How learning enables a calm birth — Li Ee and Joe
Hypnobirthing gives you both skills and understanding about birth. This in turn means that you have much to draw upon throughout your pregnancy, labour and birth. Li Ee and Joe really utilised all of their learning when giving birth to their baby boy.
We wanted to share with you that we had our baby boy three weeks ago, and had a really great birth experience in a midwife birth centre. We couldn't be happier and more pleased about the birth. We put a big part of this down to hypnobirthing, specifically your course!
Before we attended your course, we were both quite apprehensive about the birth, but after your course, we felt so much better, calmer and positive about it. I listened to your tracks almost everyday, and over the weeks grew in confidence of my ability to birth our baby and was no longer fearful of labour and birth.
I used a TENS machine during labour (although I'm not sure this did much in the end, perhaps because I didn't turn it up very high), and laboured in water (which was amazing, until my water broke and I was forced to get out). My main form of pain relief was breathing and if you can believe it, you. Your voice in my head. We played and replayed my favourite of your tracks (long long race) from the early stages right up till our baby was born. During the upstage I imagined my womb lifting and opening, which I think helped. And throughout labour, I would be reminded by you to focus on the end goal, that every surge would bring baby closer to me, that he would soon be in my arms, that it couldn't be too powerful for me and that I could do it!
We learnt so much on your course, which also helped in other ways
I was very wary of losing focus and showing the process down, so almost always had my eyes closed, focusing on your voice, on me and my breathing. Especially during the journey to the hospital, I had my eyes shut and headphones in while in the cab. My husband said I seemed "out of it" throughout labour.
My husband was the best birthing partner. He knew exactly what I was trying to do - zone out of everything and focus on the labour - so he dealt with all the questions from midwives and nurses and only came to me when he really needed to. He was also always with me, encouraging me, reminding me to breathe and saying all the right things - probably helped that we had been practising his partner script!
We were adamant about not giving birth lying down. If we had not been for your course, we might not have had such strong views and just followed the midwife's suggestion, which was to lie down! One of the best things we brought was actually extra pillows, that I leaned over in a kneeling position to birth our baby - so top tip for others!
We asked questions every time something was suggested to us rather than just following it, looked to understand if there were alternatives (eg. birthing position) and weighed up the risks and benefits before making a decision we were happy with. I am so pleased about this as we could have easily otherwise been induced a couple days before labour started naturally. And I know that would have then been a very different birth story.
Attending your course really was one of the best things we did in preparation for the birth, so a massive thank you to you from all three (!) of us!
Want to learn hypnobirthing with us? Don’t forget that we have a full Online Antenatal Hypnobirthing Class that you can follow in your own time anywhere around the world. It is only £39/$49.
The Online Hypnobirthing Course
We also teach antenatal hypnobirthing classes in London in person with our One Day Group Hypnobirthing Class.
In-person Antental Hypnobirthing Group Class
If you’d rather prepare for your labour and birth solo with Melanie you can do so in the privacy of your own home in person if you live in London or via the Zoom platform wherever you are around the globe.
Private Antenatal Hypnobirthing Classes