Birth Prep With Joy

06/12/2025

Your baby’s first 24 hours are a huge transition for them and for you.

There is no one “right” way a newborn behaves.
Some babies feed often.
Some sleep deeply.
Some are alert and curious.
Some are calm and quiet.
Some cry more as they adjust to their new world.

All of these can be normal.

Here are a few things you might not know:

✨ Sleepiness is common, especially after long or medically supported births.
✨ Early feeding is about learning, not performance.
✨ Long, unhurried skin-to-skin does so much for bonding, regulating and feeding.
✨ Newborn reflexes are normal, not signs something is wrong.
✨ Babies communicate through movement, rooting, wriggling + sound.

The first day is about recovery, closeness and getting to know each other.

If you’d like gentle, practical support for birth + the early days,
my January Antenatal Course includes newborn behaviour, feeding, and what really helps.

Check out www.birthprepwithjoy.com/birthandbaby

05/12/2025

If you or someone you know is expecting a baby early next year… I’ve got 3 spaces left in my January antenatal course in Linlithgow.

It’s a small, group and we focus on feeling calmer, confident and genuinely prepared (not overwhelmed!).

✨ Perfect for Feb–April due dates
✨ Local, friendly and evidence-based
✨ 2025 prices held until these last spaces go

If you’d like the info, you can check out the link www.birthprepwithjoy.com/birthandbaby or drop me a message x

05/12/2025

“Pregnancy brain” gets mentioned as a joke but your brain is actually doing something remarkable.

During pregnancy, the brain becomes:
🧠 more emotionally aware
🧠 more tuned into safety & uncertainty
🧠 more focused on bonding
🧠 more sensitive to tone & connection
🧠 a little foggier with memory & decisions

Not because you’re doing anything wrong, but because your brain is reprioritising in ways that support you to nurture, protect and connect with a baby.

Understanding this can help you:
✨ reduce anxiety
✨ soften spirals
✨ stop blaming yourself
✨ feel more in control
✨ navigate early parenthood with more confidence

Inside my Birth Confidence & Emotional Preparation course,
we explore these changes and the tools that help you feel calmer, clearer and more supported.

If you’d like the February details check out: https://www.birthprepwithjoy.com/birth-confidence-course

04/12/2025

I received this beautiful review from parents who attended my antenatal course, and it really captures what these classes are all about:

“Joy gave me the confidence I never would have had to support my newborn son and my wife.”

Their little boy arrived 4 weeks early, bringing unexpected challenges, a hospital stay, and those intense early days of newborn life.

As a partner, he shared how unprepared he felt before the course and how learning practical skills, newborn care, and emotional preparation made those first days feel possible instead of overwhelming.

“From feeding and changing to simply understanding what my wife might feel emotionally… Joy’s classes gave me the confidence I needed....The classes were relaxed, welcoming, and we left with real friendships.”

This is exactly why I teach the way I do - calm, clear, honest support so you feel steadier stepping into birth and the early days of parenthood.

My in person January antenatal course is a small, friendly group where we talk openly, learn practical skills, and build confidence together.

If you’d like the details or want to check availability go to: www.birthprepwithjoy.com/birthandbaby

02/12/2025

Grounding isn’t “woo woo” it’s all neuroscience.

Your senses send constant information to your brain about what’s happening right now. When those signals feel steady (pressure, warmth, slow breathing), your nervous system relaxes, and when your body relaxes, your thoughts often follow.

This is why grounding can help with:
✨ spiralling thoughts
✨ pregnancy anxiety
✨ overwhelm
✨ emotional ups and downs
✨ early motherhood wobbles

Inside my Birth Confidence & Emotional Preparation course,
we explore gentle grounding tools you can use anywhere.
No pressure, no overwhelm, just simple steps that help you feel steadier.

If you'd like the February details, check out: https://www.birthprepwithjoy.com/birth-confidence-course

01/12/2025

Birth works best when you feel safe, supported and unhurried and these five evidence-backed principles can make a meaningful difference to how labour unfolds.

