About Us
Hi, thank you for being here.
We are Danielle and Heather, two healthcare professionals who have expertise working with expectant parents, new parents and babies. We are also mums ourselves.
From our personal and our professional experiences, we have a passion for supporting expectant and new parents and are working hard to create a new kind of space to meet the needs of modern parents.
Between us we have met far too many families who feel they have somehow failed, done things wrong, or have just felt unsupported during their transition to parenthood. We want to create a group for local parents to help them to feel as confident, prepared and supported as possible. We are excited that Think Antenatal has been approved as a Community Interest Company. This means that any profits or funding raised are reinvested back into the company to provide subsidised places for more parents. We are passionate about providing comprehensive, honest information along with a space to think, socialise and have fun. Please scroll down for more information about the two of us, and take a look at Our Values that drive everything we do.
Dr Danielle Gerson
BSc (Hons) D.Clin.Psychol
Clinical Psychologist
Hello, I’m Danielle. I am a clinical psychologist and mum of two. I have a special interest in perinatal mental health, having worked in an NHS perinatal community mental health team prior to moving into private practice in 2020.
I am passionate about making psychological approaches more accessible and in working with parents to try and prevent psychological difficulties further down the line. I hope that developing an antenatal group that prioritises taking care of parental mental health will help people more easily navigate the transition to parenthood and avoid the common problems that can trip us up, like self-blame, criticism, isolation, overwhelm and anxiety.
I want to use these groups to try and ‘inoculate’ people against these issues as far as possible, so that they have real strategies to use to protect their mental health, help them manage stress, feel connected and confident.
I felt like there was a gap in the antenatal groups I attended when I was pregnant, in that there was really no space to think about the psychological aspects of becoming a parent. I also felt confused about some of the advice, and when I found myself having trouble breastfeeding, and had babies that really didn’t sleep, I was sure I was doing something wrong.
There is so much conflicting information out there, and so many people ready to take advantage of new parents when they are feeling their most vulnerable. (I must have spent so much money over the years trying to make my babies sleep!)
It’s these experiences, both personal and professional, that have made me feel so strongly about wanting to give other parents a more psychologically-informed antenatal experience. I want to make sure that parents can explore what is right for them, without feeling judged, particularly when it comes to birth and feeding choices. And setting ourselves up as a CIC makes me feel so proud that we might be able to make this kind of information accessible to more people.
I can’t wait to welcome you into one of our groups. If you aren’t sure, I’m always happy to have a chat first…and there will never be a hard sell, I’m passionate about that too! As regulated professionals, you can be confident that you are in safe hands with both of us adhering to the highest standards of conduct and ethical practice. So please feel free to get in touch with any questions.
I’m Heather, a neonatal nurse and mum to 2 girls. I have worked in this role since qualifying in 2010.
During my time working with premature and sick babies and their families I have become aware that a lot of new parents, although they may have attended antenatal classes, do not feel confident with the basic care of a newborn and recognising the signs of an unwell baby.
It is also clear that there is a lack of information antenatally regarding neonatal care, and so parents are understandably terrified when they walk through the doors to the neonatal unit.
These are all topics that we plan on covering during our sessions, in a non-judgemental, inclusive environment.
Our aim is to prepare parents for the unpredictable events that childbirth can bring and to provide a setting where parents feel comfortable enough to ask any questions. This will in turn help to alleviate anxieties and improve parental mental health.
