Testimonial from Jess about working together towards her second pregnancy

This is a condensed version of Jess' video testimonial that you can watch here

"I had quite a tricky first birth and first postpartum period, and I wasn’t sure that journey was for us again, especially considering the new dynamic of having a young child.

But then, of course, when we decided yes, that is something we want, then we wanted it.

I think the main feelings I was experiencing were two things. One was a lack of control again, which is a bit of a familiar theme for me after my firstborn as well. That was quite quickly apparent to me, but I didn’t really feel like I had the skills in this new context to work on that myself.

And it’s also a lonely journey. I’ve heard other women describe this - even though we all know that lots of people are trying to conceive and it’s not happening straight away, it’s still not something we just talk about over a coffee with a friend. And with family as well, there are expectations in place. It’s quite personal, you don’t want to add pressure, and all these things.

So I was lonely in that context, even though I was talking to my partner about it. And rightly or wrongly, it’s a bit different being the woman. Your partner can empathise, I’m sure, but it just feels a little bit different being the woman.

I did share it with some family, but I think with the best will in the world, they almost don’t take it seriously, even though it’s something you’re experiencing very real and very seriously. Because we’d conceived once, I think there was that expectation that it would just happen again.

You were there completely for me. It was a structured session, which gave a bit of predictability, especially when I felt like I was losing control. The sessions were predictable — we booked them in, they were regular — and I think that really helped. It felt proactive, like I was doing things to help myself feel better and to help the journey.

You were really relaxed but really responsive, and you led the sessions with clear ideas that would be useful for me at that time. But also, some sessions we logged on and I’d just found out that month we hadn’t been successful, and you let me release that and talk. You let me go my own way with that before sometimes bringing it back to a tool that would be useful for the next week or two.

Other times, it was more of an emotional talking session. So there was a balance of listening ear and support, but also practical tools. And all of that together was so different, and much more structured than what you get from family and friends, which is often more like “oh, it’ll just happen”. And that’s not necessarily what you need or want to hear.

I knew you could empathise because of things you’d shared about your own journey, and that really helps. If someone hasn’t been there, that’s a really hard thing to fully understand.

Our sessions made me carve out that time, which I know I wouldn’t have done otherwise. I wouldn’t have prioritised it. But because we had a booked session, it made me think about things and address them. There was almost some accountability — if we’d spoken about things the week before, I wanted to do them because we were meeting again and I wanted to talk about how that was going.

I’m delighted that we did get pregnant! I’m due in early August 2025, and I’m obviously really over the moon. I’ve been feeling rough, but that’s part and parcel.

You really helped us get there. It’s such a whirlwind of emotions and you can easily spiral. You kept me level-headed and gave me the tools I needed. Thank you, really, because we are ever so fortunate that it did happen for us. It was just a matter of waiting a little bit longer, and it really helped me during that time when I didn’t know if it was going to happen.

I can’t recommend you enough. You’ve been so supportive and really helped on my journey. What you offer is so different from what you get from family and friends. You’re so adaptable to what the individual needs. I felt there was no pressure, but at the same time it really helped me along the journey. I can’t thank you enough."

Jess has since welcomed a beautiful baby girl, and I'm so honoured to have been a part of their family's journey! Congratulations!