My Journey Started At The Hairdressers...

…12 weeks pregnant, sucking on ginger biscuits in front of the huge salon mirror, reassuring myself I wasn’t going to be sick into a bin before the stylist had finished her job. She asked me if I’d thought about hypnobirthing. The truth was, I hadn’t even thought about birthing! Getting pregnant had been a long and difficult journey and that had been my only focus. This was the first time I’d paused and thought about actually pushing the thing out. I googled, researched and enquired about a hypnobirthing course before I even left the building…

And a year later, 6 months after the birth of my own baby, I was in a different salon chair. A different hairdresser too, pregnant with her first child. She didn’t have to say anything - the worry, the fear, the anxiety, the unknown… it was all written on her face. I told her about the wonders of hypnobirthing and how the course I’d taken had really helped to settle my nerves and stay positive… but she already knew about the course and had signed up herself just a few days before.

Though I knew she’d enjoy the course, I left feeling angry and annoyed inside; fed up that so many women end up in a situation where they face worry and fear around their birth. Too many horror stories told, too many ‘you won’t possibly understand until you’ve experienced it’ conversations. Too many negative thoughts about labour in a woman’s head by the time she is of childbearing age. It’s no wonder that women are scared of the pain of childbirth - it’s all we hear from the early days. And if we don’t hear it, we feel it in the voices of those who have experienced it before us. That overwhelming feeling of ‘you haven’t done it, so you can’t possibly know’ that shades every conversation between a new-mum-to-be and an experienced pusher (or worse - a group of them!)

My crew!

I couldn’t stand it when I was pregnant and, sitting in that chair in front of the worried young girl, I decided that I had to do something, even if it only helped a handful of people. I decided that I wanted to help others to prepare for the birth of their baby in the way I did. Women deserve to feel prepared and positive about birth. They also deserve to know and understand the choices they have in regards to their labour, antenatal and postnatal care. I think we can all agree that the labouring woman has most of the work to do, but nobody ever seems to think of the birth partner! In films and on TV they are seen as the ‘hand holder’ or the ‘bystander’. Birth partners deserve more than this too - they can learn, with hypnobirthing, to actively support the labouring woman with her techniques. There’s only so much mopping of the brow that can feel useful, surely? Birth partners experience such an overwhelmingly emotional event yet don't always get the chance to feel fully part of the process or feel truly helpful. I know of one dad who took my course who was told by the midwives that he should consider a career move into midwifery! Whoever your birth partner might be, they too can benefit from using hypnobirthing and feel fully prepared to act as your advocate on the day.

The clinical bright lights and cattle-market feel to the hospital’s basic antenatal class - the basic biscuits, cold plastic chairs and pain relief video (with little chance to ask questions or discuss pros and cons) - it just wasn’t for me. Experiencing all this, I decided to train as a hypnobirthing instructor, offering full antenatal classes and private instruction to women and their birth partners across Greater Manchester. And so far, so good! My clients have given me fantastic feedback and my sessions remain fun, friendly and informative. I’ve even been asked to attend births with my clients which is such a great honour.

If you’ve read this far and you’re still intrigued then you’ve come to the right place. Have a look around my website and discover more about hypnobirthing. Get in touch, connect with me on Facebook, Instagram or via email or book a course today. I can’t wait to be part of your journey and help you to have a positive and calm birth experience.

Mamas and Papas Manchester Events

Exciting news!

I’ve been asked to guest speak at the Manchester Mamas and Papas store during their January Parent-to-be events! I’ll be giving presentations on hypnobirthing, answering questions on all things antenatal and sharing some inspiring positive birth stories.

The events are happening on Sunday 20th January and Sunday 27th January between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

If you’re expecting, I’d love to see you there!

The Manchester Mamas and Papas store can be found in the intu Trafford Centre.

Details and tickets for the events can be found here!