Labour With Love

Labour With Love – Partners Birth Rehearsal WorkshopNadia Raafat2022-01-31T16:08:23+00:00

LABOUR WITH LOVE – SPRING PARTNERS BIRTH REHEARSAL WORKSHOP

LOVE, CONNECTION, OXYTOCIN, ADVOCACY, INTIMACY

Sunday, 27 March, 2022 : 11 AM-6 PM

VENUE: ONLINE

Your Birth Partner

This time of the birth of your child, whether your first precious baby or your fourth, is always a heart-opening and sacred time. Whether birthing at home, in a home-from-home unit or on a labour ward, every mother wishes the same; to be, and to feel, safe; to be as comfortable as possible and not to feel alone. The importance of choosing and having a loving birth partner to accompany you cannot be under-estimated.

Having someone close to you, who knows how to reach out to you, support you, represent you, hold you and breathe with you – this is what makes a labour easier. It’s also what makes the memory beautiful – even if the labour is was hard and long. We remember the incredible journey we went on to bring our baby into the world but we remember it fondly. We felt looked after, cared for, loved.

Preparing Your Partner

Nadia’s birth partner’s immersion workshop is designed to bring you together with your chosen partner – be it the father of your baby, your mother, sister or best friend so that you can prepare together, understand the importance of the role of the partner and how to cultivate that space of love and support at home, in transit and in hospital – should you choose or require a hospital birth.

The labour and birth experience is an intensely physical and emotionally challenging experience with many twists and turns, beautiful heart-opening highs and deeply challenging lows, along the way.

Peace in the Birthing Room

Calling on the traditions of Pregnancy Yoga, Hypnosis, Mindfulness and Bodywork Nadia has gathered together the practices and teachings she feels most cultivate connection, presence and ease in the labour room. Having supported over 50 couples as a birth doula, over a thirteen-year period, and experienced four births herself, Nadia brings a deep and personal knowledge of the childbirth experience. She shares how best to navigate it so that it unfolds in an environment of calm, care and love.

Content has also been updated to reflect the changes and restrictions that are in place as a result of Covid 19 and how best to navigate your way through the current restrictions.

“Thank you, Nadia, for such an awesome day…. it is the best advice within this kind of thing that I have done for my pregnancy so far…” Katy Appleton, Founder Apple Yoga

ONLINE WORKSHOP PRICE: £140 You + Partner/£70 single

BOOK WORKSHOP HERE:

This workshop is open to all pregnant women and their chosen birth partners. There are a few assisted places available. Please contact Nadia@nadiaraafat.com to apply for an assisted place.

Whether you are a first-time mother, with little idea about how this incredible event will unfold, or experienced parents who simply want to brush up on your birth skills, Nadia’s Yoga Birth Rehearsal offers you an opportunity to practically map and rehearse the entire experience from the early onset of labour, to babe in arms and breastfeeding. We will cover all the skills you need to labour happily, and effectively, at home; walk you through the challenges of transferring into hospital, and adapting to active labour, and finally rehearse with you the expulsion phases and the processes that will bring your baby to your arms and feeding at your breast – signifying the birth is complete. Long labours, interventions and advocacy will be discussed and recommendations made. Along the way expect to learn a whole host of effective positive birthing skills that will ensure your body is mobile, your energy is flowing, your mind is calm and your nervous system is relaxed.

Workshop Content

Following the pathway of normal physiological birth – that is birth without initial complications – we will look at the following.

Physiology of Labour – the action and the maternal experience.
Mindful Speaking and Listening
Labouring at home – How to stay at home as long as possible.
Relaxation and Pain Relief techniques for early and active labour.
Movements and positions for effective labour.
Rebozo techniques for Labour
Breathing and Sounding for the various stages of Labour
Touch and Massage Pain Relief Techniques.
How and when to transfer in to minimize discomfort and maintain progress.
Positioning for the Second stage.
Navigating the Long, Slow Birth.
Working with Intervention.
Protecting the Hour of Power.
Your Maternal Rights
We will also discuss Interventions and How to Navigate them in order to avoid Birth Trauma

This practical workshop will teach you plenty of really useful birth skills and resources (drawing widely from the yoga, hypnosis, mindfulness and birth education traditions) so that you can move confidently towards a positive experience of the birth of your child and the start of your family.

After the workshop, you will both have a much clearer idea about how the event will unfold and what skills and practices will best serve you when. Your birth partner will have a really good idea about how he/she can best support you mentally, emotionally and practically and you will feel much closer together and bonded by the experience you have shared.

TESTIMONIALS

“My husband says that he would recommend your partner’s class to anyone as it made him realise how important a supportive and informed birthing partner is.” Helena and Will

“Just wanted to say how brilliant the course was last Saturday. Both Steve and I got so much out of it – he was raving about how great it was to anyone who’d listen! Just the perfect balance between the hormone part and the more practical part. We both feel so much more prepared.” Lucia G

“A note to say that the course was absolutely brilliant, thank you so much. It was just what we needed – very practical, informative and a good re-cap for us. I think particularly for the Dads it’s difficult to get focused second time round (done it before, it was fine last time, and the memories fade!), and your course was brilliant for getting us both, particularly Jim, ready for it all.” Lucy M

“Really really really thought your course on Sat was fab. Thank you so much. We both benefitted from it hugely… it was just crammed with wonderful advice and knowledge and experience and practical skills.” Julia and Chris

