When I was pregnant with Gabe, I arranged for my husband (my birth partner) and me to have a private hypnobirthing course in our home. I had heard of hypnobirthing before, and thought ‘yah I want to use hypnobirthing,’ but I didn’t really know what it actually involved or what it actually looked like in practice.

 

I cannot tell you how formative that course was for me and my husband, and I know without a doubt, I wouldn’t have had the birth experience I had without it. I think on paper if someone just read my birth story, they might think ‘gosh, what a terrifying, traumatic experience,’ but when I tell you it was the most magical birth experience for me, it’s truly an understatement.

 

I had planned to use the birth center at the hospital we were registered at, and I was 41 weeks and 3 days at this point in my pregnancy; it was Friday morning, the 19th of August 2022. We had been having a very hot summer in London, and I awoke suddenly at 12:25AM and by 4AM I was holding my baby boy in my arms...in my bathtub! 

 

I had a very fast labor – under 4 hours from start to finish - and I had an unplanned home birth. As a result, we had no medical professional with us either.

 

Thankfully, we did end up having our doula present, and she arrived just in time to catch the baby – literally. But again she wasn’t medically trained and she had never caught a baby before, so it was the first time for her to be in that situation as well. The paramedics had to be called of course. My husband was on hold with emergency services for 8 minutes before they answered and it was another 15 minutes before anyone arrived as the NHS were especially short of staff during this time. 

 

While it all sounds a bit chaotic and a bit scary, it wasn’t any of those things. It was very calm. I was never scared. For me, it was one of the most intense, yet empowering experiences I have ever had. I was fully present for the entirety of my birth experience. I remained calm, confident and in control because of all that I had learned in my hypnobirthing course and because I had committed to practicing all of the tools and techniques I learned in my hypnobirthing course throughout my pregnancy.

 

I honestly felt like I could do anything after I birthed my baby in this way - it was truly transformative. I soon realized my experience differed from many of my peers and other birthing people I met along the way. I almost felt guilty for having such a positive experience and I often didn’t really want to share the details of my birth journey, because I didn’t want others to think I wasn’t sensitive to the fact that they hadn’t had what they considered to be a positive birth experience.

 

For a good year, I kept thinking back to my birth experience, and I kept thinking about whether I too could become a hypnobirthing teacher and help other birthing people have an empowered and positive birth. Needless to say, I took the leap of faith and completed my training and coursework, got certified and now here we are!

 

I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with you at this incredibly exciting time in your life. My hypnobirthing course is a full birth preparation course. It’s evidenced-based and science-based, and perhaps most importantly, this course is for all births, no matter what type of birth you have. It is focused on helping you to have a calm, confident, positive birthing experience empowered by you!

 

 

 

 

My Training

 

2023-2024: Love Your Birth Hypnobirthing Teacher Training