HypnoBirthing® Testimonials

Jess, Jamie & baby Adeline (1st baby, 1st HypnoBirth)

♦ New 2019 testimonial ♦

"Baby Adeline Anne Neill arrived at 12pm on the 12th October, weighing 6lb 7oz.. No pain relief what so ever (other than 2 paracetamol) .. and not a single stitch needed!

We came to hospital at 5am because my waters had popped.. to be told they hadn’t and to come back when they had ( I later discovered that they had broken at 5am like I thought but I was happy to spend the next few hours at home anyway ) so off we went home, and spent the next few hours using the HypnoBirthing breathing and relaxation techniques. We came back in at 9.30 when the surges were consistently close together and more intense. 

I got seen by a midwife about 10am, at which point I was told that I was fully dilated and would I like them to run the pool for me. At 12 o’clock on the dot she arrived safe and sound.

She’s very happy and content and is feeding well 🥰

Thank you for all your help and advise over the course, catch up with you soon.

Take Care,

Jess and Jamie xxx"

Lucy, Jamie & baby Lucas (2nd baby, first HypnoBirth)

♦ New 2019 testimonial ♦

"I gave birth to our baby son, Lucas Richard on the 17th 😊 3.50am 7lb 1oz.

I went into labour on my own that night at 22.30 hours. I was advised to go into hospital fairly soon after labour started because of the excess amniotic fluid I was carrying around the baby . It all progressed nicely from here. I was " in the zone" with the HypnoBirthing relaxation music on, I was so chilled that I even had a cup of tea! 

At 03.40 hours my waters broke and the intensity and frequency of the surges went up very quickly. Ten minutes later he was born, the midwifes couldn’t get ready fast enough!

I didn’t feel any need to have any drugs during labour or birth which left me feeling so fresh headed, I couldn’t believe how well I felt compared to last time.

Lucas didn’t cry when he was born or until he was 2 days old for that matter. They even brought doctors to check him not long after he was born but I think he was just chilled out!

Thank you so much for making our experience what it was ❤️ you helped so much. It really was an incredible experience  Xxxx"

Kerrie, Jamie & baby Fergus (HypnoBirthed baby no.2)

♦ New 2019 testimonial ♦

" Well what can I say. Thank you so very much again for equipping us with to tools and education to birth our baby boy Fergus.

 As expected, due to my gestational diabetes I listened to the advice of the consultants and was booked in for induction just before our due date.

 In the days prior to induction I tried as much as I could to help my body be as ready as it could be for induction. I was as active as could be: walking, bouncing on my birth ball, pregnancy yoga, acupuncture and finally I went for a facial and pregnancy massage.

 Most of all though I practiced my affirmations, breathing, rainbow relaxation and enjoyed baths whilst listening to the Comfort Zone album.

 I think that these helped as twice before going into hospital I thought that labour had started but it was just my body practicing.

Jamie and I had an ideal birth plan that I had discussed with my consultant. They knew that I would be practicing HypnoBirthing and were open to me labouring and birthing in the birth pool at the hospital.

Our induction plan was that we would have a balloon induction which then allows you to go home for 24hrs or until a natural labour starts. I felt reassured by this and looked forward to possibly starting the first stages in my home surroundings.

Thankfully on the day of induction it seemed that all the walking and the odd tightening that I had felt had in fact made sure that the baby was low in my pelvis as when the midwife examined me my waters broke.

I was then advised to have a pessary induction as I had with Isla which would then slowly start opening the cervix.

The pessary was administered at about 10.30 and for the rest of the afternoon I watched some of my favourite comedy films whilst bouncing on a ball, listening to my affirmations and walking.

 I realised at about 8pm that I had started to notice some tightening that I was then breathing through an hour later.

 I sent jamie home at this time for some rest. I was comfortable in hospital and thought that he wouldn’t need to return until the morning.

 I was happy listening to my music, moving around the ward, breathing and keeping relaxed. 

Things then seemed to progress really quite quickly. I called for the midwife when I realised that my surges were about 4 minutes apart and lasting a minute and said that I was ready for them to fill the birthing pool or run a bath.

A midwife came to examine me and was taken to the labour ward at 11pm at 3cm dilated.

Things took a bit of turn away from our plan. The midwives has picked up that due to the how quickly my labour had progressed and the intensity of the surges the baby’s heart was dipping at times.  They were very reassuring and promised that as soon as the heart rate had stabilised that I would be able to use the pool and they would be able to keep monitoring the baby’s heart via the waterproof equipment that they had.

"Fast and furious" is how Jamie describes the rest of my birth. Surges were coming thick and fast and I progressed really quickly. Jamie arrived back at the hospital with just 40 minutes before Fergus was born.

 My midwife was fantastic. She helped Jamie set up playing HypnoBirthing music, dimmed the lights and adjusted the bed so that even though hooked to a heart monitor I could move around the bed easily and be in an all fours position for birth.

She was constantly supportive reminding me to breath the baby down and telling me that I was doing really well.

Despite the labour being a much quicker and stronger experience than with Isla my first little girl, HypnoBirthing helped to keep me calm and gave me the tools to require no further intervention or pain relief.

 I kept reminding myself to remain calm, “to calmly meet whatever turn my birthing might take” and I trusted my own body to push our baby down as I breathed down with the surges.

 Fergus was born very quickly, and with one strong surge he came out in one.

The midwife passed him to me and I held him until the cord and finished pulsating.

 Despite his hurry to enter the world, Fergus is a very calm, relaxed and perfect little baby boy.

 Thank you again for all of your support during our refresher classes .

Once again I am very proud of what the human body can do.

All our love

Amy, Stephen and Baby Miles (HypnoBirth baby No.2 )

♦ New 2019 testimonial ♦

"Hi Clare! I wanted to let you know that we had successful hypnobirth number 2!!

It was another short labour, just 2 hours in total and we had our planned home birth.

My waters went at 4.10am and surges started at 4.30am 2 minutes apart. I rang for the midwifes who set off to our house.

The first midwife arrived in time, but the second one missed it all.

Steven set up my hypnobirth music, some orange essential oil for calming and lit some candles. 

I used up breathing with a straw through every surge, the midwife was very impressed how calm it all was.

I was examined straight away and told I was 4cm, I felt I was much further along. 2 more surges and and I felt the urge to push. I used the sofa to lean over and delivered Miles at 6.21am straight onto my chest.

Throughout Jesse [Amy & Stephen's eldest son and first Hypnobirthed baby] was asleep in his bedroom upstairs and woke up to a new baby brother.

Another beautiful birth xxx"

Becky, Ben & baby Ava Grace

“Hi Clare

it’s Becky,Ben and our new addition Ava Grace! Just want to say thankyou again for all your guidance and support through our pregnancy journey.

Due to medical  reasons, I ultimately required a c-section delivery in the end to bring Ava safely into the world. However,  the HypnoBirthing relaxation techniques, visualisations and affirmations plus all the knowledge that you taught us really had me as calmly prepared and relaxed  and enabled us to cope really confidently with the turns the birth ended up taking.

Ava Grace is such a calm and chilled little thing and clear to see how being relaxed through birth and pregnancy - through practising the HypnoBirthing techniques every day and feeling so calm and confident in myself as a result- has had a massive beneficial affect on her temperament.

So thankyou for being a great teacher! The classes were relaxed and enjoyable and packed with great information and tips that made such a difference to how I felt after completing the course compared to how worried and anxious I was beforehand. I would recommend your HypnoBirthing classes to everyone who wants to feel calm and confident during labour and birth."

