Welcome to
Hypnobirthing Shetland
Comprehensive antenatal & Hypnobirthing
birth preparation course
Face to face in Shetland and
online
Donna Mouat DipHB (KGH)
About me
All of my classes are relaxed and engaging without any awkward bonding games! I am based in Shetland but all of my courses can be facilitated online via zoom or teams.
Each course is 10-12 hours and split accordingly depending on which course you choose
Don't worry, I won't make you do anything weird, I won't be hypnotising you!
There are a few option available for classes, if you need help to decide what suits you best, I'm happy to discuss. Also if you can’t find dates to work, get in touch
Group Birth Preparation class
May Class (Fridays)
3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th (inc)
2:15-5:152
2 spaces available £219 -updated 12/04/24
July class (intense 2 day course)
Thursday 4th July and Friday 5th July
10.00-1600
2 spaces available £219 - updated 12/04/24
Sep Class (Fridays) *NEW*
6th & 13th, 20th & 27th (inc)
2:15-5:15
4 spaces available £245
Nov Class (Fridays) *NEW*
1st, 8th, 15th & 22nd (inc)
9:15-12:15
4 spaces available £245
Booking is secured with a £50 deposit. (includes space for you & birth partner/s.
Please note that payment by instalment is available
Great opportunity to meet likeminded parents due around the same time whilst preparing for a calm & confident birth.
Birth partner/s are encouraged to attend and included in the cost
C
Birth Preparation class -ONLINE
Intense weekend course
Saturday the 22nd June
Sunday the 23rd June inclusive
1000- 1530 on both days (break for lunch)
Held over zoom
Investment of £195. Booking is secured with a £50 deposit. (includes space for you & birth partner/s.
Please note that payment by instalment is available
Great opportunity to meet likeminded parents due around the same time whilst preparing for a calm & confident birth.
Get warm and cosy in the comfort of your own home (or wherever you may be)
We will meet online. No need to travel but the same chance to meet mum friends.
Birth partner/s are encouraged to attend and included in the cost
Click button below to find out more
Private Birth Preparation class
In person, face to face in Shetland or online. Contact me direct to book
Your choice of online class, or we can meet in person. In the comfort of your own home, or you can come to me
Investment of £395 & booking is secured with a £50 deposit.
Please note that payment by instalment is available
The advantage of a private class is that the sessions are flexible. We will mutually agree dates when you book. This might be particularly useful if you/your partner work a shift rotation. These sessions can be tailored to suit your personal circumstances. (Travel costs may apply)
Private refresher course
In person, face to face in Shetland or online. Contact me direct to book.
Your choice of online class, or we can meet in person. In the comfort of your own home, or you can come to me.
Price on discussion but around £150 Payment is required the week before we meet (travel costs may apply)
You don't have to have done a course with me, but you do need to have previously done hypnobirthing. We will have a quick phone call prior to booking arrangements to establish exactly what you need and how long it will take. Get in touch with me for a quick chat.
Join waiting list
Spaces available
contact to discuss
What do I get?
You will receive:
- Welcome pack including my course notes
- Relaxation & hypnosis tracks to support practice
- Ongoing support from me throughout your entire pregnancy & beyond
- Birth plan guidance and support
- Whatsapp group/private facebook group
- Refreshments (they’re good.....)
- Optional additional refresher session (on discussion)
Birth partner/s are encouraged to attend and included in the cost
All classes include the full antenatal & hypnobirthing programme learn more here
For in person courses you must be based in Shetland
I understand that many people work shift rotations and I will work with you where possible to fit around this. Just contact me and we can discuss the options.
Depending on location, travel costs may apply
What to expect
The classes are super relaxed, and with small numbers (max 4 couples) to keep it personal. Many people make lifelong friends from antenatal classes.
I will take you through a complete antenatal education leaving you feeling prepared, confident & fully informed for all stages of pregnancy, labour & birth. You will be armed with everything you need to navigate the modern maternity system.
The course is packed with evidence based birth information & practical tools & techniques. We will leave no stone unturned when it comes to labour & birth. We cover everything from pain relief options, to birth place choice, hypnobirthing techniques and possible interventions.
Get in touch for an informal discussion
Relaxation & Confidence for Birth
Starting with a drink and informal chat on a chosen topic related to relaxation & confidence for birth & finishing off with a nice long guided relaxation (or 2 if time permits!)
Time and space for you to connect with your baby, away from our busy lives.
