Laura Batten - Hello Baby Brighton

My name is Laura Batten (she/her); I'm mum to Joshua (11) and Martha (5), wife to Leigh and I'm the founder of Hello Baby Brighton. We live in the Preston Park area of Brighton and have done for the last fourteen years. Being beside the sea is such a privilege. There's something about being right on the edge of the land - the sense of freedom, the waves and even the pesky seagulls add character! My pregnancy in 2010 with Joshua was very straightforward and complication-free. I absolutely loved being pregnant and felt carefree and marvelled at my growing bump. My labour, however, was a rollercoaster of stops and starts, and I felt out of control and I didn’t know how to help myself. It ended in the birthing pool - which is what I'd wanted - but looking back (knowing what I know now) I was getting in my own way. I wasn't letting my body do what it needed to do and without realising, contributed to my labour stalling. But in those final two hours in the pool with the most incredible midwife, I felt invincible. I knew immediately that I wanted to do this for other women. I'd never even heard of Hypnobirthing back then, so I originally thought about re-training as a midwife. Since then, sadly, I've experienced the pain of three consecutive miscarriages, and I deeply empathise if you've been through this trauma of any type of loss. How I was treated through one particular journey really cemented my passion of becoming a care-giver who can meaningfully change someone's experience of birth in a positive way. I’d had so much pregnancy and birth trauma and anxiety before I came to Hypnobirthing and I wanted to change that for myself, and for others. In 2017 I gave birth to my daughter, at home in the birthing pool, using Hypnobirthing techniques while my son slept upstairs! It was such a calm and empowering experience and I put it entirely down to my practice during pregnancy, and the mindfulness I used. I can't quite communicate in words how it feels to be able to teach women and couples to be completely empowered and have a birth they feel great about afterwards. So many don't think it's possible; they've had a bad experience before or heard horror stories; generally conditioned through the media and society that birth is painful and long; scared to believe that they're capable of a positive experience of birth. Hello Baby Brighton was founded with a passion to not only work with couples to help change their experience of birth, but also with the goal of continuity of care - something which is quite rare these days. From the moment you say ‘hello baby’ (however you have come to be pregnant or intended parents) to the moment you're holding your baby for the first time, it is the most wonderful and crazy journey of very mixed emotions. My Group and Private Mindful Birth Courses give you the tools you'll need to stay calm and focused, throughout pregnancy and during the birth of your baby and my online monthly Pregnancy Relaxation classes will help you feel grounded and looked after. And of course if you choose me to work alongside you as your Doula, we will have many opportunities together in your pregnancy to prepare you physically and emotionally. I trained in Hypnobirthing back in 2016 and have supported hundreds of couples since. I now teach the Mindful Birth Group course - an incredible 1st-4th-trimester package, which is rooted in mindfulness (and hypnobirthing techniques) but gives you so much more. You can read about them here. I would absolutely love to come alongside you in your pregnancy or new parenthood in one of my courses, classes or services. I feel so strongly about the right antenatal education and the magic of a Doula, that even if you don't choose me, please do choose fantastic pregnancy and birth support - it always, always makes a difference, whatever type of birth you have.