Birth stories

Clare & Gordon - on the birth of Sean 

"I came across the HypnoBirthing national website, whilst scanning the net about pregnancy and was amazed at the positive, happy birthing stories and immediately wanted to know more. I soon found our local practitioner was located in Ayr and I called Leigh for a chat. Leigh diligently explained the key elements of the course; that relaxation techniques promoted a comfortable, natural, easy birth; to trust your body to do its job without fear and anxiety obstructing progress and basically I would be in control of my own birth, which was what I really, really wanted. I have heard so many negative birth stories from many women and did not want to have a similar traumatic experience.
My friends and families response to the HypnoBirthing course was certainly diverse.. Mostly this varied from, “tree hugging mumbo jumbo”, to “you’ll never manage without the drugs”! Though, I must add that some did support my enthusiasm and wished me luck.

Both myself and my husband really enjoyed the HypnoBirthing course and found it to be more fulfilling than we could possibly have anticipated. The course contains all the information you could possibly neew with support videos, CDs etc, it is also time for yourself and partner to really face up to your true feelings and anxieties to the forthcoming life changing event through self hypnosis counselling techniques. This may sound like ‘hippy talk’, but it’s amazing how much the subconscious mind stores feelings and emotions that you never realised were there.

It was also important to practice the relaxation techniques before the big day and I listened to my ipod every night to unwind me into a sound sleep which was superb when pregnant, so relaxing and I certainly never suffered sleep deprivation.

The course also covers full antenatal topics which is a further bonus.

My birth story is one of a fast, easy and controlled intervention-free birth, as I had hoped for. My labour progressed from a curious twinge at 5.30am to “is this labour” at 7.00am to, “might be” at 9.00am, and very quickly to making an exit to the hospital at 10.30am when the surges were only 2-3 minutes apart. Amazingly, I was fully dilated when I arrived and very eager to launch into the birthing pool, my first choice for a natural birth.

My husband, Gordon, was my HypnoBirthing partner and he explained to the midwives our birth plan, which they were happy to support, and let us to ‘our thing’.

I used the relaxation CDs, provided during the course, to listen to whilst in the pool and to focus my mind on my breathing and to my body’s natural instincts. Without any intervention from the nursing staff, my husband and I birthed our son, Sean, calmly and easily to the amazement of the midwives. Later, the nursing staff admitted to being very ‘chilled out’ after listening to the relaxing CD’s in the room with us!

I would recommend the HypnoBirthing course to any woman who wants to take control of her birthing experience. The course is a real confidence booster and lets you look at birthing through new eyes, with no fear of the impending event and embracing the changes to come. I can honestly say that I was stunned at how controlled I could be at the birth through attending the course, and how happy both myself and husband were at the final outcome.

I can’t thank Leigh enough for all her support over the many weeks prior to the birth. "