Lucy & Marcus' first baby

A really lovely first birth story from Lucy & Marcus who took the two day intensive course before having their gorgeous baby girl (and also a fantastic photo of Millie at the bottom!!!) x

"Lucy and I were lucky enough to meet our new arrival on 31st May @ 23:12. She was 6 days overdue but weighed a lovely 6lb 5oz. We had a really great birth, Lucy woke that morning at 5am with bad back ache / tightening of the bump, this came and went every 30 minutes up until 4pm. She had then had her sweep with the midwife (she was 2cm dilated before the sweep) that pretty much kickstarted her labour. By 19.30pm the pain wasn't bearable with TENS / back rubs, so we went into the hospital to thankfully find she was 4cm dilated (I don't think they would have persuaded her to go home again). With an active labour on lots of Pilates balls by 21.30pm Lucy was already 8cm dilated... We then moved to the birthing pool, again to have an active labour we were able to welcome our new arrival in the pool at 23:12. Lucy managed to give birth using just gas and air (plus TENS earlier) - our hypnobirthing course came to good use to keep Lucy relaxed throughout. Other than Millie coming out like superman at the last minute causing a small tear, the water and perennial massage beforehand made birth relatively straight forward, albeit still very painful for Lucy.

We both wanted to thank you for all the knowledge and wisdom you were able to share on our hypnobirthing course - the knowledge certainly helped us understand and prepare for labour and birth. We used the affirmations, and relaxations through the whole labour which Lucy says helped and I was able to refer back to my notes on using the positive re-enforcement to help her stay relaxed. We will certainly be recommending you and the course to all our friends!!!

Many Thanks,

Lucy & Marcus

A lovely home water-birth story

A really inspiring story from Louise & Ben who opted for a home birth for their first birth x

I just wanted to let you know that our gorgeous Max finally arrived on Friday morning and he is perfect! 9 days late and a bit of a whopper at 8lb 8oz! Ben and I can’t stop looking at him, we’re completely overwhelmed!!

I managed to have my water birth at home so he arrived safely and soundly in our kitchen. No tearing or cuts so no stitches required and no pain relief at all. Ocean relaxation was on repeat from the time the first contractions kicked in around 1am until he arrived just before 11am after less than an hour of pushing at the end. It was intense and obviously painful but I did my hypnobirthing breathing all the way through which kept me in the zone and calm enough that I was almost at the transition stage by the time the midwife arrived, no examination necessary.   I have no doubt that the focus and calmness (plus the pool at the end) is why I am not sat here with stitches now and why the Labour was relatively quick. The Midwives were amazed for a first birth!

Thank you so much, you helped me take control of something I felt extremely anxious about and now I’m sat here looking at me beautiful boy feeling like the luckiest person alive!

Lots of love

Lou x

Matt & Tania's positive first birth

Gorgeous baby Maya

We thought we should let you know that Maya River Tozer was born on Monday 26th February. She arrived a month early but weighing 6 pounds 13. We've attached a few photos.

We had quite a few shenanigans in the build up with reduced movements and Tania having unexplained proper contractions as early as 28 weeks that the doctors/midwives didn't think were normal Braxton Hicks.

So that meant quite a few extra trips to Frimley Park and even a handful to the labour ward where Tania had multiple fetal fibronectin tests - including one that was 248 at about 7 months!

So baby was obviously keen to meet us in a hurry. We hung on to 36 weeks but it did mean we couldn't use the Mulberry Suite. We were already quite prepared for that and being in the labour ward previously really helped in terms of prep.

For the labour, Tania managed to cope just on gas and air for almost the whole 16-hours. She did have pethidine near the end but only because progress was potentially going backwards. She was firm on not having an epidural.

Maya did need ventouse at the very end but arrived all in one go and very healthy. Tania and Maya stayed in hospital for six days as she was premature and Maya had a slight bit of jaundice. Also so they could avoid the snow I think! It arrived on the day she was born and melted away just before we all drove home so Tania never saw it!! Bar some breastfeeding troubles, Maya's doing brilliantly and looks nothing like an early baby. She's already well over her birth weight.

We were playing the hypnobirthing tracks right up until labour day and even used them during the labour as well as some of the raw music you gave us. They definitely helped Tania and between us we really focused on the breathing techniques throughout the whole labour.

Even though we were in the labour ward, the midwives were great at trying to meet our needs. We saw very little of the doctors and made a very relaxed atmosphere in our room. They respected our birth plan as much as possible and tried to always allow us time to weigh up our decisions. 

We wouldn't have been able to make the birth plan without your advice and I'm sure Tania would have had an epidural if it wasn't for hypnobirthing. The techniques definitely helped make for a more relaxed birth and a chilled out (most of the time!) little one now.

Most of all we found the course helped during quite a tricky pregnancy. It helped reduce anxiety while allowing Tania to focus on caring for our baby. We had been told by our consultant we would never be able to have children naturally and were quite far along the IVF process when we found out Tania was pregnant. So that combined with some of the shenanigans along the way meant hypnobirthing helped bring down the stress levels. 

