Behind the Business: Pride and Joy Hypnobirthing
Hello! I’m Caroline and my business is Pride and Joy Hypnobirthing which offers Hypnobirthing and birth preparation classes as well as pregnancy relaxation sessions to parents to be. I support people to go from fearing birth to feeling confident, informed and maybe even dare I say it… excited!
I love supporting people to become fully informed and reframe birth in a positive way. It’s amazing to see the transformation in people. Our birth experiences last a life time! So it’s really important that we are supported to have positive experiences of birth and early parenthood.
I am really passionate about promoting positive parental mental health and attachment, reducing birth trauma and empowering parents to have confidence, self belief and trust in our bodies and in our instincts as parents.
I am based in Bearsden (from home) and have supported people locally as well as much further afield online!
What made you decide to start your business? What advice do you have for anyone thinking of becoming their own boss?
I have always had a real passion for pregnancy and birth as well as fertility and promoting inclusive services. This has meant I’ve also been able to use my experience to provide support and understanding to people coming to pregnancy from different paths such as through fertility treatment or as part of the LGBTQ+ community, areas of work that have always been close to my heart. I continue to enjoy promoting alternative paths to parenthood and the voluntary work I do in this area with Fertility Network Scotland.
Over lockdown I decided to pursue my lifelong passion of training to become a birth worker, completing my Hypnobirthing training with The Little Birth Company and then setting up Pride and Joy Hypnobirthing.
I think lockdown as well as my own personal experience of fertility and pregnancy motivated me to just bite the bullet!
I’d say to anyone thinking of doing the same to go for it! Stepping out of your comfort zone is scary but lead with your passion and you won’t regret it!
How was life in lockdown for you and how did you adapt during this time?
My life in lockdown was generally pretty positive. It allowed me to slow down and refocus both personally and professional on my goals, ultimately pushing me to set up Pride and Joy Hypnobirthing! I think without lockdown I wouldn’t have had the confidence to take the plunge. During lockdown I also planned and had to cancel my wedding - three times..! We eventually got there on the fourth attempt
What trends are you most excited about in your industry at the moment?
I’m loving seeing Hypnobirthing and birth preparation becoming far more mainstream and less taboo. Hypnobirthing needs a PR overhaul but it’s great to see more people interested in it! This make me and other birth workers excited as it means more and more people are recognising the value of preparing for birth and the long term positive outcomes this has.
What does a typical working day look like for you?
I run Pride and Joy Hypnobirthing alongside my day job so I have set days where I can fully indulge in it which I love. I enjoy the control and flexibility this brings me so a typical day for me could be anything from getting stuck into research (books, blogs, articles, podcasts) to delivering and planning classes, checking in with clients, networking with other local businesses or taking part in regular training.
How do you structure work / life / play? Do you find it easy to switch off and if so how?
I’ve had to work hard on managing my boundaries to make sure I’m leaving enough space for myself and family time. Its easy when your work is so interlinked with your personal passion and interests to spend all your free time indulging in it but that can definitely lead to overwhelm and burnout so it’s good to have set boundaries to make sure I can switch off too.
To switch off I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, cooking, baking and walking our dog locally at Kilmardinny Loch.
Please share some of your favourite books, blogs, Instagram accounts.
Right now I’m reading ‘In Your Own Time’ by Dr Sara Wickham who is a hugely experienced midwife, lecturer and researcher who writes on various topics around birth and the maternity system. I’ve also been doing a lot of research into breast/chest feeding so I find Professor Amy Brown’s books, blogs and podcast interviews really informative. She is a professor of maternal and child public health at Swansea University. She researches everything to do with becoming and being a new parent, with a particular focus on infant feeding, mental health and normal baby behaviour. I also find Birth photography really captivating. Its a great way to expose yourself to real birth so I love scrolling birth photographers on Instagram!
Some of my favourite accounts for birth and pregnancy content are -
- aims.org.uk @aims_uk
- sarawickham.com @drsarawickham
- The Midwives Cauldron podcast @themidwivescauldron
- Out with the birth world I’m a big foodie and my go to is always @glasgowfoodgeek for all my local insta food inspiration!
What is your favourite cake and why?
I love cake in all its many wonderful forms… but you really can’t go wrong with a classic Vicky Sponge!
I’m often heard spouting “Let’s go for coffee and cake!” and I hope to really make the most of this soon as I’m just about to finish up for maternity leave myself! Drinking coffee and eating cake, that’s what maternity leave is all about, right..?!
Please share where readers can find you ?
My Instagram is @prideandjoyhypnobirthing. You can get me through my DM’s or by emailing prideandjoyglasgow@gmail.com.
Thanks so much to Cafe Creme for inviting me to share my story as part of the Behind the Business series! I’ve loved learning about other local businesses and it’s such a great way to connect.
See you soon for coffee and cake!