress/bathe/care for baby!
The 1:1 course is fully personalised however which means that if there’s an aspect of antenatal prep that you’d like to cover more in depth or an aspect you’d prefer to leave out then I can work the course around you!
How long does the course take?
We usually cover this in 9 hours (3 sessions of 3 hours each) but can tailor the length/amount of sessions around what you need! If you’d like to just do birth prep but not postnatal/feeding then we can usually cover this in 6 hours. Likewise if you’re happy with birth prep but want to discuss postnatal care/feeding/baby care specifically then we can usually do this over 2 sessions.
What if there are just a few topics we didn’t cover in another antenatal/hypnobirthing course I’ve done that I’d like to go over with you?
If you want to have any extra antenatal support - this can be booked with a flat fee of £50 per hour. You still get my ongoing support with any questions that crop up later, as with any course with me! Likewise this option is good if you have to miss a group antenatal session and want to catch up (although if you miss a session of a group course due to Covid I catch up with you guys for free)
I don’t live in Bucks, can I still do a 1:1 course with you?
Absolutely! Any 1:1 course with me can be in person at your home or over Zoom (if you’re based outside of Bucks) – I am flexible. If it is over Zoom, I post your Village Midwife bag and antenatal handout to you beforehand!
To check availability, drop me an email at sophie@thevillagemidwife.co.uk
“During our first pregnancy we signed up to Sophie’s antenatal course and 1:1 hypnobirthing sessions, and we are so glad we did! Sophie is so full of knowledge about anything you can think of, and her course was really fun as well as being informative, which is rare according to friends who did other courses.
The hypnobirthing helped enormously with anxieties around the birth, and my calm and positive attitude was commented on by more than one midwife! I have Sophie to thank for giving me the information and tools I needed to make sure I had the best pregnancy and birth possible, and I can’t recommend her course enough.”
1:1 Hypnobirthing Courses with Sophie
“We did a private Hypnobirthing course with Sophie. She came to our home and spent hours with us teaching us magical breathing and visualisation techniques. I laboured for 22 hours using only hypnobirthing, a TENS machine and then the pool. I look back I can’t believe I did it but pain relief didn’t even cross my mind, I was too focused!” - Hanna
6 Hour Antenatal Hypnobirthing Course: £350 (or £295 for antenatal clients)
This involves 2 x 3 hour sessions at your home or online where we go through any antenatal education that you need as well as learning the relaxation and breathing techniques for pregnancy and giving birth. It equips the birth partner too and you benefit from my experience as a midwife as we can work on your birth preferences together as well as conquering any fears you have surrounding giving birth. Lots of people do this course as well as doing an antenatal course elsewhere as it allows me to fill any gaps in your knowledge with my midwifery as well as my hypnobirthing experience! You also can contact me by whatsapp/phone throughout to help with any decision making or for any other support.
Mini Hypnobirthing Course: £195
This mini hypnobirthing course is suitable for people doing my antenatal course and is taught over a 3 hour session and then some people choose to have a 1 hour check in on Zoom nearer to your due date. Most of the antenatal education is already covered in my signature antenatal course which means we can focus on answering any questions 1-1, working on releasing any fears together, and learning how to use The Village Midwife hypnobirthing techniques in pregnancy and beyond. This is a really popular option as you get the benefit of the group antenatal classes as well as 1-1 time with me and all of the hypnobirthing techniques!
What is Hypnobirthing all about?
I have developed my own, popular hypnobirthing course, which has two main goals – realistic and up-to-date antenatal education using my experience as a midwife and effective relaxation techniques so that you and your birth partner can have a calm, positive birth experience. If you don’t finish my hypnobirthing course feeling like you can do anything, then I haven’t succeeded in my goal!
What is hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing involves breathing and relaxation exercises to prepare you for giving birth but this course is much, much more than that. You learn how to navigate the maternity system from the inside out, plus your birth partner learns how to be the best birth partner they can possibly be! I can also give you support with aromatherapy and positioning to help get baby into the best position possible to be born in as I have done extra training in both of these aspects of pregnancy preparation!
My course is different to many of the hypnobirthing courses out there because it focuses on fear releasing and rewiring any negative thoughts, but also on bonding with your baby both in your pregnancy and after your baby has been born. I’m also a midwife so you get the benefit of my experience with any questions you might have! My course also has relaxation techniques for after your baby has been born which help the transition into parenthood which I feel is important. You also get ongoing support from me during pregnancy and after you’ve had your baby.
When and where do you teach hypnobirthing and when can I sign up?
I teach on weekday evenings or weekday afternoons, depending on what suits you best. You can start hypnobirthing anywhere from 25 weeks, but I’ve even had clients start a course at 38 weeks - it’s up to you! I teach in person at your home or over Zoom.
Is it only for parents in Buckinghamshire?
No! I actually teach quite a few parents to be from across the UK and sometimes even clients in different countries!
Why do you mainly teach hypnobirthing 1:1?
This is because I find being at home can help you and your partner feel as relaxed as possible which is really important when it comes to hypnobirthing. Also, lots of parents like to discuss any fears or worries they might have before we move on to how to effectively relax during pregnancy and birth. It also means everything we cover is tailored to you. Plus - for those of you who have busy schedules, it means we can fit around times that work for you, for example, if this is your 2nd/3rd child, we can work around bedtimes!
What if I also want to do a group antenatal course with you?
Lots of couples actually do both! If you’re doing an antenatal course with me then you have the option of a 6 hour or 4 hour hypnobirthing course with me as we cover all of the antenatal education you need on the group course. It’s a nice combination because you get the ongoing support of your new group of friends from the course and all of the information we go through as a group but you also have some time with me individually to talk through any fears or worries you may have and to fine tune the hypnobirthing techniques according to what you need!
To enquire about hypnobirthing, email me at:
sophie@thevillagemidwife.co.uk
Preparing for a Caesarean Birth Workshop
£150
This is a 3 hour session where we go over what happens at a caesarean/abdominal birth and how you’re feeling about it. We discuss ‘gentle’ caesareans and what your options are for your birth plan, plus how to prepare for your recovery. We also cover relaxation techniques to help you relax and enjoy your birth experience. You also get my continued support with any further questions and I can give you the Village Midwife birth preferences template to help you prepare as well as discussing some positive abdominal birth stories! We also talk a little about establishing feeding after a caesarean birth if you would find this helpful.
This can be in person at your home (if you are within an hour of Wendover, Bucks) or over Zoom (open to anyone UK wide) – I am flexible. Drop me an email at sophie@thevillagemidwife.co.uk to explore availability
Preparation for feeding plus on going support
£150
Lots of people ask me for help preparing for feeding their baby, a common source of anxiety! I offer a daytime session to discuss what you want to do with regards to feeding your baby (usually near the end of your pregnancy) and we can talk through any previous experiences you have, which can be helpful. We can talk through how to get breastfeeding off to a great start. how milk supply works, how to best attach baby to the breast and common issues that can come up.
I am then on hand for any feeding support via WhatsApp for the first 6 weeks, where I can answer any questions - sometimes people find it helpful to create a WhatsApp group between you, your partner and me. I can also pop in (if you’re local to Wendover, Buckinghamshire) and help with any support you need.
If you are struggling financially, please note I have a bursary set aside for postnatal feeding support - no questions asked.
““Sophie is very knowledgeable and it was great to be able to talk in a non rushed and non judgemental environment and helped me feel well prepared. Would recommend very much to others!””