The journey through pregnancy from fertility to giving birth
Whether you have conceived naturally or with IVF, you are now pregnant! During the transition period of pregnancy, there is much to celebrate. But what if it is not plain sailing?
Feeling anxious or low during pregnancy can be confusing and debilitating. Pregnancy support through therapy can help you explore your thoughts and feelings and help you to enjoy the adjustment period towards becoming a parent. We also appreciate that life gets busy especially when you are preparing for a new baby, so our online antenatal courses are designed to be completed anytime, anywhere and at your own pace.
And then all too soon, you are preparing to meet your baby for the first time. This can be exciting but also overwhelming for some men and women.
Our services include one-to-one LIVE sessions for pregnancy support with a therapist either in-person at our offices in Salisbury OR virtual video sessions via ZOOM. We also provide a range of pre-recorded ONLINE antenatal courses to support you throughout your pregnancy and beyond into becoming a new parent whether this is your first baby or an addition to your growing family.
We are here to support you in the following areas:
- Pregnancy anxiety
- Antenatal depression
- Relieving morning sickness / hyperemesis gravidarum
- Turning breech/posterior babies
- Fear of pregnancy or fear of giving birth
- Overcoming tokophobia (extreme fear of pregnancy and birth)
- Preparing for Elective (Planned) Caesarean Section
- Previous birth trauma
- Help with bonding with your baby during pregnancy
- Adjustment to becoming a parent
- Relationship counselling
- Hypnobirthing for labour and vaginal birth
- Hypnobirthing for C-section
Morning sickness and Hyperemesis Gravidarum
During early pregnancy, nausea, vomiting and tiredness are common symptoms. Around half of all pregnant women experience nausea and vomiting, and around 3 in 10 women experience nausea without vomiting.
People sometimes consider morning sickness a minor inconvenience of pregnancy, but for some women it can have a significant, adverse effect on their day-to-day activities and quality of life. For some women it extends beyond morning sickness and can affect them all day. If this describes your experience, and may even be causing pregnancy anxiety, we are here to help.
Some pregnant women experience severe nausea and vomiting, which continues throughout pregnancy. This condition is known as hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) and needs specialist treatment. HG affects around 1 in 200 women.
Whether NVP is mild, moderate or severe, if treated promptly it is unlikely to have enduring consequences. However it may provoke some anxiety in some cases, especially if it is persistent or has an adverse effect on quality of life.
If your nausea and vomiting is severe, an antiemetic may be prescribed, which is designed to help to prevent vomiting. The commonly prescribed antiemetics can have side effects.
The benefits of hypnosis for alleviating nausea and chronic pain are renowned and can provide a fast-acting solution as opposed to waiting for the effect of a pill. Another advantage of a drug-free approach is that you are not adding another chemical to your system when it is reacting already. Some of the ways we work holistically with the system of mind and body is with:
- Sensory distraction
- Tell your brain that you are not going to be sick and that you're in control
- Relaxation
- Feeling positive about the pregnancy (as there can be a cognitive element)
Do you suffer from fear of childbirth or tokophobia?
Tokophobia is a pathological dread and avoidance of childbirth. It is a distressing condition which can often be overlooked by medical professionals. fear of childbirth or tokophobia may be associated with pregnancy anxiety or antenatal depression.
Over 20% of pregnant women report fear and 6% describe a fear that is disabling.
Altogether 13% of women who are not pregnant report fear of childbirth sufficient to postpone or avoid pregnancy.
If this describes you, or someone you know, we can help to support you to ultimately reduce your fear of childbirth.
Antenatal support for dads-to-be and partners during pregnancy
Society often forgets the need to support the expectant parent who is not pregnant. It may surprise you to hear that the highest risk of depression during pregnancy for expecting fathers occur during the first trimester. They too can suffer pregnancy anxiety and antenatal depression as the journey ahead means their life is changing too.
"We can support you with reducing morning sickness, hyperemesis gravidarum, pregnancy anxiety or antenatal depression"
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