About
During the hypnobirthing sessions, I will teach you simple self-hypnosis, relaxation and breathing techniques. I’ll give you helpful birth knowledge gathered from many years of midwifery experience, coupled with the latest evidence-based practice to help you be as prepared as possible for the birth of your baby and the early days of your baby’s new life.
To help you get ready for the early postnatal period following baby’s birthday, I offer an additional class. This optional class covers topics such as breastfeeding, newborn behaviours and the emotional aspects of new parenthood.
You and your partner are welcome to attend small-group hypnobirthing sessions within my home in Holmfirth or, if you prefer, I will come to you and work with you one-to-one.
When your baby has arrived, I can also provide early-days midwifery support to suit your individual needs. I’ll offer professional reassurance and practical help to ensure you feel supported and encouraged in your new role as a parent.
About
During the hypnobirthing sessions, I will teach you simple self-hypnosis, relaxation and breathing techniques. I’ll give you helpful birth knowledge gathered from many years of midwifery experience, coupled with the latest evidence-based practice to help you be as prepared as possible for the birth of your baby and the early days of your baby’s new life.
To help you get ready for the early postnatal period following baby’s birthday, I offer an additional class. This optional class covers topics such as breastfeeding, newborn behaviours and the emotional aspects of new parenthood.
You and your partner are welcome to attend small-group hypnobirthing sessions within my home in Holmfirth or, if you prefer, I will come to you and work with you one-to-one.
When your baby has arrived, I can also provide early-days midwifery support to suit your individual needs. I’ll offer professional reassurance and practical help to ensure you feel supported and encouraged in your new role as a parent.
Me and my Journey to Hypnobirthing
I work in the NHS and live in Holmfirth with my husband, Cameron. We are parents to Edward, Lucy, Will, Hettie and Hermione and grandparents to two-year-old Edie and Ralph with two new little ones arriving in the new year.
When I was young, I played for hours making little people from paper and clothes pegs which, along with Tiny Tears and Pippa dolls, were my babies. I occupied my imagination by making up stories for my toy families. When they were ‘taking a nap’, I stuck my head in favourite books like Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and the Bronte sister novels. I was (and still am) a book worm. My favourite childhood telly programme (if you haven’t already guessed), was Little House on the Prairie. You could say midwifery was inevitable!
But before I could do that, I had to grow up, train and qualify as a nurse. My first job was in Accident and Emergency at Harrogate. I loved the drama and excitement of an A&E ward and enjoyed meeting lots of people from different walks of life and hearing their unique and interesting stories.
However, babies were never far from my thoughts and in 1991 I went on to study midwifery at St James University Hospital in Leeds. At my entry interview, I described how, on my way to a morning coffee break, I had to deliver a baby in a packed hospital lift! The baby girl was born inside her amniotic sac (caul), which is a very rare occurrence and the only one in that situation I have ever birthed. That real-life story started my career and I have loved every minute of the last 20 years of helping mums and dads prepare and bring new life into the world.
I am a calm person – an attribute crucial to midwifery. I’m also an eternal optimist but most important of all, I’m experienced and passionate about well-planned births and supporting families in having a positive, empowering experience throughout their pregnancy, delivery and beyond.
I bring this calmness and gentle coaching style to all births, be they natural home water births, planned cesarean deliveries, or those that are induced.
I learned the value of the ‘power of calm’ early in my student nursing days when I assisted at my first water birth. The midwife in charge turned what was more like a rowdy football match – with all observers in the room shouting encouragement and instructions to “PUSH” – into an atmosphere of silence and stillness to give the new mum space and time to birth her baby gently, in the way that she knew best. This event has stayed with me throughout my career, and the lesson it taught me is fundamental to my Gentle Beginnings practice.
However, babies were never far from my thoughts and in 1991 I went on to study midwifery at St James University Hospital in Leeds. At my entry interview, I described how, on my way to a morning coffee break, I had to deliver a baby in a packed hospital lift! The baby girl was born inside her amniotic sac (caul), which is a very rare occurrence and the only one in that situation I have ever birthed. That real-life story started my career and I have loved every minute of the last 20 years of helping mums and dads prepare and bring new life into the world.
I am a calm person – an attribute crucial to midwifery. I’m also an eternal optimist but most important of all, I’m experienced and passionate about well-planned births and supporting families in having a positive, empowering experience throughout their pregnancy, delivery and beyond.
I bring this calmness and gentle coaching style to all births, be they natural home water births, planned cesarean deliveries, or those that are induced.
I learned the value of the ‘power of calm’ early in my student nursing days when I assisted at my first water birth. The midwife in charge turned what was more like a rowdy football match – with all observers in the room shouting encouragement and instructions to “PUSH” – into an atmosphere of silence and stillness to give the new mum space and time to birth her baby gently, in the way that she knew best. This event has stayed with me throughout my career, and the lesson it taught me is fundamental to my Gentle Beginnings practice.