top of page

Birth preparation classes

High Quality    |    Expert-Led    |    Evidence- based

The Maternity Collective provides expectant parents with comprehensive antenatal and birth preparation classes in Exeter and the surrounding area, delivered by qualified clinicians practicing in the NHS. 

MIDWIFE 

OBSTETRICIAN

14 HOURS OF EXPERT-LED SESSIONS

HYPNOBIRTHING

INSTRUCTOR

LACTATION

CONSULTANT

NEWBORN SLEEP EXPERT

PAEDIATRICIAN

Whats included?

​The most comprehensive Antenatal and Birth Preparation Courses in Devon: 

​

Community Midwife and Obstetrician

  • Options for place of birth and differences between each

  • Late pregnancy and preparing for birth

  • Signs of labour

  • Coping strategies in early stages of labour

  • When to call/attend for assessment

  • Your options for pain relief during labour and birth

  • Active birth and positions for labour

  • Creating a positive birth experience- breathing, massage and your birth environment

  • Your birth partner's role in labour

  • Normal stages of labour and mechanism of birth

  • Spontaneous Vaginal birth

  • Reasons you might meet an Obstetrician in late pregnancy and birth

  • How to reduce your risk of Complications/Interventions in labour and birth

  • Induction of labour

  • Instrumental/Assisted Vaginal Birth

  • Caesarean Section - Elective and Emergency 

  • How to have a positive birth in any situation

  • Episiotomy and Vaginal Tears

  • Immediate Postnatal Period

  • Discharge home and community follow-up

  • Your physical recovery after birth

  • Pelvic floor exercises 

  • Your emotional wellbeing after birth

  • Separate Birth Partner Sessions

  • Informed Choice, Consent and Empowering you for Birth

  • Understanding all of your options and creating a detailed Birth Preferences for all Births

  • ​Practical baby care, including changing, dressing and bathing

​

Hypnobirthing Content as Standard included throughout the Antenatal Course​ embedded within each session

  • Introduction and benefit to utilising Hypnobirthing techniques 

  • Language and the Mind

  • Removing the Fear from Birth

  • Breathing techniques : Up and Down Breathing

  • Relaxations and Preparing Physically and Emotioanally for Birth

  • Connecting with your baby and birth partner

  • Elements of Hypnobirthing and importance of practice in day-to-day life during pregnancy.

​Detailed Newborn Period Coverage: 

​

Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Newborn Holistic Sleep Coach :​

  • Comprehensive Feeding Sessions - breast and bottle

  • How to establishing breastfeeding and milk supply

  • Positions and Technique

  • Recognising babies cues

  • Identifying if baby is getting enough milk

  • Managing possible issues and tips for success

  • Where to go for help

  • Expressing and pumping

  • Normal Infant Sleep

  • Realistic expectations

  • Settling Infants

  • Coping with night feeds

  • Gentle sleep support without sleep training

​

Paediatrician

  • Baby first aid - managing emergencies such as seizures, choking, resuscitation and what to do if your baby is unconscious

  • Checks on your baby at and soon after birth

  • Your babies development and milestones

  • Immunisations

  • Identifying and recognising if you baby is unwell

  • When to call GP/attend hospital

​

No hidden costs: price includes birth partner, all expert-led sessions, including hypnobirthing and newborn first aid as standard and supplementary course material!

 - also includes access to tmc complete online antenatal course to rewatch videos/content afterwards or in case of missed session (worth £40!!)

course price: £245 

(payable at time of booking)

face to face group course with covid safe business guidelines (see below)

Location : countess wear village hall, school lane, exeter, devon, ex26LB 

​

Thursday 12th November 2020 6:30-8:30pm

Thursday 19th November 2020 6:30-8:30pm

Thursday 26th November 2020 6:30-8:30pm

saturday 5th december 2020 12:00-6pm

Thursday 12th december 2020 6:30-8:30pm

​

Places Extremely limited and on a first come, first served basis

​

For more information or to book, CLICK BELOW TO email :

thematernitycollective@outlook.com

don't live in devon but still want expert-led birth preparation? 

​

Check out our comprehensive online course of 7+ hours of videos

​

We want to provide you with the best quality of antenatal and postnatal care that you and your baby deserve. That's why our courses are taught by a range of specialists to ensure you are always provided with up-to-date information based on real life experience. 