Kat, Mark & baby Aurelia

"Our beautiful baby girl was born yesterday morning at 1.29am at home, very calmly and speedily.

We had planned a home birth and it was a good job as after my waters released at 10.39pm, my baby's head was already crowning by the time the first midwife arrived at midnight!

There was no time to get in the pool or to even consider whether I needed any pain relief or not and the gas and air arrived after she did!  The midwives said they were amazed at how calmly and confidently I dealt with the whole birth. They told my partner, Mark, that I am an earth mother. I'm so helplessly in love with her and just feel so calm and like I know exactly what to do with her.

I was so afraid of the whole idea of giving birth before we found Clare and did the HypnoBirthing privately with her over the course of just a week between 37 and 38 weeks of pregnancy. I am so glad that we did because I felt like I had let go of a huge weight of fear, worry and tension. In its place I gained confidence  and a feeling of trust and self-belief in myself - I could have hardly dared hope to feel this way when we decided to enrol for the course. It made the last few days of my pregnancy really enjoyable because I could relax for the first time since becoming pregnant and actually look forward to my baby's  birth. I can't thank Clare enough for all her help and support. I would recommend HypnoBirthing to anyone wanting to eliminate their fears about giving birth and feel that they can do it!! I did it and honestly, so can you!"

Jamie, Ian and Baby Iris Elizabeth

"Iris Elizabeth Marsh was born on at 18:48hrs, weighing a tiny 6 pounds 8 ounces.

We attended group classes with Clare during my 3rd trimester which we really enjoyed and found to be extremely helpful in ensuring I felt much calmer and more confident about the birth in the last few weeks of pregnancy.
During a long labour, the hypnobirthing relaxation and breathing techniques worked brilliantly for me. I did not need any pain relief throughout. I was even 10cms/fully dilated when I got to the hospital!   

At the start of the birthing phase, I began using the birth breathing to support my body's natural expulsive reflex in nudging my baby down the birth pathway. I felt confident and focussed. The midwives soon realised that our baby had piveted round into the spine-to-spine position (most babies move into the normal back-to-front position which makes birthing easier), which was making it impossible for my body to nudge her out of the uterus with each surge simply because of her unusual positioning. With some additional assistance from the midwives to birth her, our baby daughter soon arrived safely and calmly in the world.   

We are both doing great. Thanks to all the relaxation, she is a very chilled out baby and sleeps most of the time. She’s very content and my confidence meant that even when our circumstances changed requiring some medical assistance during the birthing phase, I was able to go with it. Thanks to the HypnoBirthing, we can look back on our birth story as a very positive experience.  Thank you so much, Clare,  for all your help and support; the balloon trip visualisation really helped me stay calm and present during the birthing phase."

Sarah, Paul, big brother Cooper & Baby Bodhi

♦ New testimonial ♦

“Our beautiful baby boy Bodhi Stephen was born at 04:19hours weighing 7lb 10.5oz after a speedy (unplanned) home delivery. 

This is my second baby and I had previously used hypnobirthing for the birth of my first son in 2014, this too was a calm, quick & uncomplicated birth with no interventions which I believe was 100% due to the hypnobirthing techniques which Clare taught me in the months previous to my son being born. The tools I learnt with Clare enabled me to be so confident and calm and taught me to believe in myself and eliminate the fear factor and anxieties I had previous to embarking on the hypnobirthing classes.

With my second pregnancy I was in no doubt that I wanted to use the same relaxation techniques so I booked a refresher course with Clare. 

When my waters broke 9 days early I managed to stay calm & relaxed and went along to the hospital to be checked. They said I wasn’t dilated at all and suggested going home to rest. I came home and put the rainbow relaxation cd on and within 45 minutes the surges were coming every couple of minutes. I used all the breathing techniques which I had learned and remained calm... suddenly I knew the baby was coming. My partner called the labour ward who then called an ambulance for us but my baby didn’t want to wait... he was born 5 minutes later. My partner delivered him whilst we waited for the ambulance. It was all very quick with no time for any pain relief and I managed to stay calm under the circumstances and this is due to everything I had learned on the course. I knew I could do it and I trusted my body, I trusted my baby and this got me through. So thank you Clare & thank you hypnobirthing. It’s an amazing story to tell our son when he’s older.”

You can also read Sarah's first testimonial after the birthof her first son, Cooper here

Amy, Steven & Baby Jesse

Born August 2017

Becky, Mark & Baby Edward
Becky's mum, Hilary was her birth companion

♦ New testimonial ♦

"Being quite a laid back person I was very much open on what to expect with my first child. I always knew that the usual antenatal classes were not going to be for me, so on receiving recommendations and after a little research,  the Hypnobirthing (Mongan Method) course provided by Clare Moore,  seemed to be the ideal choice for me.

I had always said I wanted my mum to be with me during the birth, fortunately for me my other half was more than happy to oblige and agreed although he was to be present he would on my request sit quietly at the ‘top end’.

Mum and I attended one to one classes with Clare at her home which was a lovely, relaxing and welcoming environment. We really couldn’t have enjoyed the course more. Clare is a natural teacher whose enthusiasm and belief in this method is contagious, any of the nerves and concerns I had about labour were very quickly replaced by excitement.

Sadly my labour didn’t quite go as expected when there was confusion as to whether my waters had broken or not, this ended in a bit of a rush to get me induced as not to go over the safe 72 hour guideline. Even through all the confusion I remained completely calm and focused. Fortunately Clare had talked about what to expect in case of induction and how to work it into my birth plan, she was also on the end on the phone offering advice and reassurance.

I settled myself into my room and turned on my relaxation playlist, unbeknown to me my contractions had already begun, and the midwives seemed quite bemused that I was feeling no discomfort at all. My labour progressed quite rapidly throughout which I continued listening to my music and only needed to use the simple deep breathing exercises which we had practiced in class. In 20 minutes I had gone from 5 to 8 cm dilation it was at this point that the contractions became more intense and I needed the help of my mum and her healing hands, she used the light touch massage and birth prompts that Clare had taught us and talked me through the remainder of my labour. It took in total 6 hours to deliver my 8lb8oz baby boy Edward. I had no need for pain relief.

Even after the not so perfect start I really couldn’t have asked for a better labour for both myself and my son who entered this world into a lovely calm environment.

Clare prepares you for whatever turn your labour and birth may take so that you remain calm, centred and confident throughout.  This was such an invaluable element of her HypnoBirthing approach and the HypnoBirthing  Mongan Method philosophy that underpins the whole course. 

At 8 months our son remains a happy, calm and contented little boy who, whenever he is upset, continues to settle down immediately as soon as I play him the relaxation music that I played during my HypnoBirthing practise.

Kerrie, Jamie & Baby Isla

♦ March 2017♦

Lea, Luke & Baby Fenton

♦NEW birth story♦

After having a traumatic first birth I was terrified of giving birth again but here I was in my 2nd trimester with my 2nd baby! I knew labour is completely worth it, but I wanted to feel a lot more in control and wanted no interventions for my birth this time. I researched Hypnobirthing and was keen to see what it was all about, so I found Clare and arranged a taster session.

Me and my partner Luke were immediately wowed by all the fantastic things hypnobirthing helps parents achieve, I had always thought giving birth was a painful and scary process that women had to endure to have a baby, but that really is not the case! 

