Category Archives: Pregnancy & Childbirth

Official Hypnobirthing Classes in Norwich with Jackie Heffer-Cooke

Have a Better Birthing Experience with Official Hypnobirthing Classes in Norwich. 

Hypnobirthing in Norfolk and Norwich for a natural pain free birthing experienceHypnobirthing course with Norwich and Norfolk’s Experienced Hypnobirthing Practitioner Jackie Heffer-Cooke, trained with the internationally acclaimed official Hypnobirthing Institute.

Class Start Dates (please book early as classes fill up quickly):

  • Wednesday June 5th – 7pm – 9:30pm. Course now full.
  • Thursday 13th June – 7pm – 9:45pm – with Practitioner Kerry Dolan.
  • Wednesday July 10th:  7pm – 9:30pm
  • Wednesday September 4th – 7pm – 9:30pm

There will also be a new Saturday Hypnobirthing Course, starting in July for 5 weeks with official Hypnobirthing Instructor Kerry Adams, more details here.

Contact reception for more details and future course dates.

Learn techniques to help you have a great and positive birth experience.  Through specific breathing and deep relaxation exercises, HypnoBirthing leads you towards a calm and relaxed birth.  Our aim is to make sure you enter birthing with a feeling of knowledge, control and empowerment so you can enjoy birthing your baby.

For more information on this Norwich hypnobirthing course or to book your place, call today 01603 631900.  Places are limited.

Testimonials from just a few of Jackie’s hypnobirthing clients. Please enquire for more birth stories, or go to Jackie’s therapist page.  

“This course is a brilliant way to get your head around the birthing experience.  It totally prepared me for the big event, which I looked forward to with calm and excitement rather than fear and trepidation. I would suggest BeCalm HypnoBirthing at The Orange Grove Clinic to anyone I knew who was pregnant.  Thank You Jackie!”  Helen and David, Norfolk.
“2 years ago I was dancing to the sound of the sea and piano with John Kemp, breathing successfully through every wave, blowing balloons with each of them, letting them go with the child I imagined to be mine, while walking on the beach. Over a month ago, the piano was replaced by seagulls which pulled each balloon out through a golden thread and made them disappear in the sky. Tonight I will be blowing real ballons for Clervi to enjoy first thing tomorrow morning on her second birthday. THANK YOU so much to Jackie Heffer, our HYPNOBIRTHING consultant, for helping us understand what happens during birth, for teaching me to release my fears, and to trust both my body and my baby to know what to do. I just had to follow the flow. Both births were a wonderful and enjoyable experience“  By Gaelle Kermin, Norwich
“Hypnobirthing classes were a fantastic way to prepare myself, my partner and my baby for birth.  Before the classes the thought of labour was truly frightening, but now I am totally calm, yet excited about experiencing birth for the first time.“  Hannah McDougall, Norwich
“As a first time father, I found the class was invaluable as an insight into what to expect.  The group dynamic was important as it offered me the opportunity to see what the other birth partners were going through and to have the opportunity to share.  A relaxed and informative experience I shall recommend to others“  Laurence Campion, Norwich.
Overall, I’d say the one thing a lot of partners seem to say about childbirth is they feel a bit useless and unable to do anything to help their partner through what is clearly a tough and at times harrowing experience. I don’t think I ever felt this way – and I thank hypno-birthing for this.  For me it was all about us finding shared ways in which we could both relax together throughout the pregnancy. Being the first class we attended it also really helped to get us in the right mind frame for what lay ahead in the months to come.  And when labour began I did feel what I’d learned was able to help Kim through it, the breathing techniques, being the ‘gorilla’, the music, what the MLBU is all about and how to ensure it was as close to the experience we wanted as possible.   Thanks again!  Dave Powles
“We both really do feel that the hypnobirthing techniques we adopted helped us to achieve such a perfect birth and can honestly say that given the opportunity there is nothing about the whole experience that either of us would change.  We hope that other parents and babies continue to have such a positive experience in the hands of hypnobirthing and cannot thank you enough for your part in making our birth story such a positive one.”  Emma, Ian & Elijah.
“Great news, we had a beautiful baby girl on Thursday 26th April.  Emilia Charlotte Elizabeth Woodhead arrived weighing 6lb 6oz!  From arriving at the hospital at 8am I was 7cm dilated and had her at 10.30am. I started surges at 6pm Wednesday night and managed the whole night with relaxation techniques and 2 paracetamol. The midwife who examined me didn’t even believe I was in labour and was going to admit me on to the ward instead of sending me home until she did an internal exam and realised I was 7cm! The surges then came on with greater intensity, but the midwife was fantastic and really understood what I wanted to achieve so was reasurring that what was happening to me was text book and she just left me to it. When it got a bit too much I had some gas and air but again the breathing techniques helped with taking this in. After just 15 minutes and 3 ‘pushes’ Emilia was born.
I cant thank you enough it was just the kind of birth experience that I wanted and i felt in control the whole time. I wouldnt have coped overnight without being able to relax so much, and although my contractions never really got under 6 minutes apart I felt the ones I did have were really effective. Hypnobirthing (plus a great midwife) have made this birth a real achievement, plus have given me some closure on Ewan’s birth”. Warm wishes Jennie, Norwich.

“I’ve practised yoga for years & had heard about the use of hypnotherapy in birthing so when I became pregnant was keen to find ways to help my body manage birthing in a natural way rather than falling into a clinical, medicalised process. From the first of the five classes with Jackie I felt greatly empowered that the knowledge I was gaining there would help me fulfil my wish. 