Thanks for all your help. We've recommended your course and hypnobirthing generally to plenty of others.

All the best,

Matt, Tania and Maya

Helen & Luke's positive C-Section story

Helen with proud big brother Dennis & baby Edie.

Our little girl arrived safely on Thursday 8th February, her name is Edie Jude Thompson, weighing 6lbs 10. Dennis has been taking his big brother promotion very seriously, with lots of cuddles and kisses (and she almost had a taste of cornflakes on day 2!!). 

I had my cervical stitch removed at 36 weeks, using the breathing techniques. This was pretty painless and the midwife assisting the consultant said how relaxed was during the short procedure. Fast forward a week and a half, I felt that ‘trickle’, we made our way to Frimley, to be told it wasnt my waters and we were sent home. But I knew it was, as it continued to leak all afternoon, so back we went that evening, to have confirmed it looked like my back waters were leaking.  We went home to see if anything happened and were booked to go in for an induction the following morning. They started me off with the gel, we went for a long walk, had a sleep, but nothing happened :(

Next was the hormone drip. I really didn’t want to go down this route as this was where I felt I lost control during the birth of our son. I listened to the playlist you gave us throughout and managed 13 hours without pain relief (even managing to doze on and off). I only used gas and air for some examinations. I was having 4 contractions within 10minutes and was examined one final time, just coming up to 48hrs since my waters broke. I still hadn’t dilated passed 1cm. The consultant said my cervical stitch, which had done a great job getting us to bang on 38 weeks, had somehow caused the scar tissue from my previous Lletz procedures to fuse together and it wasn’t budging.  Fast forward an hour and our beautiful daughter was born via C-section.  

I had 3 midwives during this time and all 3 were extremely supportive of the Hypnobirthing and made many comments about how calm and controlled I was throughout. These were the two words I used during your course when we were asked about our wishes for our births.  As our 3 year old would say “job done”. 

I have to add also how well it equipped Luke this time round, he was amazing and supported my decisions, spoke for me when he needed too and was just an absolute rock throughout. The course could not have prepared him better, which added to the whole positive experience.  

Thank you so much for your amazing course! I was sceptical having given birth once without using Hypnobirthing but so glad we stuck with it. It didn’t go to plan, but the techniques and tools given to us by you, made the experience and one that I can remember. 

Thank you again!

Sam & Tom's second baby story

First of all we want to say a big thank you for the amazing course and for all your help and advice in the run up to the birth. The course not only really helped during the birth but also before the birth which we have shared below.

At the beginning of my pregnancy, we were placed under a consultant so that we were monitored more closely as our first daughter was 5 weeks premature.
At 34 weeks, the consultant advised us that the baby was measuring big (likely to be around 10lbs at full term) and recommended that I was induced at 38 weeks to avoid the baby "getting stuck". I was very uncomfortable with this as I wanted a natural delivery and wanted the baby to come when it was ready but, despite voicing my concerns to the consultant, it fell on deaf ears and it was said that it would be "convenient" to be induced, and that we could "organise childcare" for our daughter.  Following those comments, we asked if there were any serious risks to myself or the baby and it came to light that there was not so we agreed to review the baby's size closer to my due date in the hope that the baby would come naturally by itself.

The worry of induction however meant that my blood pressure increased significantly and sadly the consultant put doubts in my mind as to whether I could give birth naturally and that the baby could get stuck. Having completed the course I knew that I shouldn't be having these doubts so I continued practising the relaxation techniques and easy breathing each day and I found that the more I did them, the more I relaxed and believed in myself again which really helped my blood pressure to come down and keep me calm.

Fortunately, my waters broke naturally when I was 38 weeks + 5 days at 23.35 and I began to experience the early stages of labour. We headed to Frimley and they kept me in the labour ward as my waters had broken. We had 24 hours for labour to begin naturally before the risk of infection increased. But despite my waters only being broken for a matter of hours (and there being no immediate risk to me or the baby) the midwives were pushing the idea of getting induced saying, "why not get the baby out sooner now your waters have broken" and "you don't want to be stuck on a ward waiting for something to happen do you?"
Still feeling very uncomfortable with induction given there were not any risks at that point, I insisted on wanting to give the baby a chance to come naturally (just like it had with our first child once my waters had broken) and fortunately within a few hours I was in active labour.

The labour itself did not entirely go to plan. The baby was back to back and was triggering frequent and painful contractions. At its peak I was contracting 8 times every 10 minutes, getting breaks of only a matter of seconds between contractions. The easy and mountain breathing techniques along with listening to the relaxations helped massively in allowing me to zone out and getting through the bulk of these contractions, although I did use gas and air towards the end.