Clare helped us to feel so confident and in control of a calm and empowering birth experience. She provided us with techniques and tools to use and incredible facts about pregnancy and birth. By the end , I was completely relaxed and confident about going into labour, my nerves were only the excitement I had for meeting my new baby! 

I went into pre-labour on 6th January around 10am, my surges were so comfortable they felt like tightenings across my tummy, by 1pm my daughter left to stay with her Grandma so I could begin relaxing , I had a hot bath using surge breathing , and once I got out I lay on my bed with many cushions while my partner read relaxation scripts to me - still breathing through my now stronger surges, I began walking around after this as I became quite hot. It was comforting to be in my home til 3:30pm feeling at ease and confident about my birth, but I knew when it was time to get to hospital. I had allowed a midwife to examine me - 5cms by this point. At 4:30 I was in my own room, with dim lights and soft music. I found being on a chair comfortable, my partner stroked my arms, using the light touch massage technique we had learned and dabbed my forehead with a cold wet flannel.
By 5:30 my surges had become very strong and  as I had not expected my labour to progress so quickly I found it harder to zone out as my surges were extremely close together but soon after my body began bearing down, I squatted at the top of the bed, within 10 surges or so my body pushed my baby into the world, at 6:38pm Fenton calmly arrived weighing 7lbs 12oz with no help or interventions at all, I held him for a good 40 minutes with the cord still attached and completely relaxed on my chest, he fed on me after 10 minutes. I can't believe I did it with such ease and control!  My partner also felt so confident assisting me in birth too and I appreciated his fantastic support. We can't Thank Clare enough for helping us achieve such a positive and calm birthing experience. 

Laura, Craig & Baby Hugo

♦NEW birth story♦

I am naturally quite an anxious person and although I had felt quite positive throughout my pregnancy I didn’t want to risk anxiety creeping in as my due date approached. I decided to look into Hypnobirthing after reading a little about in online and found Clare, I spoke to my husband about it and surprisingly he agreed to meet (at that point I think he would have done anything his pregnant wife asked him to).

We met with Clare and she really took the time to get to know us and explain what Hypnobirthing was about.

I was hooked straight away and couldn’t wait to get started. Craig on the other hand was still a bit dubious but was willing to come along for my benefit. After the first session that all changed, Craig was amazed at how he had felt during the relaxation techniques and could really feel the benefit of taking the time to unwind and discuss anything that was making us both anxious about labour. 

Before long we were both really looking forward to the sessions, Clare provided the knowledge and understanding of what happens through each stage of labour and empowered us with techniques to help us relax and take charge of our own bodies and feelings. The sessions were really easy going and the resources provided were both insightful and encouraging.

As my due date approached I was feeling very calm about the experience and everybody commented on how I wasn’t my usual ‘worrying’ self. The nursery and bags were ready and more importantly, I felt ready for whatever was going to happen.

Wednesday morning, I got up like any other morning and began getting ready, I could feel a few flutters in my stomach but just put these out of my mind as usual goings on (my baby wasn’t due till Saturday and it was my first so I had convinced myself I would be late). As the morning went on the feelings didn’t leave and just felt like little nudges inside, I continued going about my day. After speaking to my mum, she insisted I go to her house as I shouldn’t be on my own, just in case. The day pretty much continued with the nudges getting slightly more obvious and I found that standing helped the feeling to wash over me. My mum had been timing my movements of standing and sitting and around 4.45pm decided that we should perhaps make a move to the hospital as every 5mins or so I would repeat my up/down routine. I rang my husband, told him nothing too much was happening but to leave work and meet us at the hospital. We arrived at the hospital where my twinges were now a little more than they had been and were about 3 mins apart. The midwife had a chat with me and observed the wave of a tightening come and go, she concluded they were Braxton hicks (because I was coping so well and didn’t seem phased) and said I should go home. My mum and husband insisted that I should be checked over just to make sure, as the midwife checked what was happening she was amazed to find I was 5cm dilated and she could see the baby’s head, not as surprised as me !  From then on we checked into the water birth room and I trusted my own body and feelings, something Clare had taught me to do, at 6.45pm I knew my body was tightening and things were beginning to really happen. We put on the relaxation music and I got into the water.

I can’t comment on what happened after that as the next thing I remember is feeling my babies head, opening my eyes and being passed my beautiful son, who was wide eyed and calmly looking around. I was completely entranced with my relaxation, breathing and listening to the music and had lost all concept of time.

It had taken only 2 hours from getting into the pool and only 4 hours from arriving at hospital for my baby to be born into the most incredibly environment, both midwives commented on what a fantastic experience it had been for them and how it had made their day – it had most definitely made ours.

When you are preparing for a baby everybody gives you lists of things you need; cot, blankets, car seat etc I think the top of this list should be self confidence and belief, something that Hypnobirthing will definitely give you. I would recommend this to anyone who feels they would benefit from this and so would my husband; I even caught him telling the sales woman in a shop how incredible our experience had been (and how silent his wife had been throughout labour – a rarity for me!)

Our experience was a fantastic one and I believe it is all down to Clare and Hypnobirthing, Our son is so content and everybody who meets him comments on this.  Thank you to Clare for everything you have done, and to anybody who thinks Hypnobirthing is for them – it definitely is!

Emma & her mum, Karen as birth partner
The birth of baby Liliana

Born 27th October 2016

A friend recommended hypnobirthing (I’d never heard of it) so I began researching it and I came across Clare’s website - I’m so glad I did! I signed up for the private lessons - Clare was so understanding of my needs and so friendly - me and my mum (my birthing partner) we were instantly put at ease.

Clare is very knowledgeable not just about hypnobirthing per se, but in a number of topics that feed into and support hypnobirthing. Consequently, she is able to provide a very holistic approach, which is invaluable. Alongside the well thought out and planned lessons, I practiced the tools I felt most in tune with at home to enable a calm birth. I had many questions and also a few anxieties (anxieties that naturally surround issues such as “am I doing it right” and the what if’s etc) but Clare was able to answer and reassure me throughout.

As a consequence of going over my due date I was induced on the evening of the 14^th day at 19:30 with a propess pessary. It wasn’t an easy decision as I was worried about the pace of labour once I had been induced. Clare really helped me to come to terms with my decision and once I committed, I fully embraced the process. I was informed by the medical staff that this first stage of induction could take days to establish and in fact, I may have to have several pessary’s before labour is fully induced. My body however, was very responsive and the pessary was enough to kick start everything. I started tightening around midnight and by 2am I was very much in the latent phase of labour. I spent the night calm breathing listening to the rainbow relaxation and also the music associated with the course. By 4am the contractions (surges) were coming more intense and more frequent and I had a bath to relax further. By 9am I had got myself to 5cms dilated. I was then taken to the birthing suite but was told I had to be monitored so I couldn’t go into the birthing pool. However, because everything was moving so well with no complications I was reluctantly allowed into the birthing pool after insisting that this is where I wanted to give birth. In the pool I listened to my body and I naturally spent time labouring on my knees whilst using the various breathing techniques and visualisations. This part of my labour was incredible. I felt totally at one with my body and the position of my baby – I had no concept of time or space I just concentrated on my breathing, through the surges and then calm breathing in between. I have never experienced anything like it – I was so zoned into my body and the position of my baby. By 14:15 my baby was crowing and by 14:53 my baby had been born. It was everything I had hoped for – I delivered my little girl myself, brought her to my chest and enjoyed skin to skin contact. Although I was induced, there were no other interventions or pain relief, just gas and air. I had no stitches, no tears, not even a graze. I did hit a brick wall but after a midwife shift change she was able to bring me back to hypnobirthing basics and got me to crowning within 30 minutes. 

