having a baby is so expensive!
Yay! You’re pregnant. How exciting! How long before the dread of the expense of having a baby kicks in? Travel systems, cots, nursery furniture, maternity clothes, baby clothes, maternity leave… It’s a LOT to consider. It’s very easy to prioritise physical things over something less tangible like your birth experience. But let’s really unpick the baby costs and think about how necessary a lot of them actually are.
But first, hi! I’m Rhi and I’m a mother of 2 and a fully qualified, award-winning hypnobirthing teacher. My 2 beYOUtiful births were so incredible that I wanted to share the message of hypnobirthing with as many people as I could so here I am now - fully accredited and improving birth outcomes for women across the UK.
Ok, so you’ve visited your nearest John Lewis or Mamas and Papas and been sold on a travel system that costs nearly as much as your first car. It’s beautiful and you cannot wait to be out proudly strolling through the park with your gorgeous baby in the bassinet, holding a coffee and chatting with friends about your respective birth experiences. Does it need to be that exact travel system? Does it need to be brand new? Does it actually have any impact on yours or your baby’s experience? What if I told you that by buying your pram second hand, you could save more than enough to pay for a birth preparation course that will help ensure you’re starting your postpartum journey having had a positive birth experience? My group courses are just £295 and my private courses are £395 and I can assure you that you’ll feel so much better, physically and mentally, pushing a second-hand pram telling your friends all about your dreamy birth, where you were in control of your decisions and stayed calm and confident throughout than pushing one that cost £2,000 and telling them your birth left you feeling disempowered and sad.
I was very excited when I bought this stunning travel system for £400 on GumTree. It saved me over £600 and it was in such excellent condition. It really is worth shopping around.
Facebook marketplace/Gumtree are great places to pick up second hand prams or you might even have someone in your life who wants to gift you theirs. Second-hand prams can be spruced up to look as good as new and whatever pram you have, you’ll still be pushing your gorgeous baby, holding a coffee and chatting with friends. By buying second hand, you’re also being more sustainable - winner. If you’re interested in this, I wrote a blog post about having a sustainable pregnancy and there are lots of great tips in it.
You might be feeling scared about giving birth, you might be trying your hardest not to think about it, focusing instead on the excitement of having baby here and wanting to have everything ready for their arrival. I get it. You can absolutely get everything ready in your home while also getting yourself ready for birth. Did you know that having a positive birth experience has been shown to have a positive impact on your postpartum period? Various studies, including this one conducted in 2021, have shown that ‘a lower level of satisfaction with childbirth was a significant predictor of a higher risk of PPD (Post Partum Depression).’
While I can’t guarantee you a certain birth outcome, I can guarantee you will feel calm, confident and empowered going into your birth. My newly redesigned and restructured courses will teach you techniques for coping mentally with childbirth, tools to help you deal with any unexpected curveballs in your birth experience as well as facts about the various different interventions you will likely be offered so you can make informed decisions about them instead of making a snap decision under pressure. All of these things are going to improve your chances of having a positive birth experience and therefore of having a positive adjustment to life as a new parent. My next group courses are bookable now for just £50 deposit (probably less than that new maternity coat you’ve been eyeing up for the winter months ahead!).
Prioritise your wellbeing. You won’t regret it.
Yours,
Rhi x