I got to 6cm dilated but unfortunately, due to having so many contractions and constantly having the urge to push, my cervix became swollen and I was no longer dilating. After discussions with my husband and the midwife, we took the decision to have a 'mobile epidural' to prevent the urge to push and allow the swelling to die down. Because it was only a small dose however, I could still move around and still had the ability to control what I was doing.

Fortunately, the swelling went down and baby Oliver was born about an hour later at 11.35 on the 20th January, weighing a fairly weighty 9lbs 10ozs with no further intervention. So it was a quick and intense 12 hours from when my waters broke to when he was born. The goddess breathing really helped me push him out, especially when they told me I was seconds away from needing an episiotomy if he didn't come out shortly which I wanted to avoid if possible. Despite being told this, I kept calm and continued with the goddess breathing and out he came.

Although there were a couple of curve balls experienced during the labour, the breathing and relaxation techniques taught during the course helped both me and baby Oliver keep calm throughout the birth. The midwives also commented on how calm and happy Oliver was throughout the labour. My husband Tom was also a huge help during the labour and with him being familiar with all the techniques meant he could guide me through where necessary.

We are now 2 weeks into this wonderful journey of having Oliver in our family and he is still a very calm and relaxed baby. Having a calm birth we feel played a big part in this.

Although it turned out differently to my birth plan, we were always open minded with what could happen however, I think had we not done the course, things could have turned out even more differently, perhaps with more intervention which just shows how invaluable the course was to all three of us - myself, Tom and Oliver. The course made a huge difference for me in particular both before and during the birth and I am so pleased we did it! I cannot recommend the course highly enough. Thanks so much again Hannah, you were a fantastic teacher!
Love Sam, Tom, Rosie and Oliver xxxx

Kirsty & Dan's story - a phobia of hospitals and an Induction.

Kirsty & Dan's story is amazing. Kirsty began the course with a severe phobia of hospitals,  feeling very anxious about going to hospital to give birth. I recommended a combination of my Hypnobirthing course and some one to one Hypnotherapy with the amazing Louisa Chipperfield. Below is the message that Kirsty sent me after the birth of their baby:

Just wanted to say a massive thank you for the recent HypnoBirthing course we attended and for all the advice and support you gave us. As you know this was our first pregnancy and we joined the course to understand more about HypnoBirthing particularly as I have a severe phobia of hospitals and we hoped some relaxation techniques might help. We found the course extremely informative and helpful and really enjoyed being part of a small group as there were just three couples on our course.

Due to some concerns our consultant wanted us to be induced and we agreed although this meant more time in hospital than I would have liked, but found the relaxation techniques worked well. The induction worked and things moved quickly for us. Our labour was only 3 and a half hours but the midwives wanted me to push very early when I knew I wasn't ready. The HypnoBirthing techniques we learned meant I could zone out from my surroundings and just focus on Dan and the baby and relax myself until I felt ready to breathe the baby down. This extra time meant that myself, my body and my baby were ready when I wanted to breathe and I am sure that this is why I ended up having just one stitch. Eva was born quickly and although extremely alert, she was happy, calm and quiet. We were told shortly after the birth that as things went so well, we should consider having our next baby at home. We were also later told by our community midwife that she heard from the hospital that we had a 'text book' birth. 

Dan found the course and techniques very helpful in understanding what would happen and also how to support me. We did not attend any NCT classes as we felt your course provided the information we needed in a clear and non confusing way. 

To our delight we have stayed in touch with the other HypnoBirthing couples on our course who have been a great support to us and we feel will be great friends. 

So we would like to say a big thank you again for everything. We can not recommend your course highly enough and we look forward to seeing you at the next HypnoBirthing event!

With love Kirsty, Dan, baby Eva and Dillon xxxx

The lovely birth of Harry

First time parents Emma & Stewart sent this lovely note after the arrival of gorgeous baby Harry, testimony to the fact that even if baby has other ideas for arrival, Hypnobirthing techniques will see you through:

"Thought you may like to know that Baby Boy Simmonds arrived yesterday morning at 8.15am weighing a very beautiful 7lbs 1oz. We are absolutely besotted & he is Daddy's mini me!

Although the labour didn't go fully to plan the hypnobirthing was an absolute godsend! I went into labour at 10pm on Monday evening & the surges came thick & fast almost immediately which wasn't quite what we were expecting! Very intense from start to finish. Thanks to the calm breathing & techniques you taught us I managed to completely zone out with no clue what was going on around me as I was so focused, I managed to go through the whole process with no pain relief whatsoever & was already 7cms by the time we got to the hospital at 3am. Unfortunately by about 4am I was loosing quite a lot of blood & they were concerned about baby therefore I had to have my waters manually broken so they could monitor his heartbeat through his head so that I could still move around. I ended up actively pushing for over an hour & a half & baby just wasn't playing ball so I had to have an episiotomy to avoid them having to do an instrument assisted delivery which did the trick & he finally made his entrance into the world. A true testament to the hypnobirthing techniques, despite the complications he truly was born a calm baby! When he finally made his appearance into the world he barely made a sound & we enjoyed some lovely skin to skin time & he fed beautifully about an hour & a half after being born. He has so far proven to be a lovely relaxed baby boy, long may it continue!!!