I 100% believe in hypnobirthing and the entire premise it has been built on. My story is testament to Clare’s ability to teach the various hypnobirthing techniques in order to achieve the calm birth that I so desperately wanted. Clare’s approach is very clear and very reassuring. Her passion for the subject is certainly something that transfers to her students and reinforces their confidence to achieve a beautiful birthing experience. My story is also is a positive example that even when medically induced into labour, it is still possible to have a beautiful and an empowering birthing experience.

I never in a million years thought I’d say this about giving birth, but I’d love to be lucky enough to do it all over again. I cannot recommend Clare highly enough.  

Dr Emma M & Liliana

Lucy, Danny & Baby Max

♦NEW birth story♦

Born November 2016

I first contacted Clare after searching for ways to reduce the anxiety I had at the the thought of giving birth.

My husband was very sceptical but agreed to meet with Clare. After our first meeting we agreed to go ahead with the programme and I think my husband was impressed with the science behind HynoBirthing, the Mongan Method and how Clare explained things so clearly.

The classes helped me to take control of my pregnancy and kept me calm throughout. Finally the day came when my waters broke (a week early!) It was 11.25pm and I was in bed... I heard a pop and knew it was time to ring the hospital. We went in and I was examined and the midwife said I was no where nearly dilated and she couldn't even see my cervix! She suggested we go home and come back the next day to be induced. I was very disappointed because I did not want to be induced as it could effect my dream of having a natural drug free birth. We got home and I immediately got into my hypnobirthing 'zone' just as I had practised whilst pregnant. Before I knew it 2 hours had passed and my contractions (serge's) were coming thick and fast. All of a sudden I had the urge to push! Danny rushed me back to the hospital where I was told I was 10 cm and well on my way! The midwife could not believe I had got to this stage drug free and  so quickly. An hour later little Max was born weighing 7.12lb! He came out and was alert and ready to feed. He latched on almost immediately! It was amazing!   Max is such a happy baby and everyone who meets him comments about how content he is.We cannot thank Clare enough for helping us and I would recommend hynobirthing to anyone. 

Lucy, Danny and baby Max

Jessica, Rob & Baby Arlo

Arlo was born at 1:10 in the morning and weighed a lovely 7.3.

He was born in the birthing pool and my hypnobirthing was used throughout my labour. 

I started labour at 10am Sunday morning and went into hospital at about 6:30pm.  I spent this time at home in the bath and doing my breathing.  Once I was in the pool it took just 20 mins for Arlo to arrive with not even any gas and air. I absolutely loved my birth and thank you so so much for all your help. 

I have told everyone about hypnobirthing and the midwifes were so lovely and supportive at the hospital. 

Arlo was born into a calm world and we are getting on lovely. He took to breast feeding so well and I truly believe this was due to all the skin to skin he had once he arrived with both me and daddy. Thank you, Clare!

Dawn, Ian & Baby Charlie

♦NEW birth story♦

"We made contact with Clare for a refresher of hypnobirthing because we hypnobirthed with my first son too. Clare was so approachable and listened to what we needed and planned perfect sessions to further our understanding of hypnobirthing and enabled us to fully make use of
the skills and mindset during labour. It was amazing to meet someone who was so happy to make sure she gave us exactly what we needed. She even did an extra session with me, using her plethora of experience and skills in neurolinguistic programming and hypnotherapy to help release fears and focus on my family as a complete unit, after the birth... And it worked!

I was, because of the sessions I had with Clare, able to release fears I had
about birth and life adjusting to two children.  This enabled me to access the hypnobirthing tools more fully. I understood the techniques more clearly and used them throughout my labour to give birth to a 9lb5oz baby, after a previous tear and I did not
tear.  Neither did I use drugs or need intervention at all! Something I have since been told by numerous midwives and doctors is no mean feat! The midwife who looked after us said it was beautiful to watch and the nicest delivery she had witnessed!
Because of my mindframe the relationship between my husband and I and the relationship we had with the midwife  during the birth were beautiful. The birth was slow and gentle and as such I used the numbing effect of
babies head, my bodies natural endorphins and breathing to bring him into the world.
I was fully aware and in control and confident throughout. Within 20
mins of being born, Charlie was breastfeeding superbly well and is a calm and happy baby because he had a calm and gentle birth!

Hypnobirthing works, I cannot recommend it highly enough and I can't think of anyone better to teach you the mindset and techniques you need to have this natural birth than Clare!
A real pleasure to have met her and I can only say a huge thank you for the
gift of such a calm and happy start to life for our beautiful baby boy!"

Caroline, Ryan & Baby Libby

Libby Bliss was born at home in water on Wednesday 10th of September in what I can only describe as the most amazing and empowering experience of our lives thanks to Clare Moore and her HypnoBirthing course.  My husband Ryan and I can't thank and recommend Clare's course enough.

Practising HypnoBirthing during our pregnancy gave us the knowledge and confidence to trust the birthing process, understand how to access natural hormones and the ability to challenge policies, procedures and stereotypes regarding our strange cultural tendency to associate 'trauma' with birth. The course and the practising also helped us enjoy pregnancy and look forward to the birth instead of being anxious about it like we had been with our first child  where I was holding onto alot of fear and anxiety.  It gave Ryan a really active role, who I describe as the only midwife I needed.

Clare went out of her way to support us, answering all of our questions and providing additional information and research on loads of relevant topics. So in short, accessing Clare's hypnobirthing course was the best investment we have made for Libby- she is a very chilled out baby we are more confident parents and incase it's not obvious yet total hypno-positive birth advocates!

I highly recommend the course and hope other couples also experience the calm, euphoric (yes, really!!!) natural birth we did because it was amazing. We truly believe that our positive birth experience was solely down to the preparation and techniques learned from Clare, we also feel very blessed to have met her and will certainly be staying in touch so she can watch our family blossom.

Emma, Paul & Baby Kiara

"When I  first found out I was pregnant I was terrified about giving birth as all I had heard from friends was their horror stories about how painful it was. Then 1 friend told me she hadn't needed any pain relief with her son as she had done HypnoBirthing so I decided to look into it. I came across Clare on the NHS website and saw that she offered taster sessions so went along
to see what it was about. On the taster day Clare was very understanding and helpful and made me feel at ease. She explained how fear of childbirth makes it harder because your body is more tense. I was skeptical but I could understand the principle and thought I may as well try it as there's nothing to lose. I found the birth videos the most helpful as you could see ordinary mums  giving birth and remaining calm.  This gave me the belief that I could do it. 
I practised daily and did everything that Clare advised and on the morning of the 21st Oct I stayed at home until 10:00am when my husband thought we should go to hospital because my contractions/surges were close together. I felt that I should stay at home for longer because I wasn't in any pain. At the NHS antenatal classes I had been told you
should only go in when you can't cope any longer. Despite this, I chose to go in to hospital at that point. It turned out to be the right decision!  The midwife informed me that I was fully dilated and needed to go to the birthing suite straight away. I got into the birthing pool and Kiara came along an hour later and was born at 11.10am.  We were back at home for 4.00pm!! 
I still use HypnoBirthing calm breathing now whenever I have to go to the doctors for injections and I cannot thank Clare enough for getting me through this so well." 