For an investment of £12.50 you will get
5 spaces available on each session
Sunday 20th April 2:15 - 3:30
Sunday 19th May 2:15-3:30
- To meet other mums
- Coffee, tea & biscuits
- Dedicated time to connect with your baby
- Discover the benefits of relaxation in pregnancy
- Confidence boosting discussion topics
- Time out for you! Chat, relax & learn
- Guided relaxation
Brunch With The Bump
Sunday 7th April 2024
0930 - 1130
Fjara cafe bar, Lerwick
£28.95
Come along and meet other expectant mums due their baby around the same time
Enjoy some time out just for you, where we can discuss all things pregnancy and birth
We'll enjoy a delicious brunch, fruit juices & hot drinks (all included) followed by a short taster of my antenatal/hypnobirthing course and you'll receive a beautiful gift bag full of pregnancy goodies
*1 cancellation last minute availability*
What is Hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing is birth preparation that we do throughout pregnancy to enable us to have a positive birth experience. It is cleverly designed to release fear and build confidence during pregnancy and birth. It is a complete antenatal education and it’s not nearly as ‘out there’ as you would think.
Unfortunately the name gives the impression of something really alternative, it’s not. We can break the word down into two - hypno & birthing. The hypno part refers to hypnotherapy, not the stage hypnosis you might be imagining, where somebody clicks their fingers and you start clucking like a hen. We use hypnotherapy in two ways, firstly, we teach you how to get into a deep state of relaxation which is the state our body prefers to be in when giving birth. For a lot of us, relaxation doesn’t come naturally so you’ll learn how to easily achieve this. Secondly, we use hypnotherapy in the more traditional sense, like when somebody is working on getting rid of a phobia for example. We aim to eradicate fear and use language to think about birth in a different way. For most of us, birth is a scary prospect. We are conditioned to believe it’s an ordeal we have to go through in order to meet our baby. We use hypnotherapy techniques to try to reframe the way we think about birth.
Then there is the birthing bit, it is a comprehensive antenatal education. You’ll learn the physiology of birth, how the body works and how to work with it. We inform you about all the ‘what ifs’ that may arise, what your options are in pregnancy, labour and birth, and how to make good decisions, feeling confident about the choices we make. We help you learn how to navigate the modern maternity system we find ourselves in. Both things together are what make up the foundations of hypnobirthing.
Some common misconceptions - Hypnobirthing is not:
- A method of pain relief
- A drug free birth (although for many people who practice hypnobirthing this is true for them)
- Just a bunch of tools & techniques
- Being hypnotised
- A type of birth
Is Hypnobirthing for me
Hypnobirthing can help you to have a positive birth experience whether you're a first time mum, or having your sixth baby. Many people think hypnobirthing is a drug free, natural, water birth. Hypnobirthing isn’t a type of birth, it's the preparation you do to have a positive experience no matter what sort of birth you end up having. You can use it to prepare for any birth from completely natural to a planned or unplanned caesarean and everything in between. You will be armed with all the knowledge and tools required to achieve the birth that is right for you. So whether you’re feeling nervous from horror stories you’ve heard or seen on TV, or you’ve had a difficult experience yourself, or maybe you’re just keen to find out how to make birth the most positive experience, then hypnobirthing is a great place to start.
Still sceptical? So was I. When I looked into hypnobirthing with my first baby, my thoughts were ‘I am just going to see what happens and keep an open mind, but I’ll give this a go because it can’t hurt.’ Once I had completed my course, my thoughts were completely transformed. I was actually excited about giving birth. I told anybody who would listen about hypnobirthing. I couldn’t understand why everybody didn’t know this stuff. Let me help you to feel the same. I will get you to a place where you will feel calm and excited about the prospect of giving birth.
Session1
What is hypnobirthing? – the logic
- Addressing fears/worries and what you want to achieve
- Hypnotherapy and how we use it in birth preparation
- How the mind works
- The science - how the body works during labour and birth
- The impact of the birthing environment
- The effects of being observed
- The effects of fear on your birthing experience
Session 2
Techniques
- Breathing techniques
- Relaxations for pregnancy and birth
- Physical preparation – perineal massage, pelvic floor exercises
- Preventative tearing
- Positions for birth
- Breach babies/back to back babies
Session 3
Be prepared - The 'whatifs'
- Due dates
- Sweeps/induction
- Caesarean section
- What are my choices?
- How can I get the birth I want and that’s right for me?