Thank you so much for all you taught us, just goes to show that even when things don't quite go to plan the mind & human body really are incredible!

Look forward to seeing you at baby yoga in the new year! Have a lovely Christmas with your family.

Emma & Stewart xx"

The Calm Home Birth of William

I had the pleasure of not only teaching Laura and Chris the Hypnobirthing course, but of being their Doula for the birth of their baby too. Their story is wonderful, and I was very honoured to be a part of it x 

Our first baby, William Jack was born at home on Friday 10th November at 12.22pm.

We were recommended Hannah and her Hypnobirthing course by several friends and as we began speaking to Hannah we also asked if she would be a doula for us on the birthing day.

During the course of the pregnancy, we decided to have a Home Birth. We prepared by getting a birthing pool, attended several Home Birth support group meetings, practiced the daily affirmations and guided relaxations from hypnobirthing. We also met with Hannah a few times to discuss our birthing wish list, what we wanted her to do on the day, what we could expect to happen and so on.

I can honestly say that because of Hannah, I went into the experience with absolutely no fear whatsoever. I believe this feeling of excitement over fear made a terrific difference to the birth.

On the Thursday (2 days after the due date) I went for a walk with my mum and was aware of tightenings. I had felt them before but they were fairly regular so I did wonder if things may be starting.

Later that evening the tightenings continues and I had quite an upset tummy. We tried to go to sleep but by 2am I was too uncomfortable so had to get out of bed to move around. At this point we contacted the hospital for them to alert the on-call midwife. We also let Hannah know what was happening.

At 4am I decided I wanted Hannah to come over as the surges were around 3 in 10 minutes and getting more intense. Chris had been busy filling up the pool and I had all of my candles lit around me, gentle music playing and affirmation cards dotted around the room. It was so tranquil and peaceful. I sat on the birthing ball and made sure I let my entire body go limp with each surge which made such a difference to how they felt.

Shortly after Hannah arrived she suggested me getting into the pool if I felt ready to and read me some guided relaxation scripts which were lovely.

The pool was amazing to get into, so calming. I soon had the involuntary urge to push at which point the midwife was called. When Rachel arrived to see me already in the pool and pushing, she quickly called her second midwife, Debbie.

After a couple of hours of surge breathing, changing positions and the baby’s head moving down nicely, we all agreed getting out of the pool might be a good idea to try to help progress things.

The midwives were amazing the whole way through, I only had one check during the entire labour for them to assess where baby was/ how dilated I was. They discreetly checked the baby’s heart rate after each surge and he was completely happy. They didn’t disrupt my calm mindset or take me out of my zone at any point.

Once out of the pool and on the sofa, the surges slowed a little and we all discussed and agreed upon a small episiotomy. As soon as this was done, William’s head emerged. During the wait for the next surge there was a comically timed knock at the front door with a special delivery from the postman. If only he’d known what was going on behind the door! Then with the next surge William was born at 12.22pm and placed onto my chest. He briefly cried and then immediately calmed and looked around to take in the world.

William quickly latched onto feed and was incredibly content, alert and calm. Every midwife who visited over the coming week commented on his calmness.

We are so thankful to everyone’s involvement in allowing us to have the beautiful Home Birth we wished for. We truly believe the calm entry into the world has allowed William to be such a happy little baby and the hypnobirthing techniques undoubtedly allowed both him and me to stay calm during pregnancy and delivery.

I can’t recommend Hannah’s services both as a doula and hypnobirthing instructor enough. The skills you learn are life changing and having a calm Birth will shape both yours and the baby’s life in a magical way.

Thanks so much Hannah, 

All our love

Laura, Chris and baby William xxx

Natalie & Tom's lovely first Hypnobirth

Ethan Oliver  made his arrival on Friday at 12.25pm, weighing 5lb 7oz.

The birth was perfect and everything I had hoped for. When I have a little more time on my hands I will share our experience with you in a bit more detail but just to give you an idea of how you helped me...When I arrived at the Rushey Centre at 9.30am I was going to be sent home as the lovely midwife felt that her years of experience could tell that i wasn't in 'active labour' and that the pressure I was feeling was because the little man was back to back. I wasn't showing the usual first time mum 'signs' of having contractions.

I requested an examination as I wanted to know how far I had come along from a visit earlier in the week and she couldn't believe that i was 4cm dilated!!!! Waters broke at around 10.30am and then I was moved from a room in to the delivery suite by 11.15am. Ethan artived with a little help from gas and air at 12.25pm! 

The midwives said I was a 'textbook' birth and couldn't believe that for a first time mum how I worked with my body so well. My labour time was recorded at just over an hour!!!! They also suggested for baby 2 a home birth (food for thought!)