​

Collectively, we have experience in all areas of labour, birth, delivery and newborn care and we don’t mind if you want to choose a homebirth or Elective Caesarean Section or if you would prefer to breast or bottle feed your baby, we just want to help support you in making the right choices for you and your baby. All of our sessions are aimed at ensuring you have the tools to approach parenthood confidently and empowered with knowledge. 

​

Why choose us?

Antenatal classes often focus specifically on normal labour and low risk care however, we want to go further and ensure all types and modes of delivery are covered as unfortunately labour and birth can be unpredictable and it is important you are prepared for every eventuality.

What makes us different?

The antenatal education and class market is an unregulated area, meaning that the information provided to you could be biased and factually incorrect. It is often not uncommon that the person leading the class has not seen a birth or cared for women in labour and may only be a specialist in one particular field of maternity care. This is where The Maternity Collective is special and what sets us apart from the majority of the other antenatal class providers. Take a look at our 'Meet the Team' page for a full description of our individual qualifications and accreditations. 

​

Additionally, unlike other course providers we have designed our course to meet everyone's needs so even if you're not planning a vaginal birth or you've had a baby before and would like more expert advice this time we have a course for you! See below.

​

ARE YOU PLANNING A CAESAREAN AND THEREFORE DON'T NEED LABOUR AND BIRTH CLASSES?

​

HAVE YOU HAD A BABY BEFORE BUT WOULD LIKE SPECIALIST NEWBORN INPUT THIS TIME?

​

We recognise that every woman and pregnancy is different and want to support you whatever your personal situation. As healthcare professionals we recognise that not all women can aim for, or will chose a spontaneous vaginal birth as their preferred mode of delivery, and some women may have been recommended to have a Caesarean or Instrumental Delivery for medical reasons. We want you to still feel able to access  antenatal classes to prepare you for parenthood led by our team of experts. Email us for more information about the specific options for you!

​

Our course is structured to enable parents who wish to undertake specialist newborn classes, led by our Paediatrician, Lactation Consultant and Newborn Sleep Specialist, to still do so with their birth partner.

These sessions are grouped together on a Saturday as a 1 day 'Newborn Masterclass Event' and will be undertaken alongside other couples attending our standard 14 hour expert-led antenatal course program. This will allow you full access to course content and practical sessions without attending full labour and birth program. Women who have had a previous baby but struggled with breastfeeding or difficulty establishing bonding and a sleep routine or even would like to ensure they are equipped with newborn emergency first aid and skills are also welcomed to this event. Some couples, where one partner has had a baby from a previous relationship or there has been a significant age gap between pregnancies may also find this day invaluable in helping rebuild your confidence, rewrite any previous misconceptions and reassure you that you are prepared for your new arrival. Email us for more information about this option.  

​

Covid Secure business guidelines

We understand what a difficult time this is for expectant parents and are fully committed to providing safe antenatal education. We know the importance of meeting other parents and developing long lasting relationships to support each other during the transition into parenthood, especially with the current uncertainty and variation in provision of birth partners at antenatal appointments and pregnancy milestones. We are therefore passionate about creating a safe space for expectant parents to meet and prepare for the birth of their baby and are excited to offer group antenatal classes within current government guidelines . 

​

These are the current Guidelines we will be applying during our Covid Secure Classes:

​

  • Parents will be seated 2 metres apart at all times, therefore class numbers will be reduced to allow enough space between couples throughout all sessions

  • We are only permitting pre-booked parents to attend class to ensure we have the relevant contact details

  • We will ensure thorough cleaning of all hard surfaces between classes and we will sanitise all equipment

  • Teachers and parents will be asked to sanitise hands at the beginning and end of every class and regularly throughout.

  • Parents will need to bring their own equipment, such as a cushions and a yoga mat (Instructions for this will be emailed to you in advance)

  • We will provide individually wrapped refreshments for all parents to enjoy during the classes.

  • Entrance into the building will staggered with hand sanitiser provided at the front door where. Please avoid gathering in reception to maintain distance.

  • We ask parents to arrive in plenty of time and to maintain 2 meter social distancing at all times. 

  • We have booked an hour either side of classes for through cleaning and for parents to depart and arrive avoiding any congestion or crossover with other groups.

  • Door handles will be wiped regularly and we will do what we can to increase air flow throughout and between classes. We are extremely lucky to have a large, well vented community facility. 

  • We will ask parents to wear face coverings on arrival, in communal areas, such as the toilets and on leaving, but these can be removed during sessions once seated. 

​

We hope these measures will help you feel safe. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

​

bottom of page