Online Hypnobirthing Class

I loved this course! The layout and the format are easy to use, and the content is so valuable!

We are so grateful to Maggie and the tools that we have gained through doing the online course. On finding out that I was pregnant I was obviously thrilled, although I was in denial about having to give birth to my baby. As birth is portrayed in the western world I was so afraid of having to go through it and I didn't want to acknowledge it. Then a friend mentioned Natal Hypnotherapy to me and so I purchased Maggie's book and my partner and I started reading it. We then signed up for a webinar with Maggie and at the end of the webinar purchased the online course. It was the best thing we could've done to mentally prepare for the birth of our child. Now I have no fear surrounding the upcoming birth of my child, in fact I am excited about the experience and I am looking forward to it. My partner and I now have all these tools available to us and are no longer afraid of the birthing experience. Carissa and Joe New Zealanders residing in Spain

A great way to prepare for labour

I first heard about hypnobirthing when a friend was doing a course whilst she was pregnant. I was a bit sceptical and concerned as a healthcare professional that my friend was going to run into problems trying to have a natural pain relief free birth relying on these techniques. Her birth went very well and she achieved the water birth experience she wanted, I was amazed at the power of her mind set and how well she coped. A year later whilst pregnant myself working very long hours commuting into London with a stressful job, I found myself wondering if hypnobirthing would help me. I was getting increasingly anxious as my due date approached and did not feel relaxed or prepared. I did the trial course but found it difficult to justify purchasing the whole course with all the other expense we had a the time. However around 36/37 weeks after speaking to friends and family who encouraged me I signed up to the online course. This gave me a good distraction in my first week of Mat leave as I was finding it difficult to switch off from work. I worked through the modules and listened to the tracks at night when getting ready for bed. I found the relaxation tracks so helpful and practiced the visualisations and affirmations which gave me a much more positive outlook. The online course was convenient as I could make the dates for face to face session, it allowed me to do bite size chunks when I had time at home. When my contractions started 4 days early at 3am I started listening to the tracks completely immersing myself in thoughts of my safe happy place and used my tens machine. I stayed at home until the contractions were 2 minutes apart and then woke my husband up to drive me to the hospital. I had wanted a water birth but due to fibroids the medical team were concerned about their ability to manage my increased risk of bleeding in the midwife lead unit so I had to go up labour ward. This was disappointing and added to my worry about how I would cope however the relaxation techniques helped me to deal with this. Although it was 18 hours in total from first contraction I had a very calm manageable labour in hospital with the addition of some gas and air. The midwife was familiar with and supportive of hypobirthing and dimmed he lights and mostly left myself and my husband alone to labour calmly. At the end I couldn't get the baby's head out despite a lot of pushing- he had a big head :-) and required medical intervention with ventouse however I was able to remain calm and in control of these decisions. My husband has since told people that hypnobirthing "made his job easy" as I was so relaxed. He didn't feel comfortable saying the affirmations to me himself during the labour so I listened to Maggie on the tracks instead during labour and I was happy with that. Overall I would highly recommend the course to everyone as a good way to prepare for birth and remain positive. As a pharmacist I was not overly concerned if I needed medical intervention or if I needed drugs however these techniques helped my mind set/ anxieties and I ended up not requiring any extra pain relief and having a really positive experience. Baby Dylan was born 18.11.16 and we are totally in love! Many thanks to Maggie and her team for a fantastic experience! I will continue to use the relaxation techniques as a new mum coping with limited sleep.

