Earlier this year Megan found out she was expecting her second child. Her first birth had been long, laboured and difficult and at points had felt out of control. Her obvious excitement at expecting again was offset by a deep-rooted fear of the birth process, so much so she had already decided on a caesarean birth.
A nagging back issue led her to attend a yoga class, followed by her attending a hypnotherapy and yoga for birth class led by Janine Hurley based in Manchester. Her trauma-sensitive approach allowed Megan to comfortably reclaim trust in her body. “I realised the thought of birth had led to a crippling anxiety and fear, the classes gave me confidence in myself to breathe and find my feet whatever was happening, ” she says. This newfound confidence meant Megan decided to go for a vaginal birth with an open mind in a midwife-led unit. The second birth “…was hard work, but I focused on my breathing and felt powerful and comfortable in my skin.”