Testimonial from a first-time father

Hypnobirthing seemed to offer an insight into helping override the presumption that labour should be feared and must be painful. The course was run by a practicing midwife so for both of us this had an important link to reality. My partner wanted to try and aim for a natural birthing experience if at all possible and the course seemed to offer the skills to help achieve this. As K had gestational hypertension in the final weeks, without the Hypnobirthing course and the support of Wendy, I feel that dealing with hospital consultant, registrars and midwives would have made intervention extremely likely.

As it was, after labouring in water with the support of the excellent community midwife team who were fully supportive of our wishes for a natural birth, we now have a home-birthed boy born without any drugs. I can testify that the relaxation and visualisation had a remarkable (reducing) effect on blood pressure and heart rate through labour; this was after four long days of latent labour stages with ceaseless contractions.

The facilities at Cheltenham were excellent and we quickly got into a routine of having a ‘special’ evening when the course ran. Check out Le Petit Blanc early evening menu… Thanks Wendy!

Testimonial from a first-time mother

Without HypnoBirthing, we would have been in hospital with medical intervention and, I feel sure, he would have been an assisted delivery.

Testimonial from a second-time mother

I came to HypnoBirthing during my second pregnancy. When my first child was born, I felt prepared; I had done my ‘homework’, attended my antenatal classes and was ready for a positive experience. Unfortunately my labour and birth were a nightmare which ultimately ended in a ventouse delivery and a hugely disappointed mum. Not the ideal start to life I had envisioned for my daughter.

When I became pregnant for the second time, I knew there must be a better way. There was nothing physically or medically wrong with me and I instinctively knew if I could get my mind and body working together, free from fear and the need to control, things would be different.

Hypnobirthing was the key. I dragged my sceptical husband along to the sessions run by Wendy Metcalfe. I was enlightened; here was the birth I knew could be my experience, positive, gentle and drug-free.

When the time came, I really was ready. Armed with nothing more than my ipod and a supportive but nervous husband, I laboured and delivered with complete awareness and felt absolutely empowered. It felt amazing, hard work but extremely positive. The hospital staff were intrigued and couldn’t believe I didn’t even need gas and air!

It was the best possible, gentle, start to life for my baby, Eve and the best start to parenting for me.

I have the utmost respect for Wendy and the HypnoBirthing philosophy. It really is about getting back to the basics. Allowing our bodies to do what they are designed to do, if only we would let them!

Testionial from a returning mother

My husband and I signed up for the hypno-birthing course and the hospital classes, better to be safe than sorry, we thought, and we were amazed at the difference in quality of the information we received! We found that hypno-birthing course had a very positive outlook onto the pending birth, and first year after our daughters arrival, whereas, the hospital classes very much focussed on pain, pain relief, what to pack in your hospital bag, and the forthcoming ‘horrendous’ sleepless nights!

Unlike the rest of my experience during my pregnancy, hypno-birthing really engaged my partner in the birthing process. My husband felt happy that he had a major part to play in making the experience more comfortable for both myself, and the baby on arrival, and I felt secure in the knowledge that he was there to help me throughout.

I was so excited about the onslaught of labour! The course enabled me to trust my body and feel confident throughout all stages; I felt in control of my baby’s birth. We had a lovely, uncomplicated, natural birth for my daughter that was everything I could have hoped for!

Pregnant with my second child, the books and the course are here again. How exciting!

Testimonial from the mother of Charlotte

Although I wanted to have children very much, I had always feared the process of being pregnant and giving birth. I would always push it to the back of my mind and think ‘Once I’m pregnant I’ll have to deal with it somehow!’ So when the time finally came, I was very happy to be pregnant, but filled with totally crazy fears and anxieties. I spent the first few months in an emotional turmoil, but then managed to find a clipping from a newspaper, which I’d kept many years before, about HypnoBirthing. Through the website I tracked down a local contact that sent me the CD and the book which came with the course. The book was wonderful to me, fascinating and reassuring. My first reaction to being pregnant was hope that I would have a caesarian and avoid the whole ‘terrible’ experience of giving birth. But from my involvement in HypnoBirthing, my feelings changed totally. There was nothing I wanted more than a natural, peaceful birth. The book made me realise where my fears had come from and how unreasonable they were. The history of birthing filled me with wonder at how such a natural issue had been so demonized by the medical world and by everyone around me. Mention you’re pregnant and the whole world starts telling you horror stories!

The HypnoBirthing materials helped me from the beginning and I continued to listen to the CD every day. Unfortunately my local contact fell through about two months before the baby was due, just when I was about to start the course. This was a shock but I found Wendy who helped me enormously. The changes that I experienced throughout my pregnancy really amazed me. I overcame great obstacles and arrived at my due date totally relaxed about the whole idea and looking forward to putting into practice what I had learnt.

I was 10 days late and pressure had been mounting to induce. Through a combination of natural speeding techniques, including acupressure, I had started things moving. The labour itself went well. It lasted for 24 hours, but the first 20 hours were very peaceful and calm, with no discomfort at all. I breathed through my contractions and although I was tired through lack of sleep, I was happy that it was taking place slowly and naturally and was not speeded up by any artificial means.

Although the last three hours were not as peaceful as shown in the HypnoBirthing videos, I knew all through that I was being helped not only by the techniques but by the change in my mindset which had come about as a result of the course. The psychological problems that I had had around birth from the beginning did begin to creep in those last few hours, but for me, this had been a major, major issue which I had overcome 95% and I was proud of myself for that. I needed no stitches, (probably due to the perineal massage we had done regularly), and only used gas and air for the last few hours.

I have a wonderful little girl, Charlotte who finally literally dropped into the world at 5pm on 4th July 2005.