Emma & Baby Poppy

Sarah & Paul & Baby Cooper

Claudia & Neil & Baby Theo
Sheffield

Neil's perspective:

" The experience of the HypnoBirthing course was simply brilliant. From a man's perspective, you often have a preconception that you'll be of little help to your partner during the birth other than using the common words of encouragement and fetching cups of tea. Instead, the HypnoBirthing course gave me plenty of helpful techniques and tasks to help Claudia deliver our baby in the calmest way possible. I was able to help Claudia with breathing excercises, light touch massage, creating a calm environment and working with the midwives to ensure they we aware of our wishes to use HypnoBirthing during Claudia's labour. Rather than feel like a spare part I felt like I had a role to play.

Clare is simply superb at delivering the course. She is so knowledgeable and passionate and you can't help but be inspired by her energy and belief in the techniques.

When Claudia delivered Theo she did so without a sound or any pain relief which, to me, was simply amazing. Theo is such a happy and content little boy and HypnoBirthing, without a doubt, contributed to this."

Ellen & Dom & Baby Lucas

Talia & Richard & Baby Felicity (Fliss)
Leeds

" I wanted to share my Hypnobirthing story because I thought
it might help all mums-to-be to know that it really is very do able and was a great experience. It is also nice telling all the cynics how well it went and the midwifes were all very impressed (I was known as the Hypnobirthing super woman).
Clare - I just wanted to say a huge thank you we definitely made the
best decision signing up to Hypnobirthing with you. We will be recommending you to everyone.  Here's our story of our baby daughter's birth:

I was watching TV with Richard on Monday Night, I kept getting surges (contractions) but wasn't sure if they were very strong Braxton hicks so I didn't think much about them. I went to bed about midnight andwoke at 2am with these same surges / Braxton hicks. I thought I'd time a couple.  They were regular (about 10 minutes apart).I tried to go back to sleep for a bit and gave up about 7am. I pottered about the house then had a relaxing bath whilst listening to the birth affirmations and Rainbow Relaxation . 

Richard decided not to go to work just in case. We spent the day at
home the two of us relaxing.  I would listen to rainbow sporadically and we felt
really good. 

I called the hospital about 2pm just to let them know I was having
contractions but they were still not consistent. They were happy that I stay at
home as long as I wanted. By about 5pm I was really breathing through the contractions/surges but they were fine. We started bringing all the bags down ready for the hospital (I had loads)!

Richard went to the fish & chip shop thinking we should eat before
we set off. As he returned my waters went all over the kitchen floor and the
surges went to about 3 minutes apart! I got dressed and put some make-up on and Richard packed the car whilst trying to calmly eat his fish & chips.

I called the hospital to let them know we were on the way and we set
off. I put my head phones on and listened to Rainbow all the way to the
hospital breathing through my contractions.

When we arrived  the contractions/surges were about 1-2 minutes apart, the
birthing pool was available so I went straight through to the birthing pool
room. It took about 20 minutes to fill the pool and just as it was about ready to
get in I had a sudden urge to push and my body seemed to take over.  I panicked at this point but Richard calmed me and brought me back by reminding me about my breathing and slowing it down. I got in the birthing pool (which was amazing)with Rainbow on repeat.  

My contractions were full on at this point but with Richard talking me through them reminding me to breath slowly I breathed baby
down for about 45 mins and she arrived at 11.37pm. We stayed in the pool a
while then Richard cut the cord and had skin to skin whilst I got out to
deliver the placenta.  We were then left in total peace, just the three of us for about 60 minutes which was such a special time.  When the midwife returned, I had a bath and she weighed our daughter at 7lb 1oz and gave her vitamin k.

From start to finish labour and birth was about 24 hours. It was all very calm, relaxed and I needed no pain relief (I was happy to use my tens machine and the gas and air but didn't have the need). I didn't need any stitches and the midwife was great.  She read the hypnobirthing birth plan when we arrived and left us to it. I don't think she spoke to me once,  just Richard (as requested). Infact, the only time I knew she was even there was
when she checked baby's heart rate and as she was born.
We did stay in hospital a little longer than I had originally planned
but only because baby wasn't interested in feeding (too chilled out). She is
definitely making up for it now though! 
By the way, I had been talking to my baby for the last month of my pregnancy asking that she came early ideally Monday 7th April. I really didn't want to get into the whole induction debate if I could help it. She came on Tuesday 8th. It may be a coincidence but just thought I'd mention it! "

Sophie, James and Baby Charlie
Leeds

I hadn't given much thought to labour and child birth, just that it was going to be 'incredibly painful' but something that I was 'just going to have to go through and deal with like every other woman!'

Doing the HypnoBirthing course with Clare changed how I felt about it all. Both James and I were a bit sceptical before we started, particularly as I can be quite a panicky person. From the very first session with Clare everything made sense! The course educated both of us about what happens during childbirth and understanding the science behind it all was so liberating! 

Clare created such a calm atmosphere at all of our sessions and really gave me the confidence to birth my baby the way I wished to. She is so personable and welcoming and we looked forward to every session. There were no silly questions and she really helped me to realise that child birth is something you can have control Over yourself instead of automatically giving it away to the midwives and/or doctors. 

Undergoing the HypnoBirthing (Mongan method) course, reading the book, watching videos and listening to the cd at home enabled me to have the most incredible and magical home water birth with our first child. It gave me the confidence to trust my body to do what it was made to do and what women have been doing for centuries! 

I would whole heartedly recommend Clare's course to anyone!! My husband and I got so much from it and thoroughly enjoyed the whole childbirth experience- it wasn't scary or frightening and I didn't need to scream or have any drugs... It was empowering, intense and managed through using hypnobirthing visualisations and breathing techniques that really delivered. 

Thank you Clare for all of your guidance, it was more than worth all the journeys over to you from Leeds!

Rebecca, Kofi & Baby Isaac Kwame
Doncaster, Born 2014

"Isaac kept us waiting for 13 days but it was well worth it! I was induced but thanks to the relaxation techniques Clare taught me I managed the labour well. It turned out to be fast. 12 hours after induction there was no change and I was only 2cm dilated. 

Then I had a bath at 9am with 3 minute-apart surges (contractions). I managed to do some great relaxation in the bath and suddenly got the urge to push. I was examined to find I was fully dilated  and my waters were bulging. The midwife rushed to get me to the delivery suite at 10:15am. Isaac was born at 10:36am! Crazy!

I was a little shell shocked. But it was amazing and I'd happily do it all again next week! Thank you so much for all your help, Clare, I know my labour would have been 100% different if I hadn't met you."

Lucy, Matt and Baby Sebastian Paul
Sheffield, Born 2013

"My husband and I where keen to do HypnoBirthing after finding out we were having a baby. After hearing such positive stories about births using the hypnobirthing technique, we chose Clare. She came highly recommended from people we knew who had had a great birthing experience using the techniques Clare teaches.
 
This was my first pregnancy and as like many other women the only stories I had heard about giving birth where all negative, therefore initially I could not understand how hypnobirthing was going to work.  Both my husband and I embarked on the course with a completely open mind. We wanted to do everything we could to ensure the safe and easy birth of our baby when the time came.
 
Clare teaches the course in a clear, straight-forward style. Initially explaining the theory behind hypnobirthing before teaching the technique. Both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the course.  Despite initial scepticism from my husband, he was soon explaining the wonder of hypnobirthing to all that would listen. Having quite a busy and stressful job, hypnobirthing was the welcome calm I needed.
 
