Birth is one of life’s most important events and the birth of your baby cannot be repeated.
Therefore, preparing to offer baby the best possible start in life is a wonderful priority to have in your pregnancy because how we give birth does matter. Not just for the day itself, but for the journey ahead. Having a positive and empowering start to your journey can have a lifelong impact on both mother and baby.
Since 2007, Helen has been empowering couples with useful and practical tools and techniques to enjoy a more positive and comfortable birth experience. Using the Hypnobirthing program and incorporating mindfulness techniques, the skills learnt in her courses are useful and relevant for pregnancy, birth and life beyond.
Sometimes the hardest aspect of birth is that we cannot control all the circumstances that occur in our experience – but we can control the way we respond.
Therefore, it’s important to understand that the ideas, tools and techniques will be useful for you no matter what type of birth you choose to have, or whatever path you end up on.
Having a positive birth experience does not necessarily mean it was exactly as you imagined, or planned. It may involve twists, turns and a few challenges along the way. But a positive birth experience is one where you have the skills to work with it and through it. An experience where you feel calm and confident. A birth free of fear. A birth where you and your partner feel empowered to make the right choices for you and baby. A birth that you can look back on and know that you did the best that you knew how to at the time.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
In 2005, I had such a great experience of using hypnobirthing with the birth of my son that I thought more people would benefit from learning these tools and techniques. So I did the training and started teaching. To be totally honest, I thought it would be a great job to do while the kids were small and then I’d move onto something else. However, now, after 15 years of meeting and working with so many incredible people and enjoying this way more than I thought I would, I don’t think I could ever leave this work. It’s one of the nicest things you can do – inspire and provide practical tools and techniques, ideas and ways of thinking that can have a huge impact on parents during pregnancy, during birth and for life afterwards on the parenting journey. It’s a very special time in people’s lives and for them to have skills to bring their baby into the world in a more calm and positive way can help shape the rest of their journey through life.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
Slowly, one couple at a time, usually at their home, and within a year I started teaching small groups of couples in bigger venues as the word spread.
I’ve been exceptionally grateful to have received so many referrals via word of mouth. It did take a little while for midwives and obstetricians to cotton onto the idea, but now, I think most of them love and recommend the program – if for no other reason it makes their job much easier!
