Mindful hypnobirthing

You can read more about my approach to mindful hypnobirthing here. I recommend Sophie Fletcher’s mindful hypnobirthing online course for high quality accessible birth preparation using mindful hypnobirthing. If after completing this you would like to go into more depth on aspects of the ideas or skills practice please get in touch.

Really enjoyed today and learned a lot!! Came away feeling much more confident and ready for the big day (Rebecca)

Brilliant course and tutor.. glad I did it, even without my partner there! (Ingrid)

A very informative class, taken by a very knowledgeable leader. I did not really know what to expect but found this very easy to understand in practical terms (Phil)

An excellent session which was very well run. Gave me lots to think about and ideas, as well as showing what to prepare for. Feel very reassured and confident. Many thanks. (Ian)

Just wonderful! I thought I’d get ‘ok’ with birth – but I never imagined for a second I’d actively look forward to it. Thank you for helping me to feel not just relaxed but excited!

I felt that the trainer created a positive and supportive atmosphere as soon as we entered the venue which enabled my self and other participants to enjoy the session. I felt able to ask questions and could allow myself to completely relax when we practised the mindfulness techniques (Rebecca)

Despite being induced, I was able to use the relaxation techniques and had a straightforward birth without the need for pain relief.  My husband who also attended the workshop was able to help me throughout labour and was an invaluable support. (Jacqueline)

I got to 10cm without any pain relief and found the breathing techniques were able to help me cope with the experience and keep me as calm as possible during intense contractions. Before going to your class I was terrified of labour but we both left feeling more positive and able to think about labour in a rational way.

The midwives at the Spires were fantastic, which – together with the relaxation techniques – has enabled me to have a natural water birth only 4 hours after arriving at JR! (Celine and Dante)

Well, the labour process was interesting and ended up being quite far removed from the natural birth I wanted but i felt so positive about the whole experience and that the right decisions were made at the right times. I remained in control, relaxed and calm throughout even when it became apparent the outcome was going to be different to what I had wanted and planned. We were able to communicate our thoughts and feelings to the staff at the JR and they were wonderful in complying with our wishes and ensuring all the other medical team also kept calm and didn’t rush anything. Even if things don’t go as expected it is still possible to have a positive experience and sometimes medical intervention canbe useful, necessary and carried out in a calm and controlled way! I wouldn’t have been able to keep such a positive outlook if I had not been to Mindful Mamma! (Claire and Ian)

We really enjoyed the session and we definitely got what we wanted from it. It was a chance for me and Dave to think about the birth together, and we really like your style of presenting the information and getting us involved (as you might guess from us coming back three times!) We also appreciated you carrying on the session after the three hours had finished, and of course your homemade cake! I felt so relaxed afterwards, which was lovely, as well as more mentally prepared.

Just to let you know that our baby was born a few weeks ago. The labour was really quick (about 45 mins from start of contractions) but my waters broke a few hours earlier so we had time to get our two kids somewhere! I had been listening to the Mindful Mamma tracks daily in the run up to the birth, and also listened to them for part of the labour. I’d also written and read aloud my affirmations, so I think once again, hypnobirthing played a significant part in a very straightforward birth. I’m now listening to the ‘Confident Mamma’ tracks and have found them really helpful, and great for getting me to nap” (Maddy and Dave)

We are all doing very well and happy together, our little baby Zofia is sleeping well at night between feeds so even not too much sleep deprived. Also, we had a very good natural birth experience – Zofia was 10 days late, and had to be monitored all time due to placental bleeding, but labour was spontaneous and very fast and I was feeling all of the time in control. I didn’t use any of the relaxation techniques I practiced in the end, other then just trying to let go as much as I could. (Kinga and Michal)

To a great extent, I attribute our successful VBAC to the things I learned from you and the Mindful Mamma course which helped us to leave behind the fear I had from my previous experience of birth and stay calm, confident and focused during my pregnancy and labour. We are very grateful to you for your help and support- your kind encouraging emails when I initially enquired about the workshop, the time you spent speaking with us on the day of the workshop and your helpful follow up email. We will be strongly recommending you and Mindful Mamma to all our pregnant friends and their partners! (Claire and Rob)

I just wanted to inform you that I gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby girl last Thursday weighing a perfect 7lb 2oz. All natural with some gas and air in the final hour and in a birthing pool. It was just how I planned! I just wanted to thank you for opening my mind and helping me through one of the most amazing experiences of my life! (Katie)

The techniques that you shared with us without a doubt helped us achieve the natural birth that we so wanted – thank you again. (Jasmin and John)

I also trained in Mindfulness Based Childbirth and Parenting and previously taught on the NHS 4-week Mindful Birth (MBCP) course run by Oxford University Hospitals Trust midwives. I no longer teach this course but recommend contacting mindful.birth@ouh.nhs.uk to access this in Oxfordshire or click here for details on courses further afield.