I took on all Clare's great advice to bring labour on naturally and it worked wonderfully. I went into labour two weeks before my due date.  The confidence I gained from Clare meant I managed to stay at home until I was 9cm dilated, using all the techniques I had learnt over the 6 week course. When I did arrive at the hospital the Midwifes did not think I was in active labour due to how calm I was. Three hours after my arrival at hospital I had birthed a healthy baby boy without any medical intervention or pain relief. My only concern following the course was how our very detailed birth plan would be accepted by the Midwifes once at Jessops.
I did not need to worry, once we were through to the labour ward our Midwife welcomed the Hypnobirthing technique and took time to read through our birth plan to ensure everything was as we wanted.

My son is a very happy, calm and smiley baby which I firmly believe is partly due to my calm and positive birth experience."

Amy, Kenny & Baby Connor
Huddersfield, Born 4th June 2013
♦NEW testimonial♦

We decided to do the classes as the perfect Christmas present to me from Kenny due to Karen Millen not yet doing maternity clothes & it was far too depressing to buy something smaller I only might eventually fit back into!!!

Joking aside, the main reason was that the previous 5 months of my pregnancy had been so stressful with the fear of childbirth. Even exciting times like the scans were clouded with the thought of potential, uncontrollable pain! Having heard about Kate and Will having a potential hypnobirth baby I thought if it was good enough for them it would be good enough for my little prince/princess :)

On the way to our first class both my partner and I were a little sceptical - how could it be possible to enjoy and control the pain of childbirth? My concerns didn't last.  Even on the drive back from our first hypnobirthing class I already felt a little more confident about giving birth and could only imagine how confident I was going to be by the end of the course. I was very excited for the next class. With each class my confidence grew, I even found myself feeling excited at the thought of giving birth.
By my last class I was ready for the challenge of giving birth and excited to see how this experience was going to be.

The HypnoBirthing course helped me to bond with my baby both before and after birth. It increased my biological knowledge of pregnancy, labour and birth. It helped me communicate better about the birth and becoming a parent with my  partner.  The course was clearly structured, delivered at a helpful pace and there was enough time in between each class to practice the relaxation and breathing techniques which were so effective during pregnancy too.  We appreciated Clare's sense of humour and genuine passion to support us to have the most positive experience. I have transferred some of the relaxation techniques to my everyday day life since giving birth, Kenny used some of them for his driving test ( he passed first time). 

My birth experience was so special: unfortunately I did go 15 days over my due date.  However, I knew to be patient and let my body set the pace. This only gave me more time to prepare my planned hypnobirthing experience.

I found myself relaxing to my relaxation music and reciting my affirmations each day ( I recorded these on my iPhone and then listened to them , the plan was to wear my earphones in the birthing pool ). Once I was induced my labour progressed very fast, faster than expected by the midwives.  I believe this was due to me being so calm and in control of my labour.
The midwives didn't even have time to run the birthing pool as I had dilated from 3-10cm within 90 minutes!  My partner was very proud of me and very shocked at how I took it all in my stride ( he had seen me in a worse emotional state with period pain!)

Hypnobirthing surpassed all my expectations. I felt so confident whilst in labour, not scared or fearful like I had been before our course. I rejected pethidine and an epidural that was offered. I had a little gas and air towards the end.  After giving birth  I was so proud of my achievements- I had done it!!!!!!

There is no way I could have done this without the support of my partner Kenny and Clare's course.

Clare was so supportive and knowledgable- you walk Into her lovely home thinking I can't do it it's going to be the worse pain ever and you walk out thinking bring it on!! I don't have the comparison of a non-hypnobirth but there is no way I am going to risk it next time I will definitely be going for a top up course from Clare.

My beautiful little Connor is so calm and chilled, he has slept through the night since 7 weeks and now only cries when he wants feeding, I do believe this is down to the way in which he entered the world in a calm and relaxed environment, no screaming or drugs needed!

Anna, Pete & Baby Oliver Charlie
Crosspool, Sheffield
Born September 2013

Deborah, Ash & Baby Lucy
Bramley, Rotherham
Born 7th April 2013

"Me and my husband decided upon a Hypnobirth after friends of ours had completed the course and had a very successful birthing experience. Clare was very welcoming and passionate about the process allowing us all to get excited about what was to come( even my slightly sceptical husband!) 

The techniques we learnt took practise but it was a lovely thing to do when I got home from work and once my maternity leave started. It was very relaxing enabling me and baby to become completely ready for the birth. Ash enjoyed helping out with the techniques which enabled him to feel involved in the whole process. He also realised he could use the relaxation techniques in everyday life! 

My labour was very quick but I do think the relaxed state I was in helped things to progress. To the shock of the midwives I was fully dilated having only 1 paracetamol! Lucy arrived happy and healthy. I cannot praise Clare enough. She was thorough and informative about all aspects of labour"

Sarah, Andy & Baby Pippa
Doncaster
Born 5th February 2013

I work as a midwife on labour ward and I came across a couple of women who used Hypnobirthing which sparked my interest as they both did so well through their births. The first woman I cared for was very relaxed and calm and didn't seem in a rush for her labour to be over which was very different from most people I have cared for. She didn't know it but I was about 5 weeks pregnant myself so I asked a few questions about it and thought I would look into it for my baby's birth.

When I was 12 weeks I enquired about it with Clare and then a few weeks later I knew of another woman who was using the techniques and her birth was complicated as she was induced but she still coped amazingly. When my husband and I started the course with Clare it turned out that she had taught both of the women I had met at work.

Whilst we were doing the course Clare was brilliant, we could ask as many questions as needed and it was tailored to our needs as we took the course privately, I think it was quite different for Clare delivering the course to a midwife! But as a midwife I know about pregnancy and birth but I hadn't actually done it myself before so I didn't know it all. We both found the techniques very relaxing and on a few occasions Andy fell asleep.

During pregnancy it was lovely to practice the techniques and take time to relax and prepare for the birth.

I wasn't anxious about the birth at all and when my blood pressure started to creep up in the last few weeks of my pregnancy I decided to change the plan from a home birth to a hospital birth but I wasn't disappointed I took it all in my stride and when I was just over 40 weeks my blood pressure got a bit higher so induction of labour was recommended to us, we accepted but in the meantime tried all the natural methods to bring labour on.  I don't think my baby had any plans on moving though,  and in the end I made the decision - very calmly- to be induced at that point.

I didn't really plan on all of this but I was fine as our birth plans  changed I was just flexible and remember being totally relaxed about it.

The intensity of the surges accelerates very quickly following a chemical induction - very different from  a naturally induced labour where the uterine muscles warm-up gradually with each surge. This being the case,  I simply requested some additional pain relief and used the hypnobirthing techniques  I had practised to keep relaxed and confident throughout the first stage of labour.

Later, I remember  thinking to myself,during the second stage of labour - the birthing phase-  that it wasn't anything like I had imagined, I could feel my baby's head moving down and being born but I didn't feel any pain, more like sensations. At 20.46 our little girl was born and we were a family!

After the birth I got up and had a shower and felt great, all my colleagues commented how I didn't look like I had just had a baby and then next morning we went home to introduce Phillipa to our dog Dexter.

I think Hypnobirthing is great preparation for birth for anyone, not just people who are fearful of what's to come. I was always quite relaxed about it all and I benefitted from what I learnt with Clare.

