The Pregnancy Gift I Wish All Women Could Receive: Why I'm Hosting the Bloom Retreat

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I was working at a tech startup run by men who mostly had no lived experience of parenthood - let alone pregnancy! The culture was intense, competitive (bordering on aggressive), the hours were long, and there was zero understanding of what my body was going through. I remember sitting at my desk, exhausted and anxious, wondering if this relentless stress was harming my baby. I felt completely alone in my pregnancy experience.

By my second viable pregnancy, things looked better on paper. I was leading the Marketing Function at a much more family-friendly startup, but now I had a demanding toddler at home! I was desperate for time to myself, to prepare mentally and physically for another birth, to simply breathe. But between work deadlines and caring for my firstborn, I couldn't seem to carve out that space.

These experiences shaped everything about how I teach prenatal yoga today.

What I See Every Day

As a prenatal yoga instructor, I watch these same stories unfold week after week:

• First-time mothers carrying so much fear about birth and postpartum life, overwhelmed by conflicting advice from every direction

  
  

• Experienced mothers expecting their second, third, sometimes (even fourth!) baby, visibly exhausted and desperate for a proper break but feeling guilty for wanting it

  
  

I see you. I've been both of you.

Why the Bloom Retreat Exists

This is why my retreat partner Charlie Finnigan (@sweat_with_charlie) and I created the Bloom Retreat. We wanted to give pregnant women what we wish had existed during those challenging pregnancies: a full day that's entirely about them, their wellbeing, and their preparation for the journey ahead.

Not a baby shower where everyone focuses on the baby. Not a prenatal class squeezed into a lunch hour. A genuine, full-day sanctuary where expectant mothers can rest, connect, move their bodies, and feel truly supported.

The Perfect Pregnancy Gift

If you're searching for a meaningful pregnancy gift, consider this: what will actually help? Another blanket the baby will grow out of? Or a day that equips an expectant mother with tools, confidence, and community she'll draw on through birth and into motherhood?

What You'll Experience:

• Practical Knowledge: A talk and Q&A with postnatal doula Sam Reynolds (@MummaBabySam) about birth and postpartum life, answering all those questions you're too embarrassed to ask

• Empowering Movement: An energising prenatal strength session with Charlie that helps you feel powerful in your changing body

• Deep Relaxation: Gentle yoga with breathwork and visualisation techniques you can use during labour and beyond

• Proper Nourishment: Beautiful, wholesome food throughout the day so you don't have to think about meal prep

• Real Connection: Time with other expectant mothers, sharing experiences and realising you're not alone

This Is Permission

Whether you're buying this for yourself or gifting it to someone you love, consider this permission. Permission to take a full day for yourself during pregnancy. Permission to prioritise your wellbeing alongside your baby's. Permission to arrive stressed and leave feeling calm, strong, and ready.

I'm hosting the Bloom Retreat in Surrey this January 2026 because I know what it feels like to desperately need this kind of support and not have anywhere to find it. I don't want other women to feel the way I did during those pregnancies—alone and overwhelmed and just trying to survive.

You deserve more than survival. You deserve to bloom.

Book Your Space

The first Bloom Retreat takes place in Kilnhanger in the Surrey Hills, Saturday 2nd May 2026. Spaces are intentionally limited to create an intimate, supportive environment. Book early to secure your place.