When we had our first son Eli in 2010 I was 22 years old and Jeremy 26, I'd been a Paediatric nurse for a couple of years and was about to start my second year of midwifery training. Naively, I thought my professional background meant that I knew enough about caring for children and would therefore know how to care for ours - boy, how wrong was I!
Eli was born by Caesarean section and I can distinctively recall the moment he was placed skin to skin on my chest while I was still on the operating table and looking over at Jeremy and saying...what on earth do we do now? If I could wind back time I would have better prepared for the fourth trimester.
The thing is, you can't truly prepare for pregnancy, labour, birth and the fourth trimester - the lived experience won't quite be what you imagined but you can better prepare for it. That's what my fourth trimester workshop does - it's designed to help you better find your footing as you prepare for your motherhood and your parenting journey. It covers everything women before you wished they'd known, it's real life experiences and professional experiences mixed with evidence and the participants who have taken it give it five stars.
I cover the following 10 topics;
- The first few hours + adjusting to new life
- Feeding your baby [breast, bottle, expressing]
- Safe sleep
- Newborn FAQ's
- The baby blues + PND
- Your pelvic floor
- Postpartum Nutrition
- Your postnatal body
- Relationships & parenting
- Must haves for Mum + Baby
The workshop is offered monthly in-person held at Waterford Birth Centre here in Hamilton and it's also available online, meaning you can take this at a time suitable for you and literally from anywhere in the world. Below are just some of the reviews from past participants, their words radiate their experience from taking the workshop and it's my hope reading them inspire you to invest in preparing for the fourth trimester too.
- The fourth trimester workshop is so worth it! As a first-time mum-to-be it was so refreshing to listen to Renata share a realistic take on what those first few months of the parenthood adventure can be like, rather than such a focus being solely on the labour/birth. The informal/intimate setting made engagement really easy and Renata’s genuine passion as well as her nursing/midwifery experience gave me a sense of real trust. I’ve taken away lots of tips and signs to look out for making me feel that much more ready to tackle Mum-life. Thanks so much for seeing the gap in the market for this - loved it! - Julia
- This workshop is everything you need to know postnatally! Renata delivers this course in an easy-to-follow manner with her extensive experience and professional knowledge. Being pregnant second-time-around with a five year age gap between the two kids, I still found this very useful as a refresher and a reality check as to what to expect after birth! Renata excels in everything she does. You will not be disappointed with this course – it will be money well spent! - Sara
- I completed this workshop in the month leading up to the birth of my first child. With so many unknowns with my first baby I found this workshop really powerful and so easy to listen to. I took notes and laughed along. I can see myself going back and reading some of the downloads I took from the workshop plus my handy notes when things are not easy with little baby Dobbs. I feel more prepared, relaxed and at ease. Especially knowing that I have some great resources up my sleeve. Thanks so much for a fabulous workshop, I would highly recommend to other expecting Mums! - Georgia
- I absolutely loved this course! I felt confident going into the 4th trimester afterwards. Renata is very real in her videos which helped me relate to her more. She has done very well designing this course and making it very inclusive to all mothers to be! I also thought the images and digital design were very well done. I highly recommend this course to anyone wanting to gain more confidence and a better understanding about what the 4th trimester entails. I now acknowledge how important the 4th trimester really is - Dani
Perhaps you have questions, some of which might be answered in our FAQ's below;
Can I gift someone a ticket to your Fourth Trimester Workshop?
Yes, please purchase the 'Gift an Online Workshop' or Gift a Face-to-Face Workshop' + we will liaise with you to ensure the recipient accesses the workshop easily
What is the best gestation to attend your Fourth Trimester Workshop?
I recommend coming in your second or third trimester but really whenever suits you is fine. We've had women come in their first trimester + women come postpartum too. What's more important is that you recognise the importance of preparing for the fourth trimester + place priority on finding time to learn
Are the Fourth Trimester Workshops only for first time mums?
No, we have many women attend who have had a baby or babies before. Normally they've decided to come for a refresher or they found some of what we discuss difficult + want to be better prepared
Can I bring my partner to the in-person Fourth Trimester Workshop?
Yes of course! When you come to the Face-to-Face Workshop there is an opportunity to select if you'd like to purchase a singular or couples ticket. Right now we have more women attend without their partners than we do with their partners but you need to do what is best for you, I love it when partners come along too
What's the difference between the Online + Face-to-Face Workshop?
Our online workshop is ideal for those who don't live locally to Hamilton or don't want to attend an in-person session {but I am very friendly}. Some of the reasons people prefer an online workshop are;
- Timing - the timing of our face-to-face sessions don't line up with your availability or you'd prefer to do it in your own time or there's difficulty finding the time that suits both you + your partner
- Location - you may not live in Hamilton where our face-to-face workshop is held
- Bed rest - you may have been put on bedrest for the remainder of your pregnancy, therefore this is a great option
- Comfort - we're not all comfortable in small groups so taking the workshop online from the comfort of your own home may be your preference