How are you meeting the changes in your body and the life-shifts of pregnancy?
If you are pregnant and would love space to reflect honestly on your experiences, you're welcome to join this small group - beginning in May in Redland, Bristol.
Pregnancy isn't just a time of physical change, it's a massive life shift. Often antenatal support focuses so much on the process of birth, that there can be little space to explore the experience of pregnancy - how it feels to grow a new life. The excitement, the nerves, the familiar and the alien - there are hopes and worries wrapped up in this. This course combines small group sessions that focus on the mind and body shifts - it's not therapy but it may feel therapeutic.
Experiences are often not textbook 'glow' (vomit emoji) but they are your reality.
Often there's a lot of advice and drama out there, but not always a landing space for exploration and reflection. Especially in a world where most of us are, if we're honest - living a little out of our bodies (often through work, social media and the general constant forward push of productivity culture). This is a you-shaped cocoon. The group won't be heavy on story-sharing, but will be reflective and have space for journaling personal reflections. Maybe your conception journey has been complex. It might be that you are the first in your friendship group to have a baby. Or that your previous pregnancy or birth experiences have been difficult.
Led by Emilie, an antenatal teacher, trained doula and embodiment coach who's currently writing about the embodied experience of pregnancy and birth - as a guide to help other m/others navigate the bits we don't often get to talk about.
Often we don't go through this experience at the same time as our friendship group, so it can feel a little bit like you're solo, navigating uncharted waters. This group won't replace your people, but some may become them.
These sessions will give you space to feel, reflect and share - both in the group and with some 1-2-1 coaching sessions with Emilie as she brings her 18 years of pregnancy and somatic coaching experience together in a group course for the first time. Becuase this is a new format, which she'll be using to help shape her writing - this is offered on a sliding scale basis with spaces available for those on low-income.
“Emilie helped me feel more in control, less apprehensive and to know what to expect, so I could navigate a calmer way through - knowing how to listen and respond to my body.” - Alice, Bristol
A note from Emilie
If you aren't sure if this is the right thing for you, you're welcome to book in for a chat with me.
Our experience of fertility, past reproductive experiences and social and family stuff all come with us into pregnancy. I know that sometimes it's hard to join a group if you've experienced loss in the past or are having a hard time now.You're welcome to share things in our 1-2-1 sessions that you might not want to say in the wider group. Or not, it's totally up to you and you're very welcome here however you'd like to engage.
If you're currently in therapy or GP around your mental health issues please chat to them about this too. Working with the body can be deep at times, which can be both healing or revealing.I am not a therapist and while we don't plan to be working at depth here that can sometimes happen. I'm available to talk with anyone in the group about what's happening for them and help find additional support if that's what's needed.
More about what I'm writing...
I've been working on gathering elements from my antenatal teaching and embodiment coaching to bring together a guide for pregnancy that looks at the rite of passage that pregnancy is.
My aim is to weave stories into this to reflect the realities of your experiences in a way that goes beyond theory and teaching to help others find their way though pregnancy with kindness and bravery.
Join the May group in Bristol
If you're ready to join, please sign up here. Emilie will be in touch within a couple of days to arrange a quick chat and check in with you.
We start on Wednesday 6th May in Redland, BS6.
7.30pm - 9pm
Cotham Hill - BS6 7JY
5 mins walk from :
Clifton Down train station
bus routes from central Bristol
car park (£3 for 2 hours)
About Emilie
I'm Emilie, a doula, coach, antenatal and yoga teacher with 18 years experience of supporting hundreds of people through pregnancy and birth.
My background combines mind and body approaches - I'm passionate about the biomechanics and the visceral lived experience. I aim for sessions to be trauma informed, accessible and tailored to the group or individual I'm working with.
This group is part of that growing work.
FEDANT registration no . 11387
