Yes! Absolutely! It's not some weird, hypnotic magic! It's based on the logical idea that if you remove any subconscious fears about birth before you go into labour, your body won't tense up and your birthing hormones won't be negatively affected, so your birthing muscles will be able to function more effectively and hopefully you'll feel more comfortable, relaxed and in control.

A Hypnobirthing course will teach you the skill of relaxation, by helping you explore different techniques to help boost your endorphins and relax your mind! This doesn't necessarily mean you have to lie still with your eyes closed! We'll work together to find what works for you! Most importantly though, doing a Hypnobirthing course prepares your mind for birth, alleviating any fears around birth so that your body can remain free of tension during labour. This is the key to a more comfortable birth!

Hypnobirthing is for EVERY type of birth. No matter how you intend to give birth, the knowledge and techniques acquired on a Hypnobirthing course will definitely help to make your birth experience better. In fact, Hypnobirthing can be even more beneficial for those who have a pregnancy classed as "high risk". Understanding all your rights and options, knowing how to make informed decisions and having the tools to stay calm, relaxed and in control really ensures you have a more positive and empowering birth experience. 

On the Hypnobirthing course, we discuss how to adapt all the tools and techniques in the case of an induction or a Caesarean birth, but I do also offer a Calm Caesarean course specifically for anyone planning to give birth by C-section.

The best time to start a Hypnobirthing course is whenever feels right for you! For some, this may be quite early on - I've taught couples at 16 weeks pregnant - or for some, this may be much later on. The benefit to starting earlier on is that you are equipped with all the knowledge and tools from early on in pregnancy (this can be especially useful if your pregnancy is high risk or you have additional midwife or consultant appointments), but it's never too late to start! Some people have even started as late as 38 weeks! Even a couple of weeks of Hypnobirthing practice is better than none!

Definitely! Hypnobirthing teaches you about all of your options so that you can make informed decisions and it equips you with tools to stay calm and relaxed so that labour can progress more smoothly. This makes the midwife's job so much easier! The majority of NHS midwives recognise the incredible benefits of Hypnobirthing and are usually very supportive of your birth preparation choices. In fact, many midwives even train to become Hypnobirthing teachers themselves!

Of course! Hypnobirthing is all about choice, so you can have as much or as little pain relief as you like! However, a lot of people using Hypnobirthing tend to find that they simply don't require pharmaceutical pain relief and are able to cope with the sensations of labour just using their Hypnobirthing techniques and comfort measures. Even if you plan to use every pain relief option available, it's still really useful to have the Hypnobirthing techniques to use during early labour at home, during the journey into hospital and whilst waiting until other pain relief options are available. These techniques can also help you feel more comfortable after the birth too!

Yes, your birth partner is actively encouraged to attend the classes with you, so that he or she can learn about all the choices and options available to you and understand how to support you with the breathing and relaxation techniques. It's quite common for some birth partners to be very sceptical, but usually after learning about the science behind Hypnobirthing in the first session, they're firmly on board and are grateful to be learning how to support you during labour, rather than standing around feeling like a spare part!