GentleBirth Workshop - with Mary Tighe
We know that when you're pregnant, you have a lot of questions. We also know that you want to feel prepared and empowered for your birth experience.
We're here to help!
We've designed this workshop to answer all your questions about having a positive birth experience and give you the tools you need to create the birth experience YOU want.
This workshop will be taught by co-director of DoulaCare Mary Tighe. Mary was one of the first people ever trained to teach the GentleBirth programme to families, and has been offering workshops since 2010. In this time she has supported hundreds of families on their journey to having a positive birth experience both as a doula and as a GentleBirth and VBAC Instructor.
All the information takes place from the comfort of your own home—via Zoom! So you can soak in the learning while relaxing on your couch!
Are you feeling anxious about your upcoming birth?
Do you want to know more about the different options for your birth?
Are you looking for a support system that will help you through the process?
Are you hoping to have a positive pregnancy and birth experience?
In just 2 days, we'll teach you everything you need to know about how to stack the odds in your favour of having a positive birth and answer all your questions about preparing for your birth and building your confidence. This is one of life’s major events and preparation is key!
The GentleBirth Workshop covers all aspects of childbirth and labour, including:
What happens during a typical labour and birth process?
What hormones help labour - and what hinders.
Signs of labour
When to go to the hospital?
Why your focus matters so much (and how can your birth partner help with that).
How can my birth partner support me through labour?
This birth preparation programme is about removing the fear surrounding birth and replacing it with confidence.
GentleBirth teaches you techniques to manage physically on the day and also prepares you to navigate the maternity care system using practical decision-making tools. It changes the way you think about pregnancy, birth and parenting so you can feel excited about birth and confident in your ability to handle whatever comes your way on the day and those intense weeks of early parenting. It's the 'worry cure for pregnancy'.
Over the 2 days, we will cover
Brain Training for Birth - being mentally prepared for birth is so important. We help prepare you for the birth you want AND give you tools to help if things have to change. Over the 2 days, we discuss hypnobirthing and mindfulness techniques - both of which have been shown to help manage labour. We also look at sports psychology and CBT tools to help you prepare your mind for your big day.
Comfort Measures for Birth - what can you (and your partner do) to help you feel more comfortable during labour. Evidence shows that staying at home as long as you can (once all is well with you and your baby), can lead to fewer interventions and a more positive birth experience, so having ways to make early labour manageable is crucial.
Building your Labour Toolkit - including non-pharmacological and pharmacological pain relief - so you have an abundance of resources to help you manage your labour
Building your Confidence - so you feel able to handle whatever comes your way on the day.
Birth Partner Role: a well-prepared birth partner can be a huge support and asset for you as you labour. Our GentleBirth course has a clearly defined birth partner role. Your job is to be in labour. Their job is everything else. But how do they know what to do? The majority have never been at a birth before - so have no idea what can help and what can hinder. We explain why certain hormones help with labour and why others can hinder - and discuss what they can do to help create a supportive birth environment for you to labour in. Once they know how they can help and that they have a very clear and important role, most birth partners feel excited and confident about how they can help.
Navigating the Maternity System: All the hypnobirthing in the world is not going to be of help if you are not aware of your options and how to navigate your way through the hospital system. Once all is well with you and your baby it is possible to decline interventions if they are not medically necessary. We look at the evidence for common hospital interventions. Are they evidence-based? What are the benefits? Are there risks? And discuss simple ways you can ask questions and get involved in your care in a way that is respectful. We are not anti-intervention (as a doula I have supported many clients and some needed or wanted interventions during their labour), and GentleBirth is about empowering you to choose the birth you want.
Birth Preferences: Build a list of birth preferences for the birth you want as we move through the weekend (and Mary will send you on her template of Birth Preferences and Caesarean Birth Preferences after the workshop)
After the workshop you will continue to have access to Mary’s knowledge and experience up until the birth of your baby: Mary is available via email to answer any queries that may come up for you (though she does not give medical advice - we help you figure out what is the best option for you and your family
All of this for just €175 plus 23% VAT.
TOTAL COST: €215.25
TIMES of WEEKEND WORKSHOPS (JUNE/JULY): SATURDAY 9.30AM - 1.30PM /SUNDAY 9.30AM - 2PM
TIMES OF WEEKLY WORKSHOP (Run over 4 evenings) (OCTOBER): 7.30PM - 9.45 PM
Please note - these sessions are not recorded - you need to be able to attend both days (for weekend workshops), and all evenings (for evening workshops).
What are others saying?
“I found it was very informative. I liked the science and research behind the different techniques and I have a better understanding about the process. I also found the focus on advocating for yourself very empowering and I feel more confident now. I found it was very informative. I liked the science and research behind the different techniques and I have a better understanding about the process. I also found the focus on advocating for yourself very empowering and I feel more confident now.”
“A huge huge thank you to Mary Tighe for running such a fantastic gentle birth workshop this weekend. Covered so much content and I’m left feeling empowered, equipped and excited to give birth! Would really recommend attending one if you can it’s amazing how the workshop contextualise the gentle birth app playlists and offers really practical advice for labour. Feeling like a super woman with the combo of my favourite app tracks and all the learnings from today 💙🥰🤰 ”
“I feel like it gave us a great amount of information without feeling overwhelmed. It was also presented in a calm positive approach”
2023 Dates:
Weekend: 17th/18th June ***** Only 1 place left *****
Weekend: 15th/16th July
Thursday evenings: 5 / 12 / 19 / 26th October
Mary is only teaching a limited number of workshops this year. And places will fill up fast.
SO BOOK YOUR SPOT NOW AND START YOUR JOURNEY TO AN EMPOWERED BIRTH EXPERIENCE
If these dates do not suit but you are interested in taking an Antenatal Workshop with us please add your name below and we can let you know when we are running other courses (Please Note: Mary is only planning to run 3 workshops this year but we do have other doulas who can offer workshops with us)