All that you taught us about breathing, working with your body, surges and hormones made complete sense. We thanked you at the time but the thank you now seems far more apt and it is a genuine gratefullness that you are so passionate and knowledgeable about calm,positive birthing that this made my birthing experience so enjoyable and wonderful. And as you said in the sessions, Ethan as a hypno baby is so chilled out and content! 

Tom was wonderful on the day and did exactly the right things for me and Ethan (and still is - I'm now on night 2 of a full 6 hour sleep thanks to daddy doing the night shifts!!)

Natalie, Tom and baby Ethan xx

Poppy & James - a lovely first birth

Matilda Florence  decided to surprise us with an early arrival on the 7th October! 

My waters broke naturally on the Friday night at 10.30pm and managed to labour for 16 hours at home with our rainbow relaxation, baths, fairy lights and bouncing on the gym ball until Saturday afternoon and we went into the Rushey Ward at about 2.30pm already 7cm dilated (with carefully packed hospital bags still in the car!!!) 

Within the next 20 minutes I was fully dilated (with only a very short burst of a gas and air!) and our perfect little girl was born naturally at 17.27, weighing 7lbs. Everything moved so fast we didn't have time to run our water birth in the end but all the techniques learnt with you meant we felt in control of the situation and Matilda has been such a calm, content baby so far we wonder how much we can attribute this to our relaxed outlook on her arrival into the world! 

I am still listening to my relaxation when I'm trying to catch a few extra minutes of Zzzz as she snoozes too and it is working a treat.

Thank you for all your help and hard work, we will be recommending these techniques to anyone who asks and definitely will use them again in the future if we are blessed with a brother or sister for Matilda!

Best Wishes,

Poppy, James & Matilda x

Baby Marley - an undiagnosed breech birth

Marley Adelaide was born 19th July, at 11.07pm. She weighed 7lb11.

I will start by saying the best advice was not to have too definite a plan as in a way the opposite happened. However she is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and had a lovely calm entry into the world.

On Wednesday lunchtime I felt my waters break. When I looked it turned out she had been to the toilet inside me so after calling the hospital I drove myself to the maternity unit as they wanted me in as quickly as possible. This is where I used the breathing techniques to keep me calm. Pete arrived and we moved around the room, laughing, massaging, generally feeling excited rather than apprehensive. He kept reminding me of the affirmations and we felt ready.

The doctor asked for a final ultrasound and she turned out to be breech. They explained my options but due to the risk of her swallowing the meconium they advised that a caesarean was needed. Again I took this calmly and we continued with the relaxation techniques.

Maternity was very busy that day so I experienced about 8 hours of surges before we went to the theatre. Despite the fact she was back to back I managed to breathe through until the very end when I had some gas and air.

Again in the theatre I stayed calm, Pete using the massage techniques. And then she was here. She immediately seemed relaxed and happy and was given straight to Pete whilst they closed me up.

In the room afterwards she latched straight on for a feed and I truly believe she had a calm birth. She had not swallowed any meconium which was a relief.

She is struggling a bit to latch on now and is always hungry so breastfeeding is proving a bit of a challenge but again I am using breathing techniques and the midwives are helping with positions. She has a small tongue tie so we are keeping an eye on it.

Thank you so much for helping us with all of the techniques and giving us knowledge. It made the birthing experience perfect, even though unexpected.

I hope to try some of your mother and baby classes when everything is healed.

Thanks again, Vicky and Pete and baby Marley xx

Cheeky Huxley's arrival!

I just love this story from first time parents Fallon and Chris, and cheeky monkey Huxley who had his own plans!! 
 

"We hope that you are well and sorry we couldn't make your coffee morning on Saturday. We have some very exciting news as our little one decided to join us early and arrived on 19th May. He was born at 4:54pm and weighed 6lb 10oz.

With the help and support from your group we felt confident enough to try for a home birth. Had you said that to us before the course I would have probably laughed. The thought of giving birth simply terrified me and I definitely viewed it as a medical procedure.

After your course I felt so much more comfortable and confident about giving birth and for the first time I was genuinely excited about meeting our little one.

Everything started really well and developed really quickly, I was 8cm with in 3 hours which even shocked the midwife as well as myself. We had hired a birthing pool which was wonderful and I managed without pain relief right until the end.

Unfortunately it got a bit complicated at the end as Huxley was in an awkward position and wouldn't come out so we were taken into hospital. It wasn't until we had the scan at the hospital that we realised he was undiagnosed breech (cheeky monkey). We then discussed our options and decided that a c-section would be the best way forward.

Even though this isn't what we had hoped would happen it was still the best experience and we felt prepared for any direction that our birth would take.

Huxley is perfect and we still can't believe he is here!

I will certainly be recommending your course to anyone I know who is expecting. In fact I have given the book and CD to my sister who is due in 6 weeks with baby no.2. I'm hoping it will help her as much as it helped us. Although she might be cutting it a bit close!