Katie, Richard & Baby Ava
Bramley, Rotherham
Date of Birth: 7th October 2012

Our friends told us about the course and said we could do it at the same time if we wanted to.  Again we were a little sceptical but in reading the leaflet and website it sounded really good, too good to be true.  We were convinced that we had made the right decision before the end of the first session.  It was really good to have the journey of child birth explained in so much detail and to understand what your body is doing in preparation for birthing.  You might think that you know all of this already from reading other books but it is explained in such a way that just makes perfect sense and it was this explanation that stopped me feeling so nervous about birthing.  Before doing the course I found myself putting the thought of child birth to the back of my mind, I just didn’t want to think about it.  After starting the course I found myself excited about the birth and wanted to think about it.  I loved listening to the affirmations, they made me feel so positive. 

The classes were structured really well with plenty of time to practice the different breathing techniques.  Clare was fantastic, so friendly and patient.  I felt that I was struggling with one of the breathing techniques but Clare happily demonstrated it again and checked that I was doing it correctly.

I felt really sad after our last session because I had enjoyed the course so much, especially with Clare’s enthusiasm and friendly approach. 

Following medical advice, I chose to be induced after 12 days, however we still had the birth that we wanted.  I was on the day ward until 1 hour before Ava arrived because the midwife hadn’t realised how quickly my birthing had progressed.  I stayed really calm and relaxed through my surges.  I felt in control and it was great to be fully aware of what was happening around me.  Ava is a really happy baby and is a great little sleeper. 

I believe that hypnobirthing has helped to create great memories of the birth of our daughter that we will cherish forever."  
 

Richard's perspective: 

"As a first-time Dad, I really enjoyed the hypnobirthing classes as they explained what Katie and I could expect to happen during the birth and how we could best prepare ourselves. Clare was really good at demonstrating the techniques that we needed to learn and regularly reviewed the material with us to check our understanding. 

The classes gave Katie and I the confidence to look forward to our daughters birth rather than feel nervous or anxious. They gave me a role so I felt I was contributing something useful and more than just holding Katies hand and telling her how well she was doing.

Hypnobirthing creates a partnership approach to the birth and made Ava’s arrival a relaxed and joyous occasion."

"My husband and I decided to give HypnoBirthing (the Mongan Method) a try for our first baby as I wanted a natural birth but like a lot of women I was apprehensive about the whole process. Right from the first enquiry Clare was helpful and positive and not pushy. She even personalised the course so that we could get exactly what we wanted from it, nothing was set in stone. Her flexible and fresh approach made us feel so comfortable. 

Unfortunately, circumstances meant that I required a caesarean, however thanks to the HypnoBirthing course I did not see this as a negative way to have my baby - it was just the way it was meant to be and I even discussed and explained the procedure to my baby so he knew what to expect on the day (it will make sense why I did this when you do the course!)

On the day itself, the relaxation techniques I had learned for natural birthing were used in the hospital to calm myself before the surgery. Being able to get into such a relaxed state made being given the spinal anethestic easier - the doctor commented on how she had never given one to someone who could relax so well and quickly and advised that it made the administration of it far easier and quicker than normal.

When Christopher was delivered he only made the smallest of cries, the supporting midwife was surprised how relaxed and quiet he was he was for a cesaerean baby. He was then passed to my husband who held him next to me whislt the surgery was finished and he just looked at us quite content and didn't make any fuss. Once the surgery was complete we were all moved into recovery where I was able to get skin on skin contact with Christopher, again all the nurses and midwives commented on how unfazed he seemed about everything.

During our two night stay in hospital Christopher only made a fuss when his nappy was being changed and so far is proving to be a dream baby. He is such a chilled out little baby and I do feel that the hypno birthing has had something to do with this. 

Even though I didnt get the natural birth that we had hoped and prepared for I fully believe that the HypnoBirthing course did actually prepare me well for the ceasarean.

Obviously we are just into our new and exciting lives with our first baby, if we choose to give him a sibling in the future we will definitely be contacting Clare for a refresher course. 

I would recommend both the course and Clare without hesitation, although it is for natural births I personally feel that the course is worth while even if you are set on a caesarean, not only did it help me get into the right state of mind for surgery it is also helping me through the longer recovery period."

James Testimonial:

"From a father's perspective I found the course incredibly useful, it  gave me techniques not only to help Becky through labour but also allowed me to become more involved with the pregnancy in general. 

Becky was disappointed to find out that she had to have a  c section, but thanks to the course we took it in our stride and embraced the fact that this was the way that our little boy was going to come into this world and that there was nothing negative about that. 

In the run up to the operation we still practised the techniques clare taught us, this was to avoid the expected pre surgery nerves. On the day I got to use the skills again by helping Becky stay focused and calm before she went into theatre.

I would recommend the course to anyone, it gave me confidence to become more involved with the pregnancy and stopped me feeling like a spare part. On the day it helped us stay calm and just to go with the flow. 

Clare was a great tutor and I appreciate the lengths she went to to re-jig the course structure to suit our needs." 

 Jeannette, John & Baby Max
Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Date of Birth: January 2013

Marie, Steven & Baby Elliot
Doncaster
Born October 2012 

"I was terrified about labour and the pain that I believed 'naturally' comes with it. But then I discovered HypnoBirthing.

Hypnobirthing made my labour a pleasure and an experience I will treasure forever.
I was calm. I was relaxed. I was in control. I had no pain relief in more than 17 hours and even though my labour ended in a c-section, I remained calm in otherwise hectic circumstances.
The surgeons were in disbelief and said they wished everyone would hypnobirth! We now have a calm and happy baby! Thank you so much, Clare!"

I had scheduled a HypnoBirthing course with Clare five weeks before my due date. My partner and I were sceptical but after only one session, gaining an understanding of the physiological and psychological links of pain, it all made so much sense and I started to feel more control over what was about to happen.

Four weeks before my due date, with only one session completed, I called Clare to tell her I was in labour. She put her busy schedule and own family aside that night and rushed to my hospital bedside. Late into the night she practiced the key techniques with me.

After two days my labour had not progressed and three doctors gave strong advice for an intravenous inducement. With the techniques Clare had taught me I did not feel the frightened victim that I always had in hospitals, I felt a remarkable amount of calm, confidence and control. I requested all the medical information possible and I chose the natural inducement. I discharged myself, promising to return by 6:30pm that evening. I spent a wonderful afternoon at home with the techniques and by 6:20pm I returned to the hospital in advanced labour.

My labour and birth was the most beautiful event of my life. Although my baby was born a month early, with some jaundice, I genuinely believe an alternative medical birth would have put him at significant risk. I think about my birth every day and enjoy reliving the wonderful experience. The science and psychology behind HypnoBirthing enabled me to overcome my extreme phobias and have a beautiful, calm and spiritual experience which I shall never want to forget.

I regard Clare as highly professional, knowledgeable and dynamic with true care and consideration for her clients. Without Clare’s help and support I would have had a completely different experience. I am truly grateful to her for making my most important life event so special."

"I found HypnoBirthing - The Mongan Method quite late on into my pregnancy and didn’t start the classes until I was 37 weeks, but thank goodness I did!  Before taking the classes I had started to feel anxious about the prospect of labour and giving birth, with other people’s ‘horror’ stories whizzing in my head, I was determined the same wasn’t going to happen to me.

My husband and I found Clare and completed the course in just two weeks and it was fantastic.  My whole mind set changed immediately and I became excited about what was to come, through practising everyday I was confident that I would have a positive experience.

