MOTHERS-TO-BE in Winchester and Eastleigh can now attend free workshops to help them stay calm and in control during labour.

Confident Birthing workshops organised by Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will help prenatal mothers develop relaxation skills and psychological techniques.

The bi-monthly workshops, part-funded by a lottery grant, are designed to complement routine prenatal classes.

Caroline Brunt, of Hampshire Hospitals, said: “During the sessions, the practitioners will help women understand the importance of their thought processes during labour and birth. They will explain how feelings of stress and fear can affect labour and help women to work with their body in a way that leaves them calm and in control, ready to welcome their baby into the world.”

The classes take place every other month at the Carroll Centre, Stanmore, and Wells Place Centre, Eastleigh. To book a course visit hampshirehospitals.nhs.uk/confidentbirthing or call 01420 543365.