Relaxed Parenting

"The only real valuable thing is intuition" Albert Einstein

Welcome to the website of Midwife and Hypnotherapist Eleanor Copp.

I am a Midwife in the NHS and a Hypnotherapist in Private Practice and also work in the voluntary Sector facilitating a baby loss support group.

I have recognized a need that in order to be comfortable and self assured in labour Women have to be confident and well connected to their babies, their Partners and their families in pregnancy.

The ability to enjoy pregnancy, feeling happy, positive and strong is hugely beneficial to babies, not only during their months of development in utero but importantly during labour, birth and as newborns. They need to know they are  loved and will be born into a welcoming environment.

I have gained and developed a specific expertise when working with women and with couples during pregnancy and this is to support them with whatever they need to address or overcome. I have worked extensively with women struggling with anxiety or stress and women choosing VBAC.

I support couples during pregnancy and relationship work is crucial for honesty and openess, and to feel safe and comfortable with one another. For labour and birth to be a success and memorable event  each couple need to share trust and love. I often work with couples who have come together with children from previous relationships and when having a child together usually come up against some difficulties left over from before.

As well as working in the NHS since 1987 I am trained in Hypnotherapy, (2008) specifically a model called solution focus. I integrate all my experience so that I can work with each individual based on their needs.

Benefits of working this way: 
You put aside time for this baby whether its your first or 5th therefore babies
benefit and parents are connected rather than distant.  
You concentrate on how you can have the best birth possible and make good
decisions to ensure that will happen.
You take control over your birth and therefore your experience which lasts for
your lifetime and for your babies lifetime.
You have a clearer more honest relationship with your partner.
You bond better with your baby in pregnancy meaning you always protect your
baby in labour and for birth.
You are not scared or frightened as you realise there is no need to be and
nothing to be terrified of, instead you learn to manage any anxiety you carry
around with you, if you have a bad memeory of a previous birth see Winifred's
testamonial and know that it is part of my work to deal with unhelpful
memories which block  your confidence.
You are calm, peaceful, excited and CONFIDENT.
You gain an understanding of how your body works in labour and what you
need to attend to additionaly to ensure you will have the best birth possible.
If unsure about choosing a VBAC or elective c -section  learn the factors
which ensure you will be successful, and know that making choices based on
a memeory or a fear is not always helpful for this baby.
Realise that when you invest in yourself you will be more confident about
how to you approach the unknown, and the consequences will be beneficial.
Knowing what your baby needs more than anything in that first hour is
priceless and putting that into practice is a life long gift.

I work with:

Any pregnancy related issue 1:1
Run workshops for groups enabling them to understand how to experience a
good birth.
See couples 1:1

I co - train Midwives who wish to gain a better experience and understanding of their work environment and the pressures they face and manage regularly.

I co-founded and run the Taunton Birth Forum

Non –Pregnancy related:

I work with Men and Women who experience anxiety stress, depression and
phobia.

Free introductory sessions are always available - dates below are for birthing enquiries, please ask me and we can arrange a mutually convenient time to meet.

I work in central Taunton. 

Relaxed Parenting  covers the South West: Bristol, Somerset, Devon and Dorset and is the areas specialist for pregnancy, labour, birth and beyond.

You are a midwife, assisting at someone else's birth. Do good without show or fuss. Facilitate what is happening rather than what you think ought to be happening. If you must take the lead, lead so that the mother is helped, yet still free and in charge. When the baby is born, the mother will rightly say: "We did it ourselves!"   The Tao Te Ching

Wonderful  VBAC Story

I've been raving about hypnobirthing to anyone who'll listen since Jan 11th! The midwife who cared for me during my labour was most impressed - she couldn't believe how calm, relaxed and focussed I was - she also didn't believe I was in established labour when I first arrived - and was shocked to discover I was 7-8cm dilated when she examined me!

I don't remember too much about the labour, other than I quite enjoyed it and spent most of it rolling around on a birthing ball! I do remember telling Jess (midwife) I felt the contractions had changed and I was getting an urge to push and she asked me what positions I wanted to try but all I wanted to do was stay where I was and go to sleep! So she knelt beside me and said you are going to have to move soon - the ball is in the way!! Yan found that all quite funny and dared to remove his hand from by bottom which he'd been instructed to rub without stopping, and rubbed my head instead at which point I told him quite firmly to get his hand off my hair and back on my bottom!! (Not a phrase he'll ever hear me say again I don't suppose!) Emi was born, unassisted, after a 9 hour labour and about 30 mins in 2nd stage - she was unbelievably calm when she was born - she was alert and made gurgling, squeaking noises but didn't cry for about 2 days!! She was nearly born in her waters too, Jess accidently broke them as she was crowning.  Yan even managed to cut the cord!!

So, the labour and birth were great - Emi is doing great - she feeds very enthusiastically and has gained 2 1/2 pounds already. She is so calm and relaxed compared to how Kai was as a baby we can't quite believe it!

All in all it has turned out to be a positive experience and we have a beautiful daughter as well! Kai absolutely adores her and has taken to life as a big brother as though he's been doing the job for months!!

So I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart as without your help I don't know where I'd be. Thank you, Winifred.

What Parents Say

"When I gave birth to my first child I was very frightened and out of control, l felt that it shouldn't have been like that and I truly believe it had a knock on effect hindering the bonding process with my baby. When I became pregnant with my second child I wanted the experience to be different. More in touch with my instincts. I therefore attended Eleanor's how to have a brilliant birth 1 day workshop. She showed me various techniques to help me relax and take back control over the whole birthing process. Showing me that birth doesn't have to be traumatic but a wonderful and positive experience." Katie.

"The course gave me a greater understanding of how I can be part of the birthing experience and how I can help make it special and enjoyable. At the birth of my first daughter I felt like a spectator, letting the midwifes and doctors take control. I now feel I have the knowledge to assist my wife, so that the experience is right for us." Ian.
Katie and Ian Barrass , Taunton Somerset

"I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl  naturally in the water and with no pain assistance. Thank you to Eleanor for everything she did for us, her patient guidance, her calm nature and for the way she boosted my confidence, self esteem and belief in my bodies abilities. She listened to my wishes, gave me positive input and allowed me to take my own decisions. Thank you Eleanor, I don't think it wouldhave been the same without your encouragement and I will always feel empowered by the experience and the baby. " Claire Perrott, Hemyock, Devon.

"I don't normally read testimonials and have never written a testimonial before, but I sincerely wish to endorse Eleanor and the hypnobirthing course. Her easy teaching style, calm nature and professionalism took all the worry out of the process leading up to labour. It also helped you face and deal with any issues that might be worrying you, before the baby arrived.

Our baby boy was in a difficult position and without the hypnobirthing I wouldn't have coped. I was able to completely "zone out" (for want of a better word) for hours at a time, without the use of pethidine or an epidural, completely unaware of my surroundings and did not even notice the time pass. I also believe that it helped to keep our baby calm. When he was born, he started to feed within the first hour, he was extremely active and did not seem in the least bit distressed by the process! We were home and starting family life within a few hours or the birth. The first comment, made to us by our friends, was how relaxed and energetic we were, considering that we had just had a baby!

I can't impress upon anyone enough how much this helped. it also meant that my husband was able to relax too and take it all in his stride. Should we be lucky enough to have another baby, we will be calling upon Eleanor again for her services to get us ready for "round two"! Many, many thanks Eleanor" Kate and Graham