Babies born after the Antenatal Academy's successful first course meet in Bury St Edmunds

Babies born following an antenatal education company’s inaugural course met in Bury St Edmunds on Saturday.

It was the Antenatal Academy’s first reunion event, with the parents of babies born after the March sessions also getting a chance to catch up.

The Antenatal Academy was launched by Debbie Willis and Helen Fortes to offer in-person courses to help parents-to-be to have the birth they want as well as give them practical knowledge for the first few weeks of parenthood.

On Saturday, four of the five couples on the first course – and their babies – were reunited upstairs at Abbeygate Cinema

Debbie said: “We are so pleased as our group had really positive birth experiences with pretty much no interventions.

"All parents felt empowered to make their own decisions, to listen to their own bodies and decide what was best for their bodies and their babies. This meant they felt in control, which makes a massive difference to a labouring mum and birth partner and enabling a positive experience.

"Compare this to the fact that in the UK around 30 per cent choose to have an epidural and induction of labour rates are at around 50 per cent nationally. We often hear about how birth can be traumatic and a negative experience, so it is great to hear our couples had such positive experiences.

"One of the new mums has gone from having a career as a chef to signing up to midwifery training as a result of her experience and the course she took with us.”

Mums and birth professionals Debbie and Helen developed the sessions after realising there was a lack of in-person group antenatal education post-pandemic.

Debbie said: "At Antenatal Academy our aim is to empower and in particular to teach tools and techniques to help parents and parents-to-be make evidence based decisions that are right for them and their baby. I think our first course stats really show this well.”

Debbie is an antenatal educator, birth coach, hypnobirthing practitioner and facilitator of the Bury Positive Birth Group.

Helen is a teacher and experienced birth and post-natal doula, providing emotional and practical support for families; a trained three-step-rewind practitioner and birth educator; is passionate about home birth and helps Debbie to facilitate the local Positive Birth Group.

Antenatal Academy courses are held at the Freedom Church, in Great Barton.

For more information and to book, go to www.antenatalacademy.co.uk

The course is split into six two-hour sessions, covering positive birth; birth environment and birth partner; using your body; how to use your mind to help enable a normal and natural birth; making informed decisions and writing a thorough birth plan; post-natal recovery, feeding nappy changes and bathing, sleep patterns, growth spurts, along with an introduction to baby-wearing.