Why somatic approaches are helpful...
Somatics or embodiment practices work with our mind and body connections. In pregnancy it's like a way of joining up the hypnobirthing and yoga to your life in a more direct way. Integrating practices so you can tune in rather than zone-out.
Lots of people are disconnected from their bodies through this modern life. And when you're pregnant that can really jar. I believe there's an innate capacity to connect more deeply that's part of the process of growing a baby. We're supposed to be able to notice them, it's part of our personal fetal monitoring system!
Many people I work with don't reguarly listen to themselves - not in a 'woo' way, but in ways that miss the cues of tiredness or hunger.
Our culture encourages us to push through and ignore - so if you've lost connection to that inner voice,
you are not alone.
Pregnancy can be a great time to tune back in, partly because of the louder messages I mentioned earlier, as well as the potential for a better birth experience through that awareness.
- Spoiler -
I am not promising you a perfect birth.
I've supported couples planning home births, hospotal births, planned C-births.
Things do not always go to plan.
There will be no magic wand.
Birth is the original rite of passage partly because it's an unknown path.
Each birth will be different.
What I'd love you to go on this journey with are the right set of tools for you. In my opinion, that's a balance of educational info on how the anatomy and hormones of birth work, a supportive team around you who believe in you, and the self-trust you can develop from things like therapy, coaching and development work.
I will say it clearly now, that having a 'good birth' is not a reflection on being a 'good person'.
Having a good birth can mean...
- That despite things not going to plan A, you're able to take control of what's needed and let go of what wasn't.
- That you were able to stay calmer when faced with choices.
- That you felt empowered to make the choices that felt right for you.
This is not therapy, but many people find it 'theraputic'.
I work in a trauma-sensitive way and have colleagues who I can refer people to should they need a therapist as part of their birth preparation.
Who is it for?
If you are trying to be more holistic and body-aware in the rest of your life this approach will make total sense to you.
Or it might be that you have started looking at courses and are finding that they aren't addressing something that's important to you. Whether that's a trauma-sensitive approach or something that acknowledges neurodiverstiy or your personal past experiences - this kind of tailored coaching could be a good fit.
How do sessions work?
I either see people from the therapy rooms in Bristol, Bath or Frome - or online.
Counterintuitively, a body-centred apprach works really well online.
When people are in their own homes
(likely to be where they spend a good amount of their time in labour or where they choose to birth) they are often more at ease and able to focus on what matters. Even if we are meeting IRL, it can be great to do some at-home sessions are part of your package.
I work with EFT, Embodied Toolkit and hypnobirthing techniques as well as Biomechanics for Birth principles.
When should I start?
Start when you feel ready.
I've had clients contact me in early pregnancy and tentatively begin then. Equally I've worked with people who are weeks away from birthing and they have still benefitted from the practices and recordings.
People have various reasons for wanting to start sooner or later. Please do get in touch of the only thing preventing you from starting is financial. I'm able to offer payment in installments and sometimes have something in the pay-it-forwards pot to help people who need support to access.
About Emilie
Hello!
I'm an embodiment coach atentatal teacher and doula and I've been working with birthing families for over 18 years and with somatic practices for almost a decade.
I love helping people rediscover some of the senses that can feel like the've been lost or burried, that connection inwards that can help us understand ourselves and our relationships more clearly. The body has a language and it's simple to re-lean once we start listening.
If you'd like to talk about what you need please do get in touch - you can send a quick message using the speech bubble on this page, or over on the contact page.
