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Visit GentleBirth.ie for our Workshop Dates

GentleBirth Classes

Stack the odds in your favour of having a great birth for you and your baby.

You’ve heard the horror stories that everyone can't wait to tell you.  You’re wondering if there is anything you can do to give yourself the best chance of a normal birth, a birth that where you and your partner can feel calm, confident and in control?  That way is the GentleBirth way. (If you are a VBAC mum scroll to the bottom of the page for more information on VBAC specific classes.)

If you think hypnobirthing is only for 'earth mothers' - read on. Most couples come to my workshops not because they are completely ruling out the epidural but because they want to do everything they can to have a positive experience for themselves and their baby. The epidural can be a great pain management tool for labour but after your GentleBirth workshop you and your partner will have a multitude of birth tools and strategies in your labour 'toolkit'. With over 70% of our couples never needing any pain relief you're already off to a good start. The Mums who attend GentleBirth workshops are from all walks of life. Like you, they've all heard the scary stories and have decided to stack the deck in their favour of having a great birth experience rather than leaving the biggest day of their lives up to chance.

GentleBirth is the only birth preparation class of it's kind in Ireland. This workshop is for parents who want to be actively involved in decision making and prefer to have an understanding of what choices are available to them for labour and birth in Ireland. You and your partner will learn a LOT more than just self hypnosis. Hypnosis is just one of the many tools you'll have to use on the big day depending on your individual birth sensations.

Is your partner prepared for labour?

Hospital classes don't prepare Dads adequately for birth. Your partner has a huge role in your baby's birth and most are very eager to understand what they can do to help. During the workshop you and your partner develop a clear understanding of how to navigate the overstretched busy Irish maternity system confidently and calmly.  Dads/birth partners appreciate the importance of their role as birth supporter, facilitator and advocate on this very special day. Dads can now download their own GentleBirth sessions to boost their confidence and help them stay calm and confident during this special day.

GentleBirth preparation weekend workshops combine birth hypnosis (deep relaxation for pregnancy and labour) and active birthing principles enabling couples to have empowered, confident birth experiences with or without medical intervention at home or at the hospital.

When is the best time to come to a workshop?

As soon as you want to start really enjoying your pregnancy - I see couples as early as 9 weeks and as late as 41 weeks. It's never too early, and only too late after your baby has arrived.

Although labour and birth is a serious topic the workshop is a lot of fun (don't worry nobody will be going home barking like a dog) There's plenty of practice too so it makes for a very relaxing, informative weekend.

Over the weekend you'll learn the following and more:

  • Physiology of the normal birth process
  • Fear Vs Relaxation in during birth - keeping adrenaline at bay
  • Sports psychology techniques for pregnancy and birth
  • The neuroscience of a gentle birth - rewiring your brain from fear to confidence
  • Facilitating the perfect balance of hormones in labour - undisturbed birth
  • Breath awareness during labour
  • Comfort measures for labour and birth (what you and your partner can do at each stage)
  • Use of the birth ball and other tools in labour (including waterbirth)
  • Bonding with your baby before birth
  • Routine procedures in Irish hospitals and how to avoid unnecessary interventions
  • What happens on admission to hospital?
  • Being a confident birth partner
  • Labour support tools for special circumstances including back labour
  • Creating an effective birth plan and how to communicate your intentions and preferences
  • Informed decision making
  • Relaxation techniques for mums and partners for pregnancy and labour
  • Pushing made easy!
  • Optimal Positioning for your baby
  • Recovery tips

You also receive your GentleBirth guide, 3 practice CDs and handouts. GentleBirth couples also receive additional Mp3 downloads. Mums and Dads are also invited to join the GentleBirth yahoo chat group and connect with hundreds of other excited GentleBirth mums around Ireland. Join our monthly meetups around the country for a chat about your practice and your experiences.

During the workshop you'll meet other couples who also want to have an active role in working towards a very positive experience. It gives you and your partner a wonderful opportunity to escape life's day to day demands and just focus on each other and your baby for a weekend. You and your partner will leave the workshop feeling excited about labour - with no fear and ready for the great adventure of parenting - now immune to the scary stories everyone can't wait to tell you!

If you can't get to a workshop our GentleBirth homestudy course is for you. For more information visit http://www.GentleBirth.ie

Read our great GentleBirth stories here

Book online

Cost per couple: €375

Please check with your insurance provider to confirm eligibility for reimbursement based on your specific insurance plan.


 

VBAC couples attending a GentleBirth workshop are invited to an additional 2 hour private VBAC class with Tracy in your 3rd trimester (included in your workshop fees).


 

You'll also receive two free cot sheets when you order a Co-Sleeper from Cots.ie & free shipping OR 10% off their Heart 2 Heart sling - this offer is exclusive to GentleBirth mums attending my workshops.

