I first heard about the possibility of a calm, peaceful and pain free birth on a current affairs show on TV. It was the first time I’d considered that birth doesn’t have to be excruciating and agonising. It was some years before I’d be thinking about starting a family, however, it made a big impression on me and I knew that when the time came, this would be something I would investigate further.
Years later I again came across the method in an article in a magazine. A mother had experienced an extremely traumatic birth for her first child, and had turned to the techniques of Hypnobirthing for her second – with much success! I kept this article and when the time came, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to pursue this kind of birth for my baby.
I researched online and found two Hypnobirthing practitioners in my area. After talking to them both on the telephone I felt very comfortable with Caterina’s gentle manner, and decided to book a class with her.
I was lucky to have the support of my husband, who was very sceptical of the concept - being more of a practical guy. He was very anxious about the birth itself, so I hoped that some of the fears would be alleviated by the end of the course – as you can imagine, a nervous birthing partner does not make for a calm birth!
We were sent the Hypnobirthing book first, and I read it just about in one sitting – it was fascinating. I gained an understanding of exactly why we had come to believe the birthing experience is what it is today, and how incredibly wrong we had it. By the end of the book I truly believed I could have the birthing experience I desired and I was very much looking forward to starting the class and putting into practice the techniques used in the book.
The class was extremely beneficial to us. Every week we practiced various relaxation techniques. To get the practice is great, but the relaxation itself was amazing. Caterina was very effective in helping us achieve these deep states of relaxation, and they became more and more familiar to me as the weeks passed by, to a point where I can now go into these states of relaxation on my own. These techniques are also transferable to any areas of my life – I have used them in stressful work situations and will continue to use them long after the birth of my baby.
We learnt a lot of practical techniques as well. Caterina’s knowledge of the birthing process complimented her teaching and gave it a great deal of credibility. By the end of the course we really had no unanswered questions, but Caterina’s ongoing support means we feel at ease to contact her should we have any questions leading up to the big day!
We received many useful resources each week – relaxation exercises, visualisations, practical tools for the birthing partner to use. Caterina also had a number of books and DVDs which we were able to borrow during the course.
By the end of the course, my sceptical husband was totally “sold” on the Hypnobirthing method. He is now fully confident and I feel completely secure in the knowledge that he will support me and guide me through our birthing experience. He truly believes in the methods taught to us. We feel so well prepared, and really excited about the day! We know that no matter what turn our birthing takes, we will be at peace and our baby will enter the world in a calm environment. We can’t wait to share our story of what a wonderful birth experience we had!
Testimonials