I just wanted to say how much Tom and I enjoyed the birth workshop with you the other weekend. It was fantastic and we learned so much. Anon

“I wanted to say how much we LOVED the course with you and all we learned there. The experience was incredible for us both to be together focusing on the birth of our baby and Nicholas has not stopped raving about it. He says we learned so much more there than he ever knew, and compares everything else we have done to you and your teaching style and says there is no comparison!”
Nicola P

Thank you so much for leading the Labour of Love workshop yesterday. It was so lovely to be able to involve Chris properly in this pregnancy journey and he came away energised and excited about the birth and full of ideas. We both learned a lot and I now feel much more confident that he’ll give me the support I need. It also reminded me that I will need to communicate clearly throughout the labour – he won’t be able to read my mind! At 29 weeks pregnant, the workshop came at just the right time for us as I begin the third trimester. Now we both can really look forward to the next few months.

“(The Labour of Love workshop) was amazing. So much quality information delivered by you with such ease and wisdom. Much much appreciated and enjoyed by us both.” VW

“Amazing to receive your energy and wisdom today. It was really nice to share the experience with Steph. I loved the way you facilitated us tasing and listening to each other and expressing fears and expectations – so useful.” KR

“A brilliant day and such wisdom and energy from you Nadia. Thank you. We feel more comfortable and excited. ” OS

“Thank you so much for today. We both learned loads and really enjoyed it. Thank you for your positive energy right to the end.”HF

ABOUT NADIA:

Nadia is a YAP registered Senior Teacher who has practiced Yoga for 18 years and taught for 15. She has trained with Birthlight, YogaBirth, Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and the British Wheel of Yoga. Nadia has completed a Sivananda teacher Training and a Teacher Training in Yoga Nidra with Satyananda School of Yoga and Swami Pragyamurthu. Her meditation journey began with Ajhan Sumedo at Amaravati Monastery, and deepened with the Shambala Centre. She has completed many other courses and training in meditation and mindfulness with the British Wheel of Yoga, Kay Baxter and Rupert Spira.

Committed to deepening her own practice on all levels she has studied Yin Yoga more recently with US-based teacher Cyndi Lee, and Norman Blair, and practiced with Susanne Lahusen, Alan Lowen and joined the Embodied Philosophy Program.

Nadia is a trained and Doula-UK approved Birth Doula (since 2010) with over 50 births behind her.

She has also experienced four of her own births.

Sunday 27 March, 2022 : 11 AM-6 PM

VENUE: ONLINE

ONLINE WORKSHOP PRICE: £140 You + Partner/ £70 Single

BOOK WORKSHOP HERE:

I feel privileged and so very lucky to have been able to bring her into the world that way, so thank you for your part in that.

An excellent course. I had a very traumatic first birth. This course with Nadia and the groups support has made me feel confident I can and will have a positive birth experience second time around. It was extremely informative and empowering. Its literally changed my mindset and made me feel able to have a natural and positive birth experience . can’t thank you enough as I genuinely did not think this was possible.

Zoe Attenborough

A hugely satisfying course – much marathon anticipated. Have gained overall insight, empowerment and learned how to control anxiety and fear..

Anon

I dilated from 4-7cm in an hour which is apparently very quick for a first time mum, and used just tens, the pool and gas / air. So far from the elective c-section we assumed we’d have at the start of the pregnancy.

Anon

Amazing course, fantastic preparation for birth and beyond. You’ll be able to face birth confidently. Can’t recommend it enough. And as an extra bonus, you get to meet like-minded local mums to be!

Bea Pascual

I can’t thank Nadia enough for introducing me to mindfulness, not only did I use it every step of the way during labour, but it has helped me in other aspects of my life and especially now with a new baby!”

Anon

“I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the help and advice you gave us. Not only did it help enormously thorough labour (and even now), but I have made such a great group of friends through our meetings who have been a great support, and now this little bundle of joy is more than I could ever have wished for!

It was absolutely fantastic and I only wish we could all meet every week with you and even after all our births too. Everything I learnt on the course has been and will continue to be a huge support also throughout my pregnancy and beyond. However, even more so, the support from our little group of girls, it is invaluable and I cannot thank you enough for that.

Georgina Sims-Stirling

Nadias Mindful Birthing Course felt like a calming, safe haven during my pregnancy. I learnt invaluable calming techniques which saw me through my labour and I use now with my baby on those more fretful days!

Natasha

I participated in Nadia’s pregnancy yoga and her Mindful birthing course. I could not have wished for a better group of Mother’s to spend this journey with, Nadia guided us through so many varied aspects of birth and motherhood and it was so incredible to use her experience during my birth and now in my mothering journey. Nadia has taught me so much and I am so grateful to her for inspiring me and sharing her knowledge. I cannot recommend Nadia’s yoga and mindful birthing course more highly.

Jo Hanks

I would absolutely recommend this course. I have gained vital mental preparation for birth and beyond which I am not sure how else I would have got. I am now excited rather than fearful about the whole thing. And I have learned Meditation and Mindfulness which I love!

A hugely satisfying course – much marathon anticipated. Have gained overall insight, empowerment and learned how to control anxiety and fear..

Anon

Nadia’s mindful birthing course was fantastic. I can’t recommend it enough! After a traumatic first birth it enabled me to put my fears to one side and have an amazing birth experience second time round. A huge thank you!

anon