Visit www.GentleBirth.ie to pay with Laser, Credit Card or Bank Draft

**If you have already purchased the GentleBirth homestudy program and are interested in attending a workshop the cost of the workshop is only €300.  (regular price €375)**


Workshop Details

Saturday - workshop registration is at 12:45pm - workshop begins at 1pm and ends at 6:00pm

Sunday - 9am to 3pm

Tea/Coffee provided throughout the day. Lunch not included.

Please wear comfortable clothing and bring several pillows for you and your partner. Bring a blanket as sometimes the air conditioning can be quite cool.

 

The GentleBirth Positive Birth Program

In the process of working with thousands of GentleBirth couples to prepare for a positive birth for their baby, the following are some of the issues that come up regularly. Some - or all of them - may sound familiar to you:


You want to have a positive birth but you're not 100% sure you want to have a natural birth. You’ve a low pain threshold you’ve heard that natural birth has to be incredibly painful, long and difficult.


You know Mums who have attempted to have a natural birth and now just rave about epidurals and think you’re mad to even consider a drug free birth. If women that you know and trust can't do it, you're not sure if you can.


You are afraid you may not achieve a natural birth even if you try. You know on some level that your body is built to give birth, you didn’t have to take classes in how to grow your baby… but you doubt whether you can give birth without an epidural.


You are ready to prepare for a positive birth but you're having a hard time finding a method that is right for you. You're not finding the information that can help you to prepare for a positive birth and the ability to cope with anything that comes your way on the day calmly and confidently.


Despite the fact that your body knows how to grow a baby, many women are very afraid of the birth process. They know they need to do something to ease their fears, educate their minds, and prepare their bodies for birth. What they want is a simple, convenient, and effective way of getting the information they need and deserve.

The GentleBirth Positive Birth Program addresses all of these concerns.

What will I learn from GentleBirth?

An approach to positive birth preparation that makes sense. You would be happy to follow a method if you could be sure that it actually worked consistently. You're not looking for miracles. You are searching for straightforward proven methods of coping with labour.
GentleBirth teaches you and your partner proven techniques and tools for coping with labour in a straight-forward, simple manner.

Childbirth preparation techniques that you can actually apply. You want to be able to practice techniques and feel in your body, mind, and spirit that they will work for you on the day.

Information that is essential. Learn in a practical no-nonsense way about what you need to achieve a positive birth in Ireland. You want to know the essential pieces that you need to know and practice to have the best possible birth. GentleBirth walks you through the essential ingredients for an ‘undisturbed birth’. These include educating yourself about the birth process, learning techniques that work for you, practicing the techniques alone and with your birth partner, choosing a caregiver and location to give birth that are supportive of natural birth, paying attention to your baby's positioning, releasing your fears about birthing, etc.

A class that you can do at your own pace and in the comfort of your own home. You may have a busy schedule and you need to have the necessary information at your fingertips when the chance to focus arises. Driving to class for 4-6 sessions at pre-determined times can feel like too much when you already have a busy lifestyle and pregnant.

GentleBirth can be done at your own pace and in the comfort of your own home or at a weekend workshop.

An instructor who is accessible even after the workshop is over or after you’ve finished the homestudy program. You may find that questions arise in the days that follow a workshop. In a traditional class setting you might not have access to your instructor after the class time is over.


GentleBirth provides you with access to your instructors throughout your pregnancy and after. You may have a question arise days, weeks, or months later as you practice the techniques and consider your birth preferences. You can contact me at any time via phone or email or post to the online mentoring area of the members-only site.

What results might I experience from using GentleBirth?
Here are a few immediate and longer-term results that you may experience based feedback from our couples.

  • Feeling more excited and less afraid about your upcoming EDD. Once you have a clear understanding of the birth process and how to work with your body and mind you'll find your fears lessen significantly. No longer being gripped by fear of giving birth allows for a sense of calm to be a part of your pregnancy.
  • Finding newfound trust in your body.
  • Bonding more deeply with your baby and your partner. Feeling prepared and ready for your baby's birth can help diffuse relationship difficulties during pregnancy and birth.
  • Experiencing a deeper connection to your own intuition. Learning how to tap into your "gut" and follow it during pregnancy, birth and parenting is a skill that can benefit you well beyond your childbearing years.
  • Feeling supported by the techniques even in the most intense parts of the birth process. With practice the techniques can become your trustworthy friends and can help guide you through labour.
  • Having the birth of your dreams! Meeting your baby in a positive and safe way is a dream that most Mums share.

By using the hypnobirthing GentleBirth program all of the above (and more) is possible.

Wishing you a wonderful birth!

Tracy Donegan

Founder of GentleBirth

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
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Monthly GentleBirth Meetups Around Ireland for Support, Information and Tips as you prepare for your GentleBirth.

Open to all GentleBirth Mums!