I patiently waited for my baby to arrive naturally but followed medical advice and was induced after 12 days.  I was still able to use the HypnoBirthing breathing and relaxation techniques that Clare had taught us. They are so effective and they enabled me to remain calm throughout my birthing experience.  My husband was very supportive throughout and helped me to maintain my breathing and the calm environment we had created. We listened to the rainbow relaxation continually (the midwives loved it!) and my husband kept doing the light touch massage which kept me really relaxed.

Eventually our son was born under special circumstances but I remained calm throughout this unforeseen change to our birth plan by using the HypnoBirthing breathing techniques.  They really helped me to deal calmly with what was happening and I found them and the other relaxation techniques very useful after giving birth too.

Alexander is a very relaxed, calm little man and I am in no doubt that the HypnoBirthing course has encouraged this.  We cannot thank Clare enough for her support and found her classes extremely informative and friendly."

Jon's perspective:

"I was a little sceptical of HypnoBirthing at first but we wanted Jen to be able to have the natural birth she wanted.

I am so glad that we did the classes, we learnt so much more about labour and birth than we did at antenatal classes and I felt so much more prepared for what was about to come.  I loved being involved with the light touch massage and deepening scripts that we had been given and I really felt that it made all the difference to our experience.

We would recommend Clare to anyone."

Each of the 5 sessions were extremely informative and thorough and helped my husband and I to really appreciate what natural birth should entail.

Prior to the course commencing I felt complete anxiety and terror at the prospect of giving birth to my baby. I felt positive that I would l enjoy my labour and using all of the techniques we had been taught.

My husband felt less concerned about how I would cope with giving birth and looked forward to and enjoyed being an active birth companion.

During a prolonged period of practise and then early labour over a period of 3 nights and a lot of patience required by both of us, I used the HypnoBirthing techniques throughout and found them to be so helpful. I was really looking forward to the birth.  At 2 cms dilated, I followed medical advice and was induced at 12 days past my due date on health grounds (mine not the baby's). I had not wanted this and I was so very grateful for the HypnoBirthing techniques, Sam's unwavering support and Clare's ongoing support and encouragement during the first few hours at the hospital which helped me to keep focused and calm in very trying circumstances due to the delivery suite being exceptionally busy.

Sam was a massive support to me from start to finish.  I gave birth to James Samuel, our beautiful baby boy less than 4 hours later at 3.04 hours.  We had the relaxing music playing throughout and this helped to stay focused and calm. We fell instantly and totally in love with James . Sam cut the cord after waiting for it to stop pulsating and we both had skin to skin contact straight away- something recommended by Clare, this helped with bonding. Breast feeding came naturally and I thoroughly enjoyed the closeness with James it provided.

We feel very lucky to have found Clare who taught us everything we needed to know and gave us the confidence to use the tools when the time came. Each session was enjoyable and the fact that Clare travelled to bring the session to us meant it was hassle free. We would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to prepare for birth in a very positive way."

We really enjoyed practising the techniques we learned between classes.  I went into labour at 37 weeks, just over a week after our final class.  Time went so quickly during labour and I found the light touch massage was absolutely amazing.  Every time we used it, as soon as my partner, Darren put his hands on my back, I was instantly deeply relaxed and found the surges to be a sensation of pressure and not at all painful.  When I got to the hospital, I was already 10 centimentres dilated.  It was incredible. We couldn't believe I was so far advanced and that labour had been so straight forward, enjoyable and quick.... and neither could the midwives!

Darren enjoyed every minute of the course and was so supportive with my practise between classes and throughout my labour and the birth. When we settled into our hospital room, he was holding my hand, keeping me calm and reminding me to use the calm and surge breathing and other HypnoBirthing tools that we had at our disposal.  I couldn't have done it without him.

I loved the all breathing techniques and used them all during labour and birth, finding them very beneficial. Ideally, I wish I had practised the birth breathing more as we learned it in the last class and I had not spent much time on it in the few days between the end of the course and my labour starting. It was a little uncomfortable but it was not what I would call painful - more like intense pressure.  The midwives were very helpful; they respected our HypnoBirthing plan and method of birthing our baby.

We both have a great bond with Vanessa, we believe this is related to the way the birth process took place and the initial skin to skin contact immediately following birth, we believe we were so lucky to have been given the opportunity to have Vanessa placed directly to me from birth, still with the cord attached and pulsing, the midwives then gave us 50-60 minutes to ourselves, she is a calm and happy baby, thank you.

Following the birth I was energized, I was asked regularly if I needed pain relief and surprisingly I did not, we were happy, we were relaxed, wonderful.

Our precious baby girl was born in the calm, gentle way we had planned and hoped for and we are so grateful to have found HypnoBirthing and Clare when we did.  We shall definitely recommend her classes and the programme to everyone and look forward to using it again in the future."

Darren's perspective:

"As a father having experienced the birth of two daughters already, the arrival of my third was an amazing experience, completely different, a calm controlled environment, a most natural birth for both mum and baby. Clare, a wonderful course, excellent content, professionally presented and actually achieved its purpose; to provide the right tools for both Mother and Father to experience birth in the most natural manner."

I felt I had achieved the birth I wanted, which was calm, respected by the midwives and ultimately led to a good result for me and Charlie.

The breathing techniques and light touch massage kept me very relaxed and comfortable as labour progressed and twice in the bath during advanced labour I used the deep relaxation techniques to reach a state of total relaxation, where I lost track of time and what was going on around me.  I was aware only of my body, my breathing and my baby. 

I told the midwife that I was not going to push  - that I was going to breathe my baby down.  I could hardly feel my surges at the end, just concentrated on the breathing and doing everything really slowly. Baby was crowning for around 25 minutes, then was half way out for about five minutes but still I kept calm and stayed with the breathing.  At last at 6.29am on Friday 27^th January Charlie was born. I felt euphoric!

HypnoBirthing prepares you mentally and physically.  The whole experience made me feel in control and gave me access to the information I needed so I had the confidence to question care providers and put forward my own views. 

My main aim was to achieve a birth that was quicker, resulted in a healthy baby and meant it wouldn’t take me weeks to recover like it did the first time. Within minutes I was up and about, could get in the bath and walk back to the ward. 

I felt elated, ecstatic with my baby and delighted that all my practise and preparation had been so useful when I needed it most. It also gave me a really positive outlook on childbirth.  I feel like now if anyone asks me about it, I can tell them quite honestly that a good experience of labour is possible, rather than like after my first child, I could do nothing but recount what a terrible, traumatic experience it had been.  If more people only knew about HypnoBirthing then eventually opinions on childbirth would be changed and women would be more likely to see it as a satisfying, rewarding experience, rather than something to be endured and dreaded. 

I cannot recommend Clare Moore at Birth Freedom highly enough.

Clare explained things really well and the course was very enjoyable and put you in the right frame of mind for labour.  All the literature was well presented and easy to follow and you felt like you could ask Clare any questions, no matter how silly they may sound and she always had the answer. 

Every hypnobirthing class is different and combines interesting elements, such as the reading of scripts, relaxation techniques, videos of HypnoBirths, as well as breathing and practical exercises.  It is covered in five sessions and you really start to look forward to each session and learning that bit more about the truly amazing experience of birth. 

The tools that you are given through HypnoBirthing are so useful in coping with the different stages of labour and birth.   You feel confident that you know what is happening and that you can voice your opinions to the midwife, rather than feeling helpless. HypnoBirthing is also great as it gives your partner a clear role in the birth and some techniques to help you relax, which are invaluable.

HypnoBirthing really will change your whole perception and experience of child birth."

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