Thank you again and I hope we can make the next coffee morning so that you can meet Huxley 😊

Best Wishes 

Chris, Fallon & Huxley 

Baby Frankie's Calm Hypnobirth

Despite our homebirth plan not working out due to baby's size & position I still managed to use the Hypnobirthing techniques to stay calm and relaxed through most of labour especially while in the early stages at home. On transfer to hospital it was discovered I had a very high level of meconium in my waters and therefore after a 20 hour labour and only progressing to 4cm with most of that being with 4 in 10 surges we considered all factors and it was decided that the safest option was for Frankie to be delivered via c section. Despite the meconium and discovery of an infection in my womb the section was carried out calmly and we were 100% informed of what was happening and going to happen meaning we still felt totally in control. 

I found the Hypnobirthing techniques valuable throughout pregnancy and not just during labour & birth. The practice we put in leading up to the birth allowed me to have a calm and relaxed pregnancy with an added bonus of helping with gaining extra sleep leading up to the big day! We both also found the course very informative in terms of options available and allowing us to feel we had more control of our birth plans and wishes. 

Hope to join you for another gathering later in the year. 

Thanks 

Terri, Charlie and baby Frankie. 

Baby Flora's early Induced birth

Alice and Charlie had to be induced at 35 weeks with their first baby, as it was felt that she wasn't growing properly due to a problem with the placenta. This was obviously a worrying time for them, but they were absolutely amazing and their birth story is wonderful! They are testimony to how you have the control to make any situation a positive and calm one. This is their story: 

"I just wanted to let you know that I gave birth on Monday the 13th of March to a baby girl called Flora Ruby. I was admitted to hospital on Thursday to start the induction, but the delivery department at the hospital was overflowing with women giving birth - they were turning people away! Apparently it was due to the full moon that weekend...

So they didn't break my waters until Sunday at midnight, and Flora was born at exactly 8am the following morning. We used a lot of the relaxation techniques you taught us from Thursday onwards, because we were waiting so long they were really helpful to keep us calm and the relaxation tracks helped me to get a full nights sleep each night. We listened to the relaxing music once my waters were broken, and dimmed the lights so the room was very calm. The midwives all commented on how calm we were during the labour.

However, the contractions were coming thick and fast and were very intense, after being checked at 7.30 I was told I was only 3cm dilated and would be checked again in 3 hours. After this I lost the plot a bit, and made quite a bit of noise (which made Charlie laugh - which actually really helped me!). And Flora was born half an hour later! So I was actually in the transition phase.... but even after everything we've been through, I see the birth a really positive experience. Your course really helped us, not just with the birth itself, but also with the lead up to it and throughout all of the scans and appointments we were attending. So thank you!

Flora was born at 35 weeks, weighing just 3lb 4oz. Other than being small, she is perfect! No problems at all. So she is in the baby care unit until she gains some weight and can breastfeed. I'm expressing lots of milk for her, and today she had a little latch onto my breast. So I don't think she'll be In here too long - fingers crossed!

Thanks so much,

Alice (and Charlie and Flo!) xx

Charlotte & Gavin - a positive Induction story

The birth of Grace was induced as Mum Charlotte developed raised blood pressure in pregnancy - this is a wonderful story of how the process of induction can be positive with HypnoBirthing techniques! (Find out more about induction here) This is their story as told by proud Dad, Gavin:

I'm completely delighted to let you know that Grace was born on Thursday night at 9.42, weighing 7lbs 1oz!

I think you were aware that Charlotte was being induced on Wednesday, but we were able to use what we had learnt to make it as natural as possible despite that. The second gel was applied about midday on Thursday, and after some walking and a bath the tightenings began around 4.30 / 5ish.

Everything happened very quickly and it was a short and intense labour with everyone surprised about how quick the surges were coming.

Charlotte was amazing (she will deny it, but she was awesome) and used the breathing and relaxation techniques really well to deal with the first few hours. To the extent that they were surprised when they saw the CTG as to how well she was coping. One of the midwives whispered to me in the lift down to the delivery suite that "she was amazing as was she using HypnoBirthing".

The only pain relief Charlotte used was gas and air - and I'll let her tell you about that experience as she got quite spaced out! 

Because of the intensity and frequency of the surges they were worried about Charlotte trying too many times at the birthing stage and causing distress to her and the baby, so they decided to do a ventouse assisted delivery. Quite a dramatic situation with lots of extra people coming in and out of the room!

But just as they were about to start that, Charlotte made the breakthrough and the midwife was able to send everyone else away!

So not the fully natural birth at a birth centre that we had hoped for, but we were still able to apply lots of the techniques! In particular, had we not spent the timing thinking about our birth preferences, it's pretty likely we would have been induced last weekend when the doctor first started, so that decision may well have helped avoid a syntocinon drip and assisted birth, etc! 

So thank you for all your help, we really have appreciated it and looking forward to introducing you to Grace soon." 

