Psychological support during pregnancy and preparation for birth
Pregnancy and preparing to give birth can bring new feelings, questions and changes in how you see yourself. We offer a space to think about your experience, alongside psychological birth preparation and planning.
What might bring you to therapy?
Perhaps you feel as though you have been holding everything together, but keeping that up no longer feels sustainable. You may have noticed changes in yourself, or someone close to you has said they are concerned. You might feel disconnected from yourself or the people around you, without quite knowing how to explain it.
You do not need a diagnosis or a clearly defined problem. Therapy can offer time to notice what is happening, put words to your experience and understand what you need.
A different kind of space to talk
You may already have caring friends, a supportive partner or family who listen. You can value that support and still want something different: a confidential space where you do not need to protect someone else’s feelings, reassure them or work out how much to share.
In therapy, there is time to stay with what you are experiencing, including feelings that seem contradictory or are not yet clear. You do not have to arrive with an explanation, make things sound manageable or reach a solution straight away.
During pregnancy: space for how you are feeling
You may be worried about your baby’s safety, waiting anxiously for a scan, pregnant after loss or finding it difficult to imagine becoming a parent. You might feel low, numb or unlike yourself when others expect you to be excited.
Anxiety, depression and other emotional difficulties can arise during pregnancy as well as after birth. We help you explore what is taking up space in your mind and what support you need now, without pressure to feel a particular way.
Questions about pregnancy
You do not have to wait until after birth to ask for support. Your own feelings and your worries about your baby both belong here.
I’m pregnant and keep worrying about my baby’s safety.
It can be hard to imagine your baby or feel hopeful when fear takes up so much room. You may find yourself searching for reassurance, checking repeatedly or feeling unable to relax. We can help you explore the worry and what makes it stronger, alongside the care you receive from your maternity team.
How do I cope with the anxiety around scans, tests and waiting for results?
Waiting can leave you caught between wanting information and fearing what it might bring. We offer space to talk about uncertainty, what you have been told and how to get through the days around appointments. Your maternity team can answer medical questions; you do not have to manage the emotional weight alone.
I’m pregnant after loss and afraid to feel hopeful.
A new pregnancy does not erase what happened before. You may feel protective of yourself, frightened to make plans or unsettled by other people’s excitement. There is no pressure here to feel positive. We can make room for hope, grief and fear together.
I don’t feel connected to my baby during pregnancy. Is there something wrong with me?
Not feeling the connection you expected is not, by itself, evidence that something is wrong with you or a prediction of how you will feel after birth. Pregnancy can feel unfamiliar, worrying or hard to take in. You can talk about that without being asked to produce a particular feeling.
I’m frightened about birth or whether I’ll cope as a parent.
You may be worried about pain, losing control, a previous experience or how life will change. We can help you put words to those fears and think about the support you need. You do not have to wait until your baby arrives to ask for help.
For concerns about physical symptoms or changes in your baby’s movements, contact your maternity team promptly.
Giving birth: psychological preparation and planning
Giving birth means approaching an experience that cannot be fully known in advance. Even if you have given birth before, this birth may feel different. It can be difficult to imagine the sensations, know how you might respond or work out what would help you feel supported.
We offer psychological birth preparation and planning: a space to explore what birth means to you, what feels uncertain and what you would like to take into the experience. You do not need to have an intense fear of childbirth to benefit from these conversations.
What might birth feel like?
You may wonder about pain, intensity, feeling exposed, needing help or experiencing your body in unfamiliar ways. Labour can involve powerful sensations that change over time, while a planned caesarean brings its own emotional and bodily experience. We can explore what you imagine and what feelings this brings up, helping you identify questions about sensations, procedures and pain relief for your maternity team.
Your body, your mind and a sense of control
Labour involves bodily processes, including contractions, that you cannot simply direct by thinking or trying harder. That can feel reassuring to some people and unsettling to others. You may be used to feeling safer when you can understand, organise or control what happens.
Before deciding on coping strategies, there is room to explore what control means to you. What feels most difficult about not knowing? What helps you feel safe when you need to depend on other people? What would help you feel involved if plans changed?
Breathing, grounding, familiar voices or a quieter environment may help you feel supported within the experience. They cannot guarantee how birth will unfold. You do not have to remain calm, and needing pain relief or medical help is not a failure of preparation. Your choices, consent and need for information still matter.
What could you take into your birth to support you?
We can help you identify personal needs and put them into words for your birth preferences or care plan. For example, if lots of people or several conversations would feel overwhelming, you could ask about limiting unnecessary people in the room and having one person explain things at a time. Your birth partner could know to raise this if you find it difficult to speak.
Other preferences might include being asked before touch, having procedures explained, knowing who is entering the room, choosing music or quiet, or having time to take in information where circumstances allow. These are conversations to have with your maternity team so you understand what can be arranged and what might need to change.
Talking with your partner or chosen birth companion
How will the person supporting you know what you need? Early conversations can help you explore whether you prefer reassurance, practical help, touch, quiet company or space. You might agree a simple phrase or signal for when something feels too much, and discuss how they can help you ask questions.
Your preferences may change during birth. A partner, friend or family member does not need to guess perfectly; it helps if they can listen, check with you and support communication with the maternity team. You can attend preparation sessions on your own or with your chosen birth companion.
Exploring birth options with your maternity team
We can help you think about what different options mean emotionally and prepare questions about place of birth, pain relief, induction, assisted birth or a planned caesarean. Your midwife or obstetrician can explain the options available in your circumstances, their benefits and risks, and any clinical recommendations.
A birth plan can communicate what matters to you while leaving room to revisit decisions. Psychological preparation can support you to ask for explanations, express your preferences and think about what would help if the plan changes.
When fear of childbirth feels overwhelming: tokophobia
For some people, fear of pregnancy or childbirth becomes intense enough to affect everyday life. You may feel panicked by the thought of birth, avoid conversations or appointments, or feel unable to consider pregnancy even though you want a baby.
Primary tokophobia describes severe fear before a first birth; it may have been present long before pregnancy. Secondary tokophobia can develop following a previous distressing or traumatic pregnancy or birth experience.
We offer space to understand the fear, what it connects with and what support would help. This can sit alongside discussions with your maternity team about care and birth options. Support is not about persuading you to accept a particular way of giving birth.
Finding support that fits you
All our clinicians welcome enquiries across the service. We welcome mothers, fathers, partners and grandparents, including people seeking support as individuals. You can name a clinician you would like to work with or ask us to help you choose.
Online therapy is available across the UK. Before beginning, we explain the approach, availability and fees. Psychological birth preparation complements your maternity care; your midwife or obstetrician remains the person to discuss medical advice and recommendations with.
A place to begin.
You do not need to know the name of a therapy or choose a clinician before getting in touch.