Coaching for Pregnancy
Coaching is intended to empower you and is complementary to your work with an OBGYN, Midwife, Doula or GP. As a Wellness Coach and trained Counsellor, I can supply you with the vital information and resources you need to have an empowered journey from pregnancy through to post-partum.
I have been honoured to witness and coach many beautiful pregnant women through their pregnancies from pre-conception through to post-partum (the fourth trimester!).
During my own pregnancy I have my own online birth coach and her knowledge and support was invaluable to me.
Pregnancy
There are so many elements of pregnancy to consider, and where many women fall short (including myself) is in preparation for the experience of pregnancy itself.
We focus (perhaps too heavily) on conception without considering the minefield of information that exists around the experience of pregnancy itself.
Even though there are a whole nine months to wait to meet your baby, everything happens so fast!
Many women become overwhelmed when it comes to how to establish the best outcome for self and baby, especially in early pregnancy when most of the vital organs are forming. Pregnant women might feel that they are playing catch-up as they rally to learn about how nutrition, exercise and emotions affect their health and baby’s development.
There is a vast difference between healthcare and taking care of your wellness. In the first trimester (the most crucial time for the development of your baby) Doctors appointments are often quick and lacking in information. As a newly pregnant mum-to-be, you will often find yourself too busy navigating nausea, fatigue and daily commitments to read the literature available.
Having a wellness coach in the early stages of your pregnancy and can help you to gain a sense of control and to feel empowered when everything around you is changing!
Vital Elements of wellness to consider during pregnancy:
- Nutrition and diet
- Weight management and blood sugar management
- Exercise variations on your routine as well as yoga for strengthening muscles needed for birthing.
- Pelvic floor exercise for smooth delivery and continence after birth
- Mindfulness and Meditation in preparation for a calm birth
- Breathing techniques for a peaceful, controlled birth.
- Preparation for an empowered birth, including birth plan creation.
Birth
Did you know that fear can lead to a delayed, more prolonged labour?
If you believe that birth is going to be painful, you might put yourself through emotional trauma in the build-up and set yourself up to experience what you expect.
Pregnancy can trigger deep-seated fears held within the subconscious mind. The experience of pregnancy can take a person back to our own time spent in the womb. It can also trigger anxiety related to our personal birth experience or the experiences and fears that our mother harboured while we were in the womb. Bringing the reasons for these fears into conscious awareness can allow you to move forward with understanding and acceptance.
Many women fear the pain associated with labour and birth. Kinesiology can help with the management of pain based associations helping to remove the emotionally associated stress making discomfort more manageable on an emotional and physical level.
Kinesiology and other tools can help access the subconscious mind. Integrating statements and affirmations such as ‘giving birth is an enjoyable, easy experience’, help us to both consciously and subconsciously believe that this can be the case.
There is no need to fear birth. Your precious energy during this time is better spent nurturing and nourishing yourself so that your child enters into a world of love, not fear.
The more empowered you feel, the more clearly you will manage fear and make empowered choices leading you into a safer, less scary labour. Coaching is all about empowering you to be in control whatever birthing experience you may have.
Vital Elements of wellness to consider during birth:
- Your preferences for birth and newborn care
- How to manage the stages of labour
- How to manage interventions
- Your support team and their roles
- Environment
Baby
The post-partum period (or 12 weeks after birth) is considered in the wellness profession to be the fourth trimester. It is a time when you need to recover energy and strength so that you can best care for your baby.
Too often in the western world, women are guilted into getting back on their feet and back to work before they are ready. You may be resilient, but, you are also most likely the most vulnerable you have ever been at this time.
Knowing that you have nothing to prove can help you to set healthy boundaries and take care of yourself.
Vital Elements of wellness to consider post-partum:
- Nutrition and diet
- Breastfeeding
- Managing relationships
- Managing babies routine and preferences
- Online support and counselling for moments of overwhelm at home.
Want to know more?
Book in for a free fifteen-minute phone conversation to find out how Wellness Coaching can help you navigate your pregnancy or book your first online Wellness Coaching session now.
Recommended Resources for Pregnant Mammas.
Nutrition
Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols
Preparation
Hypnobirthing Online Course presented by Hypnobirthing Australia
Kristen Ross founded Affinity Wellness in 2007 and since has helped hundreds of clients to unlock their Inner Guidance, Unleash their potential and create lives they love.
With a history in the management of artists. Kristen had the opportunity to help guide the careers of many professional actors and artists, helping others thrive personally and professionally by connecting to their intuition and inner compass, this led her to study healing modalities such as kinesiology and counselling to enhance her work as a soul empowerment guide.
Kristen combines a striking combination of energy healing (kinesiology), counselling, coaching, dreamwork, meditation and yogic medicine practices to tap into the many facets of the self, mind, body and soul and release the layers that block her clients from accessing their intuition and self-love.
She believes that your life is your spiritual practice and that every decision you make is a part of your journey towards peace, power and enlightenment.
Everything you create and achieve comes from your ability to love and accept yourself and to do that you must engage in inner work.
Kristen currently runs a private online practice servicing individuals across Australia, New Zealand and the UK based in Melbourne, Australia.
