Pregnancy
Birth Preparation
The Gentle Birth Method offers a practical and effective week by week programme throughout pregnancy that increases confidence and eliminates fear. It is a 360-degree programme that aims to prepare mothers and fathers for a gentle birth – physically, mentally and emotionally – and helps babies feel safe within the womb. Our programme is suitable for mothers who wish to have a home or hospital birth and also for mothers who plan to give birth by C-section.
The treatments help our mothers to keep light on their feet and maintain high energy levels throughout pregnancy, and importantly help quicker recovery after birth. We aim to give mothers the opportunity to express their natural birthing reflex that is inherent in our genetic code.
We invite you to take a leap of faith and embrace our treatments that assist the amazing and subtle gradual changes that are happening deep within your body and mind. Our method aims to give you an enjoyable pregnancy and a gentle birth.
The birthing reflex is more easily expressed when a mother is mentally conditioned and appropriately prepared physically to give birth.
The best way to get started is by booking a 90 minute personal consultation.
With Gowri: £300
With a Gentle Birth Method Practitioner: £150
When to start? Most GBM mothers start the programme between 16 to 20 weeks of pregnancy. However, mothers can enrol before 16 weeks to ease early pregnancy symptoms like nausea.
Frequency: Your practitioner will guide you through the programme and give you offer the key treatments that you need. The practitioner combines treatments as appropriate to suit your individual needs. For optimum results we have found good results for mothers who have had a minimum of nine treatments. However some of our mothers come every week as they enjoy the treatments and benefit from the nurturing care and emotional support.
Physical preparation
Just as an athlete prepares for a marathon with regular exercise, a pregnant mother needs to prepare in a specific way to give birth.
We recommend food choices and simple nutritional and Ayurvedic supplements during pregnancy (the eating guidelines are available from us and the supplements from our online shop).
Dr Motha has also included in her method, simple and effective treatments which help the mother’s body to become birth-fit including:
Gentle Birth Method Pregnancy Massage with lymphatic drainage using Joseph B. Stephenson’s Creative Healing techniques. The treatment will commence with a lymphatic draining of the upper back and neck areas and then an abdominal toning and drainage and specific treatments on the pancreatic gland that improves digestion and also keeps your blood sugars balanced
Pregnancy Reflexology is also offered alongside the GBM Pregnancy Massage. Pregnancy Reflexology can benefit your whole body, help relieve pregnancy symptoms, reduce stress and induce calm, increase energy levels and cleanse the lymphatic system and the gut
Ayurvedic Full Body Massage can be offered during pregnancy for well being and birth preparation
Bowen technique for pelvic release
Pelvic Dhara - oil poured in a continuous stream over the lower back and sacrum to relax the pelvic muscles
Gentle Birth Method has been developed over many years and each treatment has a different physiological ‘intention’ at each stage of the pregnancy. This means that your practitioners will be focusing on your digestive system or your muscle tone at each stage of your gestation. Our treatments have a physiological effect and can alleviate common conditions during pregnancy (e.g. back-pain, nausea, fluid retention) and to make you birth-fit.. The treatments help to realign joints, and detox your muscles so that they become soft and flexible for birth. The programme aims to give you confidence in your ability to have a relaxed and comfortable birth.
Additional elements of the Gentle Birth Method for physical preparation are:
Pregnancy Yoga with micro-movements for pelvic release offered by Zoom (see below)
Rectal oil micro enema - from 36 weeks - an Ayurvedic technique that reduces oedema around the rectal wall, sedates the pelvic tissues and makes the second stage of labour more comfortable.
Perineal & Vaginal Stretching and Oiling - from 36 weeks - to stretch and soften the lower vaginal tissues, preparing them for the delivery of the baby’s head. The oils help to decongest your cervix from 36 weeks to term, so that your cervix can dilate easily during birthing. Gowri also recommends the use of the Epi-No vaginal balloon.
Tummy Wraps- the Gowri Wrap (Pre and post natal) - from 28 weeks - Help support your uterus and helps the baby to get into the optimal fetal position.
Dr Gowri’s Anti stretch Mark Aromatherapy Belly oil
Mental preparation
Mental preparation for a gentle birth requires the same commitment as physical preparation. Mothers often believe that labour is a painful experience as such, fear and anxiety get lodged in a mother’s mind, which causes her body to tense up, release adrenalin, and leads to a more difficult delivery. Our classes give mothers the opportunity to see that birth can be a gentle, relaxed, comfortable process, where labour is a dance between the mother and her baby, with the body instinctively knowing what to do. The Gentle Birth Method reconditions your mind and body so that you have confidence that your body can give birth, removes the fear of birthing and deepens emotional bonding between mother, father and baby.
Whilst many of the GBM physical treatments also have a beneficial mental and emotional effect, our specific self-hypnosis and visualisation classes are called the Gentle Birth Method Hypnobirth ‘The Gowri Way’. The 4 week classes include:
1. Deep muscle relaxation
2. Self-hypnosis techniques to help you manage the surges of birthing contractions.
3. Developing a way to take your mind away to your ‘Safe Place’
4. Visualisation of a normal pregnancy and birthing experience
5. Fear removal and installing confidence.
6. Birth rehearsals – so that when it comes to your actual birth your body and mind will believe that you have ‘done it all before beautifully’ and it is ‘routine’ and manageable.
The classes also teach – partner’s massage, movements for birth (funny walks, micro yoga movements, Alexander Technique for Pregnancy), breathing techniques, pelvic preparation methods, nutritional advice, etc.
Whilst doing the 4 week class you can further practise your self-hypnosis and visualisation during your weekly Pregnancy Yoga Class that has 30 minutes of GBM Hypnobirth ‘The Gowri Way’ at the end of the yoga class. Pregnancy Yoga is included in the price of the 4 week course.
Gentle Birth Method Hypnobirth ‘The Gowri Way’
4 week live on-line
This is a specially designed course by Dr Motha and her team, who have determined what works over 30 years. This introduces the Mental Preparation part of the Gentle Birth Method and is for couples or mothers who wish to attend by themselves.
Location: Currently online live classes
Time/Dates: Starts of the first Tuesday of every month 6pm - 7.30pm
Price: £350 for the 4 week course and this includes weekly online yoga until birth.
Pregnancy Yoga with Micro Movements for Pelvic Release Classes.
Micro-movements are a totally original way to work with pelvic muscle awareness, gently and easily through deep breathing. These movements release the pelvic ligaments for optimal fetal position and to help engage the baby’s head.
Location: Online live classes
Time: Wednesday 6pm - 7.30pm
Price: £15 per online class (Discount for block bookings)
Note: These weekly classes are included in the cost of the 4-week GBM Hypnobirth ‘The Gowri Way’ classes. (from 20 weeks of pregnancy until birth). Only book these classes separately if you are not signed up to the GBM Hypnobirth ‘The Gowri Way’ classes or would like to start your Pregnancy Yoga earlier than 20 weeks.
