birth preparation classes

"We thought you did an amazing job--ridiculously well-informed, totally supportive, helpful, and non-judgmental, and entertaining to boot!"

after running groups for the NCT for many years i'll now be offering something similar independently. we'll meet together for 6 weeks (one evening a week) gaining skills in relaxation for childbirth (hypnobirthing) but also looking at evidence-based information for making choices that suit you during the birth process. space is given to explore the emotional and practical issues that are important to you and an opportunity to make a whole bunch of new friends going through the same journey at the same time.

couples welcome, come alone or come with a friend. we'll meet one evening a week for 6 weeks. ongoing support is available to all the families who take part.

the entire course cost is £150- which is run in my home in shandon, edinburgh. i've tried to keep the costs down and it is certainly cheaper than completing an NCT and hypnobirthing course seperately. if however, you have any difficulties in making the cost please do get in touch as a plan can often be made - this course is accessible to all regardless of the capacity to pay.

booking now - places limited to 6 couples every group so please get in touch asap to register your interest or book. it's also possible to book one-to-one sessions. you can email nicolagoodall@gmail.com or call 07743639508 to book.

please see below what other parents have thought about their time in my groups.

"we left the course feeling elevated and excited about our upcoming birth. it was so refreshing to learn in an adult environment that a birth does not have to be a scary experience. nicola created a very open environment, whereby even the most shy persons in the class, spoke openly and confidently of their concerns and ideas for childbirth and caring for a newborn. nicola followed a structured approach, without it being a formal class type scenario. going into class i personally had a long list of birth plan topics that i hoped would be discussed, and by sunday night each and every one of the topics had been thoroughly addressed. that nicola has had 4 children of her own and still did not lecture or push into one option or another was incredibly empowering. we were provided all the options and encouraged to be well informed in order to make our own decisions, based on our own circumstances. no question was a stupid question and equally she dealt with very challenging questions in a kind and non-confrontational manner. men were given equal attention to the women, which my husband very much appreciated, as he left with his questions answers and concerns alleviated. nicola is a kind, approachable and incredibly knowledgeable teacher...."

"Just wanted to say a quick thank you for the course at the weekend.

Both Joe and I were a little nervous of how we would find it, hearing a few horror stories of the militant NCT instructor!

You were great- informative, balanced and it was really interesting. We both felt more prepared and really excited."

"Just a quick note to say many thanks for such a well informed course and for all your helpful tips !"

"I've been meaning to email you all week to say a huge thank you for your help and support over the last couple of weeks. You certainly made the antenatal classes more enjoyable, informative and fun than we ever imagined they would be!"

"we both really enjoyed your classes and feel as prepared as possible for baby to come along"

"we both found the course really useful and it really helped me focus on what i wanted from the birth - and really believe that it had a big part to play in the birth pretty much following my birth plan"

"i wanted to say thanks for the great course on saturday. i found it very helpful and reassuring - i'm really glad i attended the class as it was a great experience and very helpful. thanks again for running such a great session and all the information (i put some of it into practice today at the hospital to great effect!)"

"my husband and i really enjoyed our weekend with you. made him really start to think about the process which was fab and not fear it so much."

"thank you so much for today. i found it really positive and really helpful. we left feeling totally excited and prepped. thanks so much for making it such an informative and brilliant day, we loved your open and honest approach!"

"the birth didn't go to plan at all - but actually i was still really happy with where we ended up. we had previously discussed quite a lot of the issues that came up and therefore felt a little more in control and were happy with the decisions that were taken on the night. the classes were really helpful in that regard."

"thanks for everything - your astonishing array of knowledge and depth of experience really made the course fantastic."

"thanks really enjoyed the course and got tons out of it, would recommend you to anyone!!"

"....it cheered me up no end to hear someone be really positive about the fact i was about to be induced and for all your help in the build up to our babys arrival....you have been a great help, and a lot of knowledge was there in my confused head to make choices at the relevant times..."

"we really enjoyed the class"

"so informative and enjoyable"

"i thought it was good and informative and thought nicola was great"

"thank you again for your time and words of wisdom over the weekend - we really got a lot out of the sessions and are now feeling a lot more relaxed and confident about the arrival of our little one in a few weeks time!"

"the course was really useful - my partner knew how i felt about a few things and so was able to be a great support on the day despite my not having had a chance to put my birth plan in writing"

"thanks nicola for advice at classes, which certainly helped focus the mind"

"the classes we attended in the autumn made such a difference to us. as a direct result of the confidence we gained through them we decided to have a homebirth and had a wonderfully successful delivery under our christmas tree on new years eve"

"just wanted to say a big thankyou for arranging a great course for us at the weekend. we got so much from it and feel really positive about the impending birth and new arrival now we have so much more information. the positivity has started to replace some of the fear, which can only be a good thing!"

"we wanted to thank you for being such a good course leader! we got a lot out of it!"

"nicola, the course was great! so many things we were not aware of and so many new things to (re)consider"

"thanks for all the great advice and support on the course, both of us found it really useful and it certainly led us to having the kind of birth we were hoping for"

"it was a really nice course, thank you for all the information, also for making it such a nice atmosphere"

"our group kept in touch and met up regularly in the early months which was a great support network"

"we really loved the class you ran and found it very helpful and a strong contributor to our great birth experience"

"i've been meaning to get back to you to say a big thank you for the way you ran the class. i was expecting to be bored stiff and quite uninterested, but because of your style and approach i was quite the opposite, so a big thank you for this. i would heartily recommend it and you to anyone."