I’ll be honest, I was juggling a million other things and I didn’t get to watch any of the London Marathon this year. But you cannot possibly avoid it. It’s everywhere. The beautiful videos, the beautiful posts, the amazing photos. Somebody ran it with a big fridge on his back, raising awareness for something his family are going through. So many incredible people, they are all incredible for taking part.

But what I really want to talk about are the two people who ran it in under two hours. They’re particularly amazing. And it just reminded me of something I talk about in my prenatal sessions – Roger Bannister running the four minute mile, and how that changed everything. Because he knew it was possible. He felt it. Even though he didn’t tangibly know it, because nobody had done it yet, he felt it. So he prepared for it. He trained for it mentally, physically, and then he did it. He was the first person to run a mile in less than four minutes, and what happened after this? Other people began to achieve that too!

So how is this relevant to you giving birth?

This is precisely why I always tell you to surround yourself with positive birth stories. Birth story osmosis. Because once we know something is possible, we start to believe it could be possible for us as well. And when the brain gets an idea, it starts looking for confirmation.

This is why I share my birth stories too. If you don’t already know, I’ve had three babies and for my second baby, I had my dream birth which was both healing and redemptive after a traumatic first birth experience. I didn’t feel pain. I felt intensity, and I breathed him out. It was an incredible, life-changing experience that was so powerful and will stay with me forever. And I tell you that because I want you to know that that’s possible.

If you are planning or even considering a home birth, and are based in West Yorkshire, come and join our home birth community. We support each other. We share birth stories. We share our real life experiences of what it’s like to plan a home birth.

If you are planning a birth centre or hospital birth, seek out the stories you can relate to. The ones that sound like your dream birth. The seamless ones, the empowering ones, the ones that feel like what you are hoping for.

This is why I ask every client, right at the very beginning of us working together, to write their dream birth story. So we know straight away what is in your heart. And I believe there wouldn’t be that dream in your heart if it wasn’t for a reason. If it wasn’t possible for you to aim for, and achieve, that.

And you know what they say. Aim for the moon and you might just land among the stars. That’s a pretty incredible place to be.

If you’re planning to give birth this year, I have just the thing to help you on your pregnancy journey – download it here for free.