As I prepare for my second baby's birth, I naturally reflect on my first pregnancy back in 2018 and the things that I wish I had done differently.

Knowing what I know now, as a hypnobirthing teacher of almost 5 years but also as a Mum to a 5 year old, there is so much that I will be doing differently during this pregnancy.

I don’t look back on my first pregnancy with regret but I do look back in hindsight and sometimes wish that I had known more or done things differently but they say that life is a learning curve and I sure did learn a lot from my first pregnancy.

I want to share this with you because we can learn so much from those who have done it before.

I did some of the trial and error and my experience might help you with your own preparation for birth and parenthood.

Things that I will do differently during my second pregnancy:

1/ Start practising hypnobirthing earlier - In fact, I’ve been using my techniques since the nausea passed, especially in the run up to our 20 week scan when I was feeling very anxious. I didn’t realise back in 2018 that the hypnobirthing techniques could be so useful during pregnancy too so we didn’t attend a course until my third trimester. I’m so pleased that I have the tools earlier this time to help me with some of the pregnancy anxiety I have experienced.

2/ Document my pregnancy journey - I have precisely 3 pictures of myself from my first pregnancy and I massively regret it. I’ve taken loads of bump pictures this time around (even if I do feel a bit awkward doing it) and I post updates on how I’m feeling (like the one below) over on my Instagram page, I know I will thank myself in years to come for doing this. Take the picture.

3/ Spend more time bonding with my baby before birth - There are so many ways to start bonding with your baby whilst they are still in the womb. I left it a bit too late to do this last pregnancy but I know good it was for me to develop this connection before labour. Here’s a blog post I did on how I bonded with my baby before she arrived:

4/ Invest in the postnatal period - I didn’t prepare for the weeks after birth and struggled to adapt to parenthood, I mean I froze some meals but that was about it. I won’t be making that mistake again, there’s lots that I will be doing differently this time round that I will share as a blog post soon but for now, here are a couple of books that I have read already to help me transition to motherhood again:

Why postnatal recovery matters

The first forty days

The little book of self care for new mum’s

Top tip - read the postnatal books now during pregnancy rather than once the baby has arrived

5/ Attend weekly pilates classes - I did this during my first pregnancy and I’m certain that alongside hypnobirthing, these 2 things were vital in helping prepare my mind and body for labour. I’ve been attending pilates classes since 13 weeks of pregnancy this time around and I hope to be able to continue attending until I go into labour.

6/ Tell people the wrong due date - I have a confession to make, I’ve lied about my due date. I don’t want to receive any pressure from anyone if I go past my due date so I’ve actually given a later date than what my NHS scan gave me. This means that if I do go beyond the date of my scans (which I am happy to do so), no one will be any the wiser and I won’t get lots of text messages and phone calls asking if baby is here yet.

7/ Book placenta encapsulation - It’s not for everyone, I know but after doing plenty of research, I have decided to have my placenta encapsulated. You can find out more about the benefits of placenta encapsulation in the blog post that I wrote here:

8/ Eat dates and drink raspberry leaf tea - I never got round to doing this last time but there has been some evidence produced to suggest that both eating dates and drinking raspberry leaf tea can be beneficial for labour. So, I will be giving it a go this time round. You can find out more about the strength of raspberry leaf tea here. Please check with your midwife first before consuming either of these products.

9/ Start maternity leave sooner - I finished work on the Friday and went into labour on the Monday, talk about not messing around. I really want to have some time to myself before our little bundle of joy arrives, so I will be starting maternity leave sooner this. I know I am very fortunate to be able to do this but if you can take a few weeks off before your due date, it might be worthwhile.

10/ Plan a home birth - Again this isn’t everyone’s choice and please don’t think that my courses are all about home birth, they really aren’t but personally I have decided to plan for a home birth this time around. For various reasons, which I will share in more depth soon, I have made the decision that a home birth will be the right thing for me and my baby. Keep your eyes peeled for more on this soon.

So, there you have it, 10 things that I will be doing during this pregnancy that I did necessarily do during my first pregnancy. Please remember that we are all different and that you might do the exact opposite to me, that’s absolutely fine, this is just my experience.

To find out more about how hypnobirthing can help you prepare for your upcoming birth, watch my free introduction to hypnobirthing video below:

Hannah xx

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• Studies referenced:

  Lycett A. Hypnosis during pregnancy and birth: The science and clinical applications explained. [Lecture] Royal Society of Medicine, 2012.

• Gallagher S. Hypnosis for childbirth: prenatal education and birth outcome. Unpublished 2001.