Brynn & Charles - an early arrival!

Brynn and Charles' story of the birth of their first child is wonderful, they didn't manage to complete the 5 week course as their baby decided to come rather early at 33 weeks. Despite not having finished the course, and despite the fact that they had very special circumstances with a premature baby, their story is astoundingly positive and calm. I love it! 

" The day of Nathaniel's birth was relatively calm and relaxing: lunch with chocolate cake, lounging in the sunny garden, naps etc. Into the afternoon I went inside to spend time on the couch and relax, as my stomach was feeling a bit crampy.

We'd been in the hospital 4 days earlier with early onset delivery symptoms but discharged within 2 days as the symptoms had calmed down. These same 'cramps' were coming back and I was just trying to do my best to relax and breath through them calmly. I read news on the internet and even sent a few emails around 4:30. I thought a bath would feel good and I hoped it'd help calm my stomach cramps, which were only getting stronger by that point.

My husband Charles drew me a bath and offered to bring me a drinks or snacks, which I gladly accepted. After 20 mins or so of relaxing the warm tub, I was feeling ok but ready to get out, and I started to wonder whether we should go to the hospital. I got out of the tub and began drying off, telling Charles that I thought we should maybe go. By the time I'd gotten dressed in comfortable clothes and laid down on the bed to rest, the 'cramps' were getting considerably stronger. (Even so it still hadn't occurred to me that these were surges and that our child might be born soon!) Our neighbour drove us the short distance to the hospital where we planned to deliver; we were checked in and very soon taken to a nearby delivery room.

My waters broke while sitting on the delivery room bed and the surges remained strong every few minutes. Charles and I settled into our prepared practices and I was able to fall into a zone, listening to Charles guide me and I felt comfortable following my mantra of 'breath it down' to carry me through the surges. Because the baby was coming early, we were introduced to neonatal specialists as they got set up in the room.  

The birthing seemed to just take over naturally and relatively quickly...we arrived at the hospital at 6:45 and our son Nathaniel was born an hour later at 7:50pm. I never felt that I needed or wanted any pain relief and, to my surprise, no stitches were needed afterwards either - an added bonus! We had initially hoped for a water birth but his early arrival introduced an element of risk that meant a water birth wouldn't be possible.

Nonetheless we were very happy with the entire experience and I feel certain that our learned approaches allowed us to stay at home as long as possible in a calm environment. (The Midwife later told us that I was 9cm dilated when we arrived. I guess those weren't 'cramps' after all!) Nathaniel remained in NICU for 2.5 weeks but with minimal intervention. He's progressed beautifully and we are all happily at home, enjoying life as a family of three!

Stephanie & Andy - the birth of baby Zach

Stephanie and Andy used HypnoBirthing to prepare for the birth of their first child. Their birth story is an absolutely beautiful one, and an inspiration for any Mums & Dads to be:

"I went into labour with a bit of a bang, waking up to my waters releasing at 4.30am immediately accompanied by surges every 3 minutes, each lasting a minute. I was a bit uncomfortable, but not in pain as such. By 7am, I felt like I wanted to be checked at the hospital (which is where we planned to have baby) so we went in. At 8.15 during my first check, I was '3 cm dilated', and then used visualisations and the breathing techniques up to about 11am when I was able to get into a birthing pool and carry on labouring there. When I was checked at 12.15, I was fully dilated and we were ready to go!

There had been discussion that perhaps birthing in the water might not be possible if baby or I was not tolerating labour well, but baby's heartbeat was perfectly fine throughout so we got back in. (He was in fact so chilled out that my Midwife commented that he didn't seem to have really noticed that we were in labour...)

My son was born at 2.20pm, after an hour of letting him descend naturally using breathing techniques and then an hour of more active 'pushing', although my Midwife was happy for me to only work with my body when I was in surge rather than forcing myself to push. I ended up doing the whole thing having taken 2 paracetamol tablets as my only medical pain relief.

Zach's Apgar's were 9 & 10, and we were home exactly 24 hours after his birth, where he has fed and slept like an absolute champ - everyone comments on what a chilled little dude he is. My Midwife seemed quite surprised by how quickly and smoothly we progressed, and even more surprised that despite him coming out very quickly all in one go, I only had a minor graze. She said she was really impressed by my breathing control, and I think most of that has to do with the fact that we went in feeling so calm and well prepared for the birth!

My Midwife at Basingstoke hospital was absolutely incredible, and really respected our birth preferences and the fact that we were a HypnoBirthing family. She basically let my husband and I run the show throughout, and even wrote on my discharge notes that I had a "beautiful birth"

Carmen and Roberto's Vaginal Breech baby

New Mummy Carmen tells the story of the rather exciting birth of her & husband Roberto's first baby, Evelyn:

"Baby Evelyn was breech throughout pregnancy, and we tried everything apart from the ECV to turn her, but eventually I was booked in for a caesarean on 28th June (her due date).

