Learning in luxury

Second-timer, Lara Green, goes to a new-style antenatal class expecting to be a top student. Here she describes why you can never know enough about pregnancy and birth.

Emma and Sonya: the baby gurus

I always thought having a second child would be straightforward. You're relatively clued up on what to expect from labour and birth, understand the purpose of perennial massage oil and are mentally prepared for the lack of sleep that lies ahead.

But having spent a day with the Baby Gurus, I've realised that in actual fact, there is still a lot to learn about the little lovelies that goes beyond the words of wisdom in my dusty old pregnancy books!

The Baby Gurus comprise of two rather lovely Scottish ladies - Sonya, a trained midwife and massage therapist and Emma, an antenatal teacher and Hypnotherapist.

The duo's unique selling point is their 'BabyMooning' weekends - an antenatal education service for parents-to-be who want to learn about labour and birth whilst relaxing at some of Scotland's most luxurious hotels.

I was invited to meet them for a 'taster day' at London's Sanctuary Spa, along with 10 other robe and flip-flop clad mums to be (all sporting different sized bumps).

The day kicked off with a group chat on 'de-mystifying labour' - a useful and eye-opening conversation that allowed us to discuss our experiences/pre-conceptions of labour and birth, any fears we had surrounding B-day and some useful tips on staying relaxed and focused.

We were also given advice on writing a birth plan - a useful tool if you want to maintain a sense of control over your experience, particularly if you've chosen to have your baby in hospital or at a birth centre.

Sonya and Emma's approach is holistically based with a strong emphasis on the benefits of massage and hypnotherapy during labour and birth. Having discussed my experience of epidurals and ventouse, Emma dutifully informed me that 35-40 per cent of women who go for this option of pain relief also have to endure an assisted delivery, a fact that I wasn't aware of when pregnant with Fin and a definite reason for me to try and cope without next time.

She also advised us to swap the couch for a beanbag or birth ball on the run up to labour day. Apparently the leaning forward position encourages the baby to settle in the right place and can help avoid breech positions which can make labour and birth more complicated.

After lunch and a 'sleepy deep relaxation session', I peeled my eyes open and headed down to see Sonya for a session on breastfeeding and baby sleep tips. I found feeding a tad tricky first time round and since I'm hoping to keep it going for a year this time, I was keen to hear what she had to say on the subject.

According to Sonya, successful breastfeeding is all in the positioning and she illustrated her point with some beautiful real-life photographs of a mum feeding her newborn. I found the images carried so much more impact than listening to descriptions and I picked up some genuinely useful tips on how to get started once junior number two comes along.

You can absorb a fair amount of information from a book or your local antenatal class, but there aren't many professionals who will advise you to put cold cabbage leaves in your bra to relieve sore nipples! Their approach is refreshing and the information is delivered in a non-complicated, positive way that gets you genuinely excited about your impending birth.

Other subject areas include the role of your partner, the use of hypnotherapy for a calmer, more controlled labour and what to expect in the weeks with a newborn - from handling siblings to establishing good routines.

The BabyMooning Weekends are packed with presentations, practical skills sessions, talks from other experts in the baby field and lots of splashing around in Sonya's renowned aquanatal classes! Sonya and Emma also like to keep numbers to a minimum which enables you and your partner to get the most out of the information provided with plenty of time to ask questions of your own.

At around £600 per person, a weekend with the gurus doesn't come cheap, but if you can spare the cash, it offers a great opportunity to pick up some key tips and indulge in a bit of quality time with your partner before you go on official baby duty.

Where to next?

Discover the benefits of reflexology during pregnancy