Why developing trust & confidence is so important: first-time mum Georgie’s birth story at Basingstoke Hospital
- Fiona Wilson - Hypnatal Birthing
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
In this month’s Birth Guide we’re thinking about why fear can have such a big impact mentally and physically when you’re giving birth.
Before becoming pregnant, Georgie never saw herself as particularly maternal, and in her words “felt that birth was just a medical procedure”. Birth felt like something she wanted to bury her head in the sand about and avoid altogether! It certainly wasn’t something she wanted to embrace - that was until she came to my Pregnancy Relaxation sessions in her second trimester; then things started to change.
Facing the Fear of Birth
Like so many pregnant first-time mums, there’s often a lot of fear about giving birth and the unknowns surrounding with it. Georgie viewed birth as a medical event rather than something she could actively prepare for.
But as her pregnancy progressed, she realised that her baby was coming, one way or another! What followed was a journey from fear to confidence - she gained knowledge, support, and learnt how to trust herself to ask questions and make informed decisions.
Grab yourself a cuppa, snuggle up on the sofa and enjoy Georgie’s birth story.
“I didn’t want a birth plan”
“Prior to being pregnant, I never really thought I was that maternal and felt that birth was just a medical procedure. My initial thoughts about giving birth was to somewhat avoid it, but as I progressed, it became apparent that my baby was coming out one of two ways, whether I liked it or not!”
“My husband was a little worried when he asked what would be my birth preferences and I didn’t want anything, because the thought of giving birth actually really scared me!”
One of the topics we covered in our Pregnancy Relaxation sessions together was the one of fear - we discussed what the mums were worried about, where these fears have come from, and how they can try to reframe this into something positive.
When you discuss worries like this in an open and honest space it suddenly makes them feel a lot less daunting!
Why Birth Preparation Changes Everything
Understanding your options
“I took a deep breath and decided that preparation was key, information was power so I read up and learnt about my options. However, it all felt somewhat academic and I recognised that during labour I wasn’t sure how I would actually cope with making decisions while under stress".
"Emotionally, I started to feel more connected and decided that the right way for me was to not have any real plan, but instead to focus on how I would make decisions in the moment".
"I felt confident in understanding physically what needed to happen and why, but more importantly what my options were. I loved the BRAINS acronym I learnt in Fiona’s Pregnancy Relaxation sessions!"
Would you love some calm, supportive time to prepare for birth and connect with other local mums-to-be?
"The pregnancy class I didn't know I needed"
Beautifully quoted by one of my recent mums-to-be who came along during her second pregnancy.
Building Confidence Through Relaxation and Support
The role of pregnancy relaxation and hypnobirthing
The best thing I did was combining Hello and Flow yoga with Fiona’s Pregnancy Relaxation classes. The guided time gave me a moment to breath and connect, because labour and birth is a team effort.
Navigating a long labour and medical interventions
"My actual birth and labour was about 29 hours. I ended up having intervention that I wasn’t sure I’d agree to initially. However, I was proud of myself that even with around 15 medical professionals staring at me and telling me to push, I asked everyone to pause for a minute so I could ask why these interventions were needed as it felt uncontrolled".
"I had excellent care and gave birth to a wonderful healthy little girl in July 2025".
You are more powerful than you think
"I am really glad that I didn’t underestimate the power of my own mind and the number of things that need to come together physically and mentally for birth and labour to happen".
"While I wanted to bury my head, I am glad I didn’t and would encourage any expectant mother to research and read, fear is not your friend!"
Want to replace fear and uncertainty with knowledge, practical tools and confidence? Find out about my upcoming Autumn Antenatal & Hypnobirthing Course (perfect for October - December due dates).
Georgie’s story is such a good reminder that birth prep looks different for everyone. Do you have to write a birth plan? Not if you don't want to (although I highly recommend you have some idea on what you do / don’t want in labour).
Some people want a written up birth plan with what they want in different scenarios, others want to be more flexible but know how to make confident decisions in the moment. Neither is right or wrong, it’s about what feels right for you and your birth partner.
Confidence in birth is about trying to reduce the fear associated around birth. Fear can have a huge impact on your hormones and the physical progress of labour, not to mention how you're feeling mentally, and the likelihood of requiring intervention.
Fear goes hand in hand with adrenaline, the fight or flight hormone that can send you into a panic spiral, so obviously we want to avoid this. Talking about fears and worries can reduce the adrenaline you produce, something we explore in my antenatal & hypnobirthing courses.
Birth preparation isn’t about having the ‘perfect birth plan’ or avoiding every intervention, it’s about understanding your options and trusting yourself to make decisions in the moment. When you reduce fear and feel prepared instead, your confidence soars.
Want to feel confident and informed heading into birth? Book your upcoming Group Antenatal & Hypnobirthing Course, our Autumn cohort starts Friday 18th September and there's a couple of spaces left.
Think Pregnancy Relaxation is more up your street? "The pregnancy class I didn't know I needed" according to one of my recent mums, need I say more?!
Whichever feels right for you, both are designed to help you feel calmer, more confident and supported as you prepare to meet your baby.
I'm here to support you through pregnancy & postpartum.
Speak soon,
Fi x
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