Power of Support
Susanne is an International Hypnobirthing & Healing coach who specialises in (birth) trauma, PTSD & body issues. She coaches women around the world to heal sexual abuse & trauma as well as prior traumatic births from her home in Aberdeen.
While pregnant, Susanne’s experience of child abuse put her on a different road of care from her team of midwives. This gave her a new mission in life helping women heal wounds from the past. Having been diagnosed with PTSD at 17, she knows firsthand how challenging this healing can be.
Every month, Susanne hosts a free to attend meeting for expecting couples in Aberdeen as she is part of the global Positive Birth Movement. But what is the Positive Birth Movement? And why are these meetings so valuable?
The global Positive Birth Movement believes that every woman deserves a positive birth. But what does this mean?
The Positive Birth Movement is woman-centred and as such respects a woman’s human right to choose where and how she has her baby. A positive birth means a birth in which a woman feels she has freedom of choice, access to accurate information, and that she is in control, powerful and respected. A birth that she approaches, perhaps with some trepidation, but without fear or dread, and that she then goes on to enjoy, and later remember with warmth and pride.
A positive birth does not have to be ‘natural’ or ‘drug free’ – it simply has to be informed from a place of positivity as opposed to fear. There are over 500 ‘real life’ PBM groups around the world. They are completely free to attend and a great place for pregnant women to find information, support and a sense of community.
Why is support important?
Having the right support can make or break your birth experience. But what is right for you as a woman? It may be completely differ from my view, which is absolutely fine! Trust me, normality comes in many different shapes and forms these days. But where do you find positive support? A good place to start would be the directory of the Positive Birth Movement website or join our monthly meetings. Our group is free to attend, just like all the other groups around the world, and we welcome all expectant couples, birth professionals/workers and babies/children.
Together with mums Alexandra and Natalie, we run the group in Aberdeen and Shire and we have a huge range of freely available resources available in our Facebook group and the website to help mums achieve their own positive birth experience. Such as, The 5 Day Positive Birth Challenge, The Positive Birth Video Series and local birth stories written by mums. Of course, any woman is welcome to work with me privately as well and group members get a 25 % discount on my online hypnobirthing course.
What do you talk about?
The group is a great place for ALL pregnant women/couples – regardless of their background, experience or choices – to come together and share experiences, thoughts, feelings and insight about childbirth. Different topics are covered each month – such as ‘Place of Birth’, ‘Birth Rights’, or ‘Dads and Birth’ – and we encourage everyone to listen, share and learn from each other rather than to teach. Positive Birth is about approaching birth realistically, having genuine choice, and feeling empowered by your experience. We have a huge presence on social media too, over 40.000 people follow the PBM on the different social media platforms. It’s a great place to ask questions or just read and share information about the latest trends, evidence and thinking in the world of birth.
Why Join?
We aim to be a helpful part of your pregnancy; a warm and welcoming place to hear stories and ideas, to consider what you really want from your childbirth experience, and to challenge any fears or negative expectations you might have. Plus, based on the feedback we are getting, it really does make a difference in the way women experience their birth.
What if birth doesn’t go as planned and a mum feels her birth was negative?
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee coming to our meetings will allow you to have a positive experience. But we will support you no matter what. Natalie for example had two traumatic births; she has put in a lot of hard work and managed to transform how she feels about it. She has since joined the Positive Birth Movement and has now set up a support group helping mums/mums to be with low mood, Pre- and Post Natal Depression, PTSD and Birth Trauma. So no matter where you are in your journey, there is support available for you.
For more information
We look forward to see you at our next meeting and in our Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/PBMAberdeen/
To find out more about Susanne’s Hypnobirthing Course, free resources and private coaching for past/future births and (birth)trauma support, please visit her website. http://www.grantmethod.com/
For more information on the Positive Birth Movement Aberdeen and Shire group, visit the website http://bit.ly/2bEK9DQ and join the Facebook Group now. https://www.facebook.com/groups/PBMAberdeen/
Natalie’s support group meets in Deeside, find more info on the next meeting https://www.facebook.com/deesidepandas/