- How to deal with pressures and stress
- Birth place choices
- The role of the birth partner
- Birth plan
- What to expect from labour and how it unfolds
Session 4
The birth
- First stage
- Second stage
- Breathing your baby down
- The ‘golden hour’
- Skin to skin and the microbiome
- Optimal cord care
- Infant feeding
- Birthing the placenta
- Where to get ongoing support
Don’t just take my word for it!
Absolutely loved the sessions!! Not only were they so relaxing, but also loved going through a different topic briefly each week. Ideal for anyone familiar with hypnobirthing eg. from a previous pregnancy, but looking for a bit of a refresher. Donna is so friendly and approachable and I very quickly felt at ease and able to speak to her Her voice is also so calming making the relaxations so easy to slip into Can’t recommend these classes enough, so pleased I did them.
Ellyn
June 2023
Despite having a pretty straight forward labour with my 1st, nearing the end of my 2nd pregnancy, I started to dread the labour & feared the pain I was going to be in.
I spoke to Donna who said she would go through her course with me. I had done a bit of hypnobirthing online during my 1st pregnancy so had a rough idea but the content in which Donna shared with me really gave the me knowledge and confidence to go into labour feeling like 'I could do this'.
My 2nd birth was very different from the 1st, ending with an induction at twelve days over my due date. Despite saying throughout my whole pregnancy the one thing I didn’t want to happen was to be induced, I feel as though it was a very positive experience & Donna definitely contributed to that. I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and felt like wow I wish I could do that again.
Leigh
February 2023
I didn’t even consider hypnobirthing with my 1st because I was so determined to get an epidural. I went in so oblivious & paid for it! I didn’t really know how bad it was until I decided to do a hypnobirthing course when I was pregnant with baby number 2 Thinking about all the principles of hypnobirthing & then relating them back to what happened 1st time, really made it make sense! I was on my back & was just so panicked. I actually had completely different birth experiences & it was all down to me doing hypnobirthing so I’m a huge advocate. That’s just from me doing a bit of online reading so I can only imagine the positive impact you’re going to have on your mams!
Hypnobirthing mum
August 2023
Donna is a fountain of knowlege when it comes to preparing you for having your baby. If you'd like to build your understanding of birth and work towards having a really positive labour, I would highly recommend attending her offerings.
Relaxation classes June 2023
Krissi
June 2023
Don’t just take my word for it!
Thank you for everything Donna, genuinely made the absolute world of difference to this labour and birth, in the build up and the actual day. Sad that I’m not pregnant anymore and can’t attend any of your wonderful classes 😂 xxx
Despite my labour not going entirely to plan, thanks to your hypnobirthing I’m not the least bit traumatised. I’m doing great and the Doctors and surgeons were baffled how I was totally fine after it all!
Hypnobirthing mum
February 2024
If you’d asked me at the beginning of my pregnancy I would have chosen a section without hesitation. My current ‘plan’ is medication free and that’s just because of those 2 classes I did. Completely changed my mindset.
Positive Birth Workshop mum
January 2024
Contact me
Email Address
About me
Hi, I’m Donna. I’m a busy mum of two and a fully qualified hypnobirthing and antenatal teacher.
I am married to a fisherman, we have a five year old daughter and three year old son. We love getting outside and exploring and in the summer time we enjoy spending time together in our caravan. As well as teaching hypnobirthing, I work very part time for the NHS. When I’m not doing that, I look after our sheep! I have had two very positive birth experiences thanks to hypnobirthing and I am passionate about helping others achieve the same.
Birth can, and should be a wonderful experience that we can look back on forever, and would happily relive over and over again. I want you to feel relaxed, calm, confident and excited about birth! It really is possible! I qualified with KG Hypnobirthing which is the original UK hypnobirthing course and is accredited by the Royal College of Midwives. It is considered the gold standard of hypnobirthing teaching.
Society seems to have this acceptance that labour and birth is horrific, and something we just have to get on with. ‘All that matters is that the baby is healthy’. For those of you reading this, who know there must be more to it than that, are in the right place. You know that ‘horrific’ or ‘bearable’ isn’t good enough. I want to show you something transformative. I want you to have an experience that you would happily relive over and over again. Your birth will stay with you forever!
Free stuff
Full guide on preventative tearing
Would you like to download a FREE copy of my preventative tearing guide? It includes what happens if you do tear, and 8 ways to help prevent/reduce severity of tearing
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