Being pregnant with my second child re-ignited some birthing fears and I was looking for a course that would act as not only a refresher of the birthing process but that would give me some tools and strategies for us both to use. Having a child already made the logistics of attending a course tricky so when I heard about the online hypnobirthing course it was ideal! I completed the course over a few weeks in my own time and very quickly my confidence grew. By the end I felt excited about giving birth and I would do it tomorrow if I could! Time will tell as to how my labour goes but I feel I have done the best preparation I can and am confident that I can put my new knowledge and skills into good use. Thank you Maggie! UPDATE We had a baby girl on 3rd January weighing 7lbs 7oz in a natural (if not a little quick in the end!) birth at the Mulberry Centre. My waters broke in the early hours of the morning but contractions were very stop start throughout the day so I just used the time to stay active (even managed a lunch out with hubby!) and start listening to the labour companion tracks to start to get in the zone, alongside some yoga exercises to encourage baby to head in the right direction. Things really ramped up around 5pm and your relaxation tracks were a god send in the car during what was a pretty uncomfortable journey to the hospital. We made it just in the nick of time as I was 9cm when we arrived at hospital with my little girl was born in the pool just 20 mins after we arrived. We were both fine and we home the next morning! Things have been going well since and we are loving having our little girl in the family with her big brother being very proud! The things I learned on the course definitely helped give me confidence for giving birth and helped me managed my fears. On the day the tracks I had downloaded also helped me stay calm and I'm convinced they went some way to getting things started once my waters had broken and contractions were a bit hit and miss. Thanks again and keep up the good work!

I started this course around week 36 when I started being very anxious about labour. I was very happy to find this course online which enabled me to study whenever and wherever I wanted. I found it very clear, entertaining and with the right level of details. I cannot tell you if it helps during labour as I am still waiting for the baby to come (I am now 41w+1d) but the course has definitely helped me relieved a lot of my stress and negative thoughts about labour. It gave me tools to feel more relaxed and think positively about birth. I have been listening to the birth rehearsal track every day for the past 3 weeks and it definitely kept me calm and positive while waiting for the baby (which is not always easy as everyone asks when is the baby coming). I also think it was very positive for me to actually "do" something to be prepared for the birth rather than just waiting for it. I fell more in control and a lot more confident.

I am so glad I took the online course. It has given me so much more confidence in my ability to have a successful VBAC and I now feel I have all the tools in need for a calm and fear free natural birth. It was also great to be able to fit this in around family life at times that suited us. I love the relaxation track and feel so connected to my inner self and my baby when I go into hypnosis.

I've found the course to be very informative. It has given me some good techniques to use when i deliver. I am much more positive about the birthing experience now and feel more in control of being able to keep myself calm and relaxed. I've found the hypnotherapy tracks really relaxing which has again helped me feel positive and like i am doing something worthwhile at the end of my pregnancy.

I did this course during my second pregnancy as my first labour was quite traumatic, it was 25 hrs, did not progress well and I did not cope well at all. After doing this course my second labour was a completely different experience, only 6hrs, I coped extremely well and was able to enjoy giving birth to my son naturally and totally in control!! I highly recommend this course to anyone wanting a natural birth!!

I cannot recommend Maggie Howell enough. This course should officially come recommended with all hospitals, midwives and antenatal classes throughout the UK. After researching other online courses that offer a similar service I kept coming back to Maggie (and I don't even live in the UK anymore). I was drawn in by her lovely calming and therapeutic voice which you will hear throughout the course and during her relaxation and labour tracks. I also liked the fact that I could actually pick up the phone and speak to her with any concerns I had about the course, she was very communicative. Not only can you do this course on your PC/laptop you can easily do it on all smart phones, tablets and even on Apple TV (great if you're on bed rest like me!) Like most pregnant women I was very anxious about the rest of my pregnancy and giving birth. But now I am completely relaxed and enjoying the rest of my pregnancy and actually looking forward to the day my baby comes. With an array of multimedia from personal introductions to each module, to real life birthing stories using Natal Hypnotheraphy, interactive exercises, quiz's and homework at the end of each module to make sure you've absorbed everything. This course is also great to do with your birth partner and can make him feel very much a part of the whole experience, there are even a few exercises for him to practise to help you get through labour. Hypnobirthing teaches you how to relax into each contraction and to see it as sensation and pressure rather than pain and fear, and how to manage it through your breath. I now feel comfortable that I know I can get through it without medical intervention or if need be use it alongside medical intervention.

I found this course extremely helpful to understand what happens during labour and birth and how I could utilise natural techniques to avoid unnecessary intervention and drugs. I particularly liked the short history section, describing how it has come to pass that we are so culturally conditioned to be afraid to give birth and how this negatively impacts a woman in labour. By using the CDs and armed with the knowledge from this course, I was able to have the natural birth I wanted, twice. My experiences of labour and birth far exceeded my initial expectations and what I thought I was capable of. I am so pleased I found out about natal hypnotherapy and would recommend it to everyone!