Becoming a teacher .....

So you've made the journey to Ipswich (we are not really the end of the earth I promised), found the training rooms, met your group and enjoyed 6 days of 'rotating to dilate' .... lush .... but nows the time to go out on your own, study the anatomy, find yourself mums to be and start to spread the word about your mission!

So how do our trainees feel once they're left the security of our practical training days and set about on their own Daisy Birth revolution. On Friday 6th May 2011  I caught up with Amanda, our teacher for Ilkley, Otley and Harrogate.  amanda finished her practical training days mid January 2011 and began her first term of teaching practise sessions February 2011.  Amanda has been super dedicated with her written work and achieved her final diploma and FEDANT approval last week.  So how is it all going 14 weeks in:-

How does it feel starting out - the nerves must kick in ....

"Well to begin ..... I was nervous, wondering what I was getting into!   But any nerves were just about gone after the first weekend and it's all going well so far.

Harrogate is starting to 'blossom' as the close network of mums is spreading the word about Lazy Daisy, and I'm already getting bookings for my 4th term which starts at the end of June.

My Ilkley term is due to start next week, and I am currently upping the marketing in the area. The Pilates Studio that I'll be holding my classes happens to be situated below Ilkley's 'Happiness Centre', where all kinds of therapists practise, so they are helping to spread the word for me." 

And how have the local birthing Professionals responded to your presence ....

"I've been talking to local GPs, midwives, doulas, breastfeeding counsellors ,all of whom seem to welcome the classes.

I've even met a lady whose story was used in the original 'Birth Matters' book, 25 years ago! She has agreed to come along and do a talk about her birth experiences (all very positive!), so I'm hoping to arrange a bit of an event with some other local birthing professionals for a big publicity drive! Even

The local NCT groups have also been great and happy to hand out my leaflets at their sales."

Do clients travel for your sessions?

"I'm skipping a term for Otley as this is the slow burner at the moment, and ladies seem willing to travel to Ilkley instead for one term. One lady is booking for both Ilkley and Otley, simply because she can't find anything like our classes in the area!

I'm also running a couple of one-to-one sessions for ladies from Otley who want a class in their own homes before they give birth."

And how do mums feel about the sessions?

"All feedback has been fab, and I've even had a big thank you from someone's husband who said it helped him so much too (he didn't attend a couples workshop but his wife kept him up to date with all she had learnt)."

And most importantly ....

"And I'm still loving it!  My little boy (who is 4 this month) points out ladies in the street who he thinks could come to my classes! I need a childsize Daisy Birthing t-shirt!!

Hope all is well with you, and great to hear of so many new teachers".  Amanda x