In this episode of the Nourishing Birth and Beyond podcast I speak to guest Ellie Waddington, a hypnobirthing teacher, to explore the significance of empowering expectant parents by addressing both the birthing individual’s and their partner’s experiences and fears. We discuss the impact of societal conditioning on birth perceptions, the need for informed decision-making, and the importance of personalised support through hypnobirthing. Our conversation highlights the challenges posed by the conventional medical model, advocating for a more holistic and individualised approach to childbirth that empowers parents to make informed choices and fosters positive birth experiences.
Find Ellie here: https://www.bellemama.co.uk/
In this episode of the podcast we talk about:
- The empowerment of expectant parents by utilising hypnobirthing techniques, which focus on calming and preparing both the birthing individual and their partner.
- Ellie shares her personal journey from experiencing a traumatic first birth to discovering hypnobirthing, which transformed her second birth experience and led her to become a teacher.
- The importance of addressing partners’ fears and roles, noting that they often share similar societal conditioning about birth being dangerous.
- Informed decision-making, encouraging parents to educate themselves and make choices based on comprehensive information rather than solely relying on medical professionals.
- The conventional medical model and its lack of personalised care and emphasise the need for a more holistic approach that respects individual preferences and physiological birth processes.
Sound bites from this episode:
” Birth is a private experience that, if we leave the body to do its beautiful birth dance, it does that perfectly well.”
“We know the maternity system, the hospital system isn’t set up for facilitating physiological birth. It’s the opposite of what we need.”
“It’s really important to unpick your fears because you can’t just hope for things to be wonderful and you can’t just ignore your fears.”
“When you’re pregnant, your intuition is really heightened and your baby has grown inside of you their entire journey. So you’re naturally evolving and changing as you’re getting prepared for birth.”
“The more resources you get on board, the more you can really go with the flow.”
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