IT WAS the disappointment of many pregnant women they met that made two Hampshire midwives join their force together and run a prenatal course. 

During many years of experience as midwives, Sam Pantlin and Alex Williams met lots of women who wanted to give up on children because their first pregnancy or labour did not go the way they planned it. 

To avoid this happen again, the two midwives who graduated together and are now colleagues at the Princess Ann Hospital in Southampton, decided to found the Naked Midwives and run a prenatal course in the New Forest. 

The course aims to unveil all the different scenarios that pregnant women may come across and get them ready for labour as well as for their new life with their babies. 

Sam, 51, said: “Sometimes things are out of control and don’t go how it was planned and so lots of women feel they failed and we want to inform them. 

"That’s why we are called the Naked Midwives because we’ll tell them everything, including details about situations that women haven’t thought about and make them prepared to every eventuality, especially if they are pregnant for the first time.”

Sam explained that sometimes women set unrealistic expectations and if anything goes away from their plans they experience a feeling of failure. 

“I tell them that they have done their job, they have grown their babies in nine months and there are so many occasions not to have a natural delivery. 

"This is just a small step in their journey with their babies. I don’t want to belittle the moment of labour but it’s a part of a long journey,” Sam said. 

Alex and Sam will hold their courses both at the Bell Inn in Brook and at the Elmers Court in Lymington and will cover several topics including labour expectations. 

Alex, 36, said: “We kept seeing women coming into labour with different expectations of labour.

"They don’t get the correct idea of how hard is going to be and they can still have a good labour but they need to be prepared. 

"We will prepare women on any eventuality and teach them about what’s normal but also what can happen so they will be more prepared and feel empowered.”

Alex explained that if women get worried or feel nervous they can make their labour last longer since this can stop or delay contractions and if labour becomes a traumatising experience for them they are more likely to give up on getting pregnant in the future. 

“This happened more than once in my career. Once a woman had a terrible time at the end of her pregnancy and had to go into the labour ward and she lost control.

"I spoke to her and her partner after and they were absolutely devastated and they decided not to have more children not to go through labour again and this is awful,” Alex said. 

Alex and Sam aim to stop this happen again and will help women to make a birth wish list rather than a plan and give them advice to feel empowered and in control. 

The two midwives will also support birth partners to make them actively involved and will inform couples about how their routine will change with a baby. 

“Women get an envelope with information when they leave the hospital but they are tired and may not see it so we cover it before to make them ready,” Sam said. 

The Naked midwives will also provide postnatal visits. 

“We are encouraging to build a relationship group and are hoping to create a Naked Midwives family which is all about including participants and be in touch with them,” Sam said. 

People can choose a full day followed by half a day course at the Bell Inn in Brook on January 28 or enjoy three evening sessions at the Elmers Court in Lymington next month.

Other classes will be run throughout the year. To book visit http://thenakedmidwives.co.uk.