Here’s why they matter:

✨ Feeling safe
Oxytocin flows best when you feel emotionally and physically supported. This hormone drives contractions and makes labour more efficient.

✨ Warmth
Warmth helps muscles soften, reduces tension, and supports comfort and progress.

✨ Movement + position changes
Your pelvis opens differently in each position.
Movement creates space and helps your baby rotate into a helpful position.

✨ Low light
Dim lighting calms your nervous system and reduces adrenaline (which can stall labour).

✨ Reassurance
Kind, steady communication helps your body relax enough to do its job.

✨ Partner support
Birth partners play a crucial role in protecting your space, offering comfort, and helping you stay grounded. They are Guardians of the Oxytocin!

If you’d like birth preparation that is calm, practical and evidence-based, my in person January Antenatal Course covers all of this with time, care and real conversations.

Message me if you’d like the details or want to check availability or go to www.birthprepwithjoy.com/birthandbaby

29/11/2025

Pregnancy brings huge change, and your mind reacts in the only way it knows how: by trying to prepare you.

If your thoughts feel busier, louder or more anxious, you’re not alone. This is a normal response to uncertainty, not a sign you’re “not coping.”

Inside the Birth Confidence & Emotional Preparation for Motherhood course, we use the CALM framework (Clarity • Anxiety Skills • Lived Experience • Mind–Body Tools) to help you:

💚 understand why anxiety shows up
💚 steady your nervous system
💚 reduce spirals
💚 feel clearer, calmer and more supported

If you’d like to learn these tools gently, with a small, friendly group,
my February intake is now open.

Check out: https://www.birthprepwithjoy.com/birth-confidence-course

28/11/2025

My January antenatal course is perfect for you if you want:

✨ relaxed, practical birth preparation
✨ a small, friendly group where you feel seen
✨ clear explanations without pressure
✨ to feel more confident for birth and the early days
✨ honest support, not fluffy positivity

If you want to start 2026 feeling informed + steady, I’d love to have you with us.

Spaces are now open message me with any questions or check out www.birthprepwithjoy.com/birthandbaby to find out more.

27/11/2025

26/11/2025

I’m so proud to share something I’ve wanted to create for a long time: a calm, steady 6-week online course to support you not just in birth but in the emotional transition into motherhood.

When I became a mum, the postnatal period hit me harder than I expected. I struggled. I didn’t enjoy those early months, and I felt completely unprepared for how big the identity shift was.

For a long time, I thought that meant something was wrong with me.

It didn’t. It meant I was going through one of the biggest emotional shifts of my life without the support I needed.

That experience is why I trained as a perinatal therapist, and why I’ve spent 20 years supporting parents with honesty, steadiness and compassion.

This new course brings all of that together.

It’s built around the CALM Framework:
✨ Clarity (understanding emotions + identity shifts)
✨ Anxiety Skills (tools that genuinely help in pregnancy, birth + early days)
✨ Lived Experience (20 years supporting parents through this transition)
✨ Mind–Body Tools (practical grounding + coping strategies)

If you’re pregnant and feeling excited but also anxious, overwhelmed or unsure - this space is for you.

💚 The February CALM group is now open!
DM me anytime if you’d like to ask whether it’s a good fit for you
Check out: https://www.birthprepwithjoy.com/birth-confidence-course

25/11/2025

😊 Get your ‘wiggle on’ for birth.

21/11/2025

Expecting a baby between February and April?
My January Antenatal Course in Linlithgow is now open and November is the best month to book.

✨ Book in November = FREE copy of my favourite birth book
✨ Lock in 2025 pricing before the January increase

Small groups, real support, and birth prep that actually helps you feel calm & confident

Parents tell me they leave each session feeling lighter, clearer and genuinely ready and that makes all the difference.

Want a space? www.birthprepwithjoy.com/birthandbaby