The night before at around 7pm I started having very mild period type pains. At 8pm I phoned the hospital to ask what I needed to do, as I wasn't sure if this was labour or not. They said to take paracetamol, monitor the pains and if they get closer together to ring them again.

20 minutes later I rang them again..

I was told to come in for assessment. We arrived at 21:03, put into triage where my waters broke at 21:30. I was wheeled into the delivery room and told that theatre was being prepared for an emergency c-section. At that point the surges were getting closer and more intense. The anaesthetist came past to see how dilated I was (3cm 10 minutes previously) when all of a sudden she exclaimed:

"There's a foot hanging out! No time for a c-section, this baby's coming now!"

I didn't have time for any other pain relief except gas and air, and all of a sudden there were all these extra people in the room (about 6 or 7). I delivered Evelyn at 22:45 via natural breech delivery after 8 minutes of pushing! I became well known on the ward as the Midwives very rarely see natural breech deliveries - one Midwife had worked there for 12 years and never seen one!

Total labour time: 1 hour 25 minutes from waters breaking to her being delivered.

I went from wanting a calm water birth to needing a caesarean to actually having a vaginal breech delivery. Thank goodness for my affirmations helping me through, and of course my AMAZING husband Roberto for being my rock."

A Healing Third Birth

My wife and I decided to look into HypnoBirthing after reading and hearing great things from friends and media/celebrities. We were a bit sceptical at first, thinking it may be 'Wishy-washy', but how wrong we were!

We were lucky to meet the lovely Hannah, who from the very first session was reassuring, very thorough and also a great listener and helped to ease some concerns from my wife. 

My wife endured a fairly traumatic birth 4 years ago and of course she was scared that this time might be the same. I can tell you with real pride that the birth of my now 6 week old daughter was unbelievable! My wife chose a water birth and delivered our daughter calmly, quickly and most amazingly with NO pain relief at all! Her ability to remain in control and maintain calm breathing was unbelievable to watch and experience. 

I couldn't be prouder of my wife and I'm so happy we chose HypnoBirthing. I would encourage any expectant parents to sign up to the course and would advise people to not believe what they read!!"

Amy & Paul - The calm birth of baby Zane

                Paul, Amy & gorgeous baby Zane

"Hi Hannah,

Finally I have a moment to put in to words how grateful I am for what you did for my husband and I in preparation of the birth of our first baby.

I was naturally nervous about childbirth having never experienced it and after hearing many horror stories which people seemed all too happy to share with me on finding out I was pregnant! I was given a HypnoBirthing book by a friend, I didn't get very far in to the book before realising it was absolutely  something I wanted to explore as it just made so much sense to me - the concept of childbirth being a natural process and something women are built to do without medical intervention, and that by releasing all fear and remaining calm during the process enables the body to do what it needs to do to deliver the baby naturally and without stress.

I found you via recommendation on the WGG Facebook page, and I am just so delighted that I contacted you! From the moment we engaged over email I knew that I would connect with you as you had such a nice calm and friendly manner. I decided to opt for the private sessions as I felt my husband would be more comfortable in our own home rather than the group environment and it also gave us more flexibility on times/dates than the group sessions did.

The sessions were just fantastic, we both felt very relaxed with you and you made us feel like no questions or concerns we had were silly or insignificant. We really enjoyed learning about the birthing process and practising the breathing and visualisation techniques with you and just getting more prepared to welcome our baby in to the world in the most calm and collected way possible. I also believe that it really helped my husband feel like he had an important role to play and gave him so much confidence knowing more about the birthing process rather than standing by and watching.

The course was clearly worth every penny and every minute we invested in it, as I am so proud to say that our beautiful son Zane David Richards was born naturally, calmly, quickly and without any pain relief!

We were a little shocked that the labour had started when it did as it was almost 3 weeks before my due date, but despite this we remained calm and used the breathing, essential oils and relaxing music to get through the contractions at home before going in to hospital, I even took a shower and washed and dried my hair whilst having contractions! We had called the hospital to let them know my labour had started, and as it was my first baby even though I said I felt the contractions had become strong quite quickly, they were putting us off going in as were expecting it to be a long process .... well it is a good job that my husband made the decision for us to get ourselves to the hospital when he did, because the moment we arrived at the maternity ward reception my waters broke, and Zane was delivered 55 minutes later! We hadn't even got my notes or the hospital bag out of the car, and there was no time to even consider getting in the birthing pool! The midwife even said to me that she wished all women made her job so easy! Also what was amazing is how calm Zane was having entered the big wide world - he hardly made a sound and just happily lay on my chest! So many people comment on what a 'good baby' he is because he seems so relaxed and rarely cries.

We feel so lucky to have worked with you and can't thank you enough as we believe that the sessions we did with you really did contribute to our fantastic birthing experience. We would recommend anybody to you, no matter how sceptical they are about hypnobirthing.

Lots of Love

Amy, Paul and Zane xxx