Jackie is pragmatic, stressing the fact that flexibility is key, birth is unpredictable & sometimes things don’t go to plan, but always inspiring about the benefits of a positive, informed approach & relaxed body and mind.  I feel no fear about the upcoming birth, I am determined to do all I can to empower my body to do it’s job naturally but remarkably I also feel more ready to face alternative outcomes if that should not be possible, knowing that I have the tools and peace of mind to adapt to whatever happens.  I now look forward to this amazing, once in a lifetime experience.  Suzanne

Thought I would drop you a line to let you know our beautiful baby boy, Rudy, was born on Friday 30th Nov at the MLBU. The birth was amazing and a totally different story to my first labour and birth. I attribute this in the main to hypnobirthing!  The MLBU was amazing and we were only there 2 hours before Rudy was born. The staff there were fabulous and it was a wonderful place to give birth.  I was able to go through the whole labour in a calm and focused manner, staying positive and not using any pain relief. I can honestly say that when I was in the pool and at the pushing stage I was so focused, I felt no pain at all. The birth breathing techniques we learnt made this part of the labour a totally empowering experience and so very different to last time. I felt in control of what was happening and not afraid.  So thank you for everything – I got the birth I wanted and Rudy is such a chilled out, relaxed baby.  He is amazing.  Vicky Brooke

Jackie Heffer-Cooke runs Hypnobirthing courses and one-to-one sessions in Norwich throughout the year.   Call us now to find out which course date may suit you best.  Or go to Jackie’s therapist page for more information, birth stories and testimonials.

Labour Acupressure Classes for Natural Pain Relief during Childbirth

Acupressure Classes for pain relief in labour in norwichLabour Acupressure Classes are provided at The Orange Grove Clinic by childbirth specialist, Rebecca Geanty.

This 4 hour labour acupressure course runs over 2 weeks – new course dates Tuesday 4th June and Tuesday 11th June – 7pm – 9pm.  £50 per couple.

These practical classes are designed to provide you and your partner with the tools to be able to administer a natural and effective source of labour pain relief, using acupressure.  The birthing partner will discover how they can be of great use during the birthing process, supporting their loved one and helping to relieve any labour pain.

Testimonial from Previous Course:

“Doug and I attended your acupressure for labour workshop at OGC in September… we ended up having a very fast labour, from waters breaking with only medium strength contractions about an hour before to delivery about 45 mins later going pretty much straight into 2nd stage labour. Once things got started, contractions were very strong very fast!

Doug used the back pressure points and I used the hand/thumb point at the start of each of these contractions and had brilliant results! They instantly took the edge of, reducing ‘pain’ significantly. This then gave me the chance to get my breathing under control which I couldn’t do without the acupressure. We both were relieved and comforted to have something ‘to do’… We both wanted to say thank you and pass on our very positive experience! Please feel free to use any of this as a testimonial for any future courses, we would highly recommend it!”  Amy and Doug (and baby Lily) 

More about Your Acupressure Instructor:  Rebecca Geanty

Rebecca Geanty specialises in pregnancy and childbirth acupuncture and has used these labour acupressure techniques whilst assisting women during childbirth, with a 30-40% reduction in pain.  After witnessing these successful results, midwifes have asked Rebecca to attend this training programme, so that they can learn the techniques of labour acupressure themselves.

During the course Rebecca will take you through the main labour acupressure point locations and functions step by step for:

  • Natural labour induction
  • Pain relief and relaxation
  • Re-starting contractions and failure to progress
  • Helping to descend the baby through the birth canal
  • Reducing bleeding
  • Enhancing milk production

This course is suitable for both hospital, home and water births.  Places are limited so please book early. £50 per couple.

Call 01603 631900 or email reception@theorangegroveclinic.co.uk Or go to our contact page.

Pregnancy Yoga Classes in Norwich – New Courses Starting Soon

New pregnancy yoga classes in Norwich starting soon, with yoga teacher Sally McGregor.  These are small classes with maximum 7 per class.  To book your place please contact us today.   

  • Daytime Pregnancy Yoga Tuesdays 11am – 12:15pm – 6 weeks £50.
  • Daytime Pregnancy Yoga Tuesdays 12:15pm – 1:15pm  6 weeks £50
  • Evening Pregnancy Yoga Tuesdays 7:30pm – 8:45pm. 6 weeks £50.
  • Evening Pregnancy Yoga Thursdays 5:45pm - 7:00pm –  6 weeks – £50.  Starts Thursday January 10th 2013.

Pregnancy Yoga classes at our nurturing Norwich clinic are a time and space for women to gather together, enjoy deep relaxation, learn poses to relieve any pregnancy aches and pains and find encouragement that a positive birthing experience is possible.  In this class, we use the breath to move, focus and relax.  Plus it’s a lovely way to meet other pregnant women.

Classes fill up very quickly. To book your place on our pregnancy yoga course please call Norwich 01603 631900.

This is a small class of maximum 7, which gives you plenty of individual care and attention from our inspiring yoga teacher, Sally McGregor.  Sally may also run other pregnancy courses at our Norwich clinic outside of the times stated above – please enquire for further details. Or go to our contact page.

Active Childbirth Half-Day Workshops

Next Workshop Sat 18th December 2pm

For pregnant women and their partners (or birth partners) from around 34 weeks to due date. Learn positions and techniques that can help get your baby into the best possible position for birth. Map your own pelvis and determine which birthing position is best for your unique pelvic shape and practise positions that can help during all stages of labour

Ran by pregnancy and post-natal yoga specialist – Kate Coulson

£30 per couple including all equipment, handouts and refreshments.

Courses run every 6 weeks on a Sunday.  Please ask at Reception for more details.