BirthWise Antenatal

24/10/2025

Another couple have just completed their 1:1 Hypnobirthing course where they had 12 hours of private tuition bespoke to them.

We covered everything they needed to know before having a baby in the maternity system here in the UK so that they have the knowledge and tools available to ensure they have a positive birth that is right for them, however that might look.

If you are pregnant and want to learn how to empower yourselves to make decisions that are right for you, and welcome your baby into the world in a confident and positive way, get in touch.

I am taking bookings for private classes.

14/10/2023

There are always lots of decisions to be made in pregnancy (many of which often aren't dressed up as something you have a choice in, but that's a post for another day). What kind of birth do you want? Are vaginal examinations right for you? Is an induction medically necessary? What about those sweeps, what do they do and why are they offered?

To help you make the decisions that are right for you - use your BRAIN.

Ask about the BENEFITS

Find out the RISKS (there are always risks to anything you do)

Seek out the ALTERNATIVES, what are all the options?

Listen to your gut, what is your INTUITION telling you?

And remember, there's always the option to wait and see. You can choose to do NOTHING for the time being. If something changes, you can reassess then.

Whatever your decisions are, they are yours and yours alone. They should be well informed and considered and not a result of coercion or fear.

This is your birth. Make sure it is one where you feel in control of all the choices surrounding it.

Make it your own by getting well informed beforehand.

Come and join one of my courses, there is a full 12 hours of birth education on offer where we go through literally EVERYTHING you need to know about birth.

This is the only course on offer that has been accredited by the Royal College of Midwives and is jam packed full of solid evidence based information on how the maternity services in the UK work, how our incredible bodies labour - the mechanics and the hormones (and everything that affects these), and a full tool box of hypnotherapy techniques to help you along the way.

Get in touch to book your course. I will be so thrilled to help you.

.R.A.I.N

09/10/2023

I'm excited to announce that classes are coming to Desborough.

Now that my children are all off to school I've decided it's time to get back out there and deliver this incredible course to the prospective parents of North Northamptonshire.

The course that I offer is a full breakdown of everything you need to know before embarking on one of the most momentous events you will go through in your lifetime, as well as practical and effective tools you can use on the big day.

A birth itself may just be one day in your life, but the effects of it are far reaching and remain a part of your story forever. This is why it is so important to be well informed before going into it and worth every minute, and pound, you spend investing in it.

If you're expecting a baby, why not get in touch to see what hypnobirthing is all about (trust me, it's not what you think) and see if I can help you prepare for an incredible and empowering birth experience.

My feeling is that you will be glad you did.

Much love
Jessica ☺️

18/08/2022

Over the years, I have shared a number of studies showing that induction increases the chance of caesarean. A 2021 study again reinforced our knowledge in this area.

This is important, because what these studies show is contrary to what many women and families are told.

Many people are told that induction of labour reduces the chance a having a caesarean.

But that’s not what midwives, doctors, birth supporters and others who work in the real world see, though.

In the real world, and in research carried out in real world settings, we see something different.

We see that healthy women are more likely to end up having a caesarean if they have induction of labour. That's compared to going into labour on their own.

It's really important that we don't take evidence at face value. We need to dig deeper and explore what's going on.

We need to understand that just because there's evidence to support an idea, that doesn't mean it's right.

It doesn't mean that there aren't other perspectives.

Most importantly of all, there are pros and cons to everything.

Induction of labour is absolutely the right decision for some woman and families, regardless of an increased chance of caesarean.

And it's absolutely not right for others.

The key is in getting informed, and figuring out what's right for you.

My blog post explains this in depth, and I spell out the numbers. https://www.sarawickham.com/research-updates/induction-increases-caesarean/

I hope you’ll find it useful.

04/07/2022

"Interventions can cause harm as well as good, and the risks and benefits need to be weighed up carefully."

The gut microbiome is SUCH an important issue for long term physical and mental health.

If you have been diagnosed with group strep B in pregnancy, it is entirely your choice if you want to go down the antibiotics route or not, but make it as a fully informed choice and do your research before you decide one way or the other.

“Since the implementation of screening and prophylaxis guidelines for group B streptococcus (GBS) in the early 1990s there has been considerable advancement in scientific knowledge about the gut microbiome and its role in both health and disease processes.

Research assessing early influences during the development of the infant gut microbiome has advanced considerably in the last 15 years. It is now widely accepted that early introduction of antibiotics in infancy is associated with increased risk for illness later in life.” (Garcia 2021).

This is from a review published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health. It looked at antibiotics given to prevent GBS disease and the risks that this poses to babies.

The reviewer found that, “Among vaginally born infants, IAP [antibiotics given in labour to women who are carrying the group B strep bacteria] appears to change the developing microbiome for up to 6 months following exposure. Specifically, IAP alters the microbial counts of the organisms that first colonize the gut, contributing to a decrease in commensal bacteria and a persistence of potentially pathogenic bacteria.” (Garcia 2021)

This confirms the importance of thinking carefully about interventions relating to the screening and prevention of GBS.

Interventions can cause harm as well as good, and the risks and benefits need to be weighed up carefully.

You can see the research study at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jmwh.13245

If you’d like more information on GBS, I have an information hub on my website, and I have also written a book on this topic, Group B Strep Explained.

(Look for the edition with the burgundy colour and the signpost on the front – the UK guidelines have significantly changed and more evidence emerged since I wrote the original, which is why I wrote the new edition in 2019).

To find out more, visit www.sarawickham.com/gbse