1:1 Support Options for your Pregnancy in Buckinghamshire
You can do this during pregnancy or during the postnatal period, usually involving sessions at your home which are around your schedule. If you are within an hour of Prestwood in Buckinghamshire then these options can be in person (at your home) but otherwise we offer Zoom, and all virtual services e.g. WhatsApp support can be offered to anyone across the UK!
The options include:
Whatsapp Support from a midwife
Hypnobirthing Courses
1:1 Antenatal Courses
Preparing for a Caesarean workshops
Birth Chats
Feeding preparation & support (Buckinghamshire based)
Babywearing workshops (Buckinghamshire based)
“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”
“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!”
Whatsapp Support with Sophie
When you do a Village Midwife antenatal course, you get WhatsApp support from the midwife running your course (which in Bucks is Sophie or Gemma) however you can also opt for WhatsApp support from 12 weeks of pregnancy until the end of your pregnancy if you’re feeling anxious and feel that you would benefit from being able to WhatsApp someone with any pregnancy related questions instead of resorting to Google which can be scary! You should be able to get support from your NHS midwife but as midwives ourselves we are very aware that this isn’t always possible and we have the capacity to offer this as we work privately too!
Birth Chats: 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 half an hour of Prestwood, Bucks or Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire) 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! I also work around your schedule as I teach during the day or during the evening and come to your home to make it as easy as possible for 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 (if you are within half an hour of Prestwood, Bucks) 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.”
Buckinghamshire (or beyond on Zoom!) 1:1 Hypnobirthing Courses with Sophie
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!
9 Hour Antenatal Hypnobirthing Course: £450
This involves 3 x 3 hour sessions at your home or online, around your schedule. The first two sessions are all about preparing for birth using hypnobirthing techniques and working on your mindset surrounding birth. The third session is about the postnatal period where we can discuss postnatal recovery and feeding plus go through some postnatal relaxations to use once your baby is here! A goodie bag, handout and audio recordings are included as well as my ongoing support from pregnancy through to the fourth trimester for any questions you have or support you need.
Refresher Hypnobirthing course: £180
This is a 3/3.5 hour refresher session at your home one evening. It’s perfect for people who have done a full hypnobirthing course with me before (in a previous pregnancy) and who just want a refresher before the birth of their next baby!
6 Hour Hypnobirthing Course plus 3 Step Rewind: £395
This involves the antenatal only/6 hour hypnobirthing course over 2 sessions of 3 hours each. We also however work on your previous birth experience using 3 Step Rewind. This is a gentle but highly effective technique where we work to reduce any intense emotions about a traumatic or negative birth experience without affecting the memory of the birth of your child. We usually have one 3 hour session of hypnobirthing, then a week later a 2 hour 3 Step Rewind session, then a few weeks later we have another hypnobirthing session. This combination is highly effective when you’ve had a traumatic birth experience previously. Please contact me for more information on this!
“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”
Hypnobirthing: for Pregnancy and New Parenthood
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 (6.30-9.30pm or 7-10pm) or weekday mornings (9am-12pm or 10am-1pm) dependent 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 on occasion even clients in different countries! If you are more than half an hour (driving) from Prestwood in Buckinghamshire then I teach over Zoom and post your Village Midwife bag and handout to you beforehand!
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 works 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!
It’s my 2nd/3rd baby and I want a quick recap but would also like to meet other parents, do you ever do group courses?
Yes! For 2nd/3rd time parents I have a refreshers course in Buckinghamshire over 2 Sunday mornings! Find out more here
How do I check availability with you?
To enquire about hypnobirthing, email me at:
sophie@thevillagemidwife.co.uk
“Sophie is so kind and selfless, giving advice at the end of the phone whenever you need it”
Preparing for a Caesarean/Abdominal 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 half an hour of Prestwood, 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 support in the postnatal period
£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 myself. I can also pop in (if you’re local to Prestwood, Buckinghamshire or Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire) 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!””
1:1 Babywearing consultations
Sophie and the Babywearing consultants from the South Bucks Sling & Nappy Library offer 1:1 consultations at your home. These are usually 90 minutes for £75 and can be either during pregnancy to prepare for your new baby or with your baby/older child. You can also get support via the sling library as the meets are free to attend however they are busy! If you want to go through lots of options or have a specific need e.g. twins, back carrying or just want 1:1 support with Babywearing for more than 10/15 minutes, this would be a more appropriate option.
If you want more general information you can either join us on a postnatal course for a 2 hour sling session, book a sling session for you and a group of friends/antenatal group at one off your homes, or join us for a group Babywearing workshop!
Please contact us for more information at sophie@thevillagemidwife.co.uk