General Support and Classes
Amelie, Dan and Zephie
Sally’s hypnobirthing classes are relaxed and very informative. My husband and I clicked with Sally straight away and really looked forward to our weekly sessions. She’s so grounded, kind and is happy to do the sessions at a pace that works for you.
Hypnobirthing really helped us through our birth and also the immediate postpartum period. Sally was happy to be on hand when we needed her and really supported us through some of the more difficult aspects of pregnancy and postpartum.
We would highly recommend booking on to a course with Sally, we could not have done it all without her!
Kiya, Jack and Arthur
We loved the photos, diagrams and reading materials. We gained so much knowledge and information through-out the course.
We feel we have a completely new, positive outlook. The venue was very relaxed, homely, welcoming, cosy and comfy.
We couldn’t recommend enough, so friendly, so welcoming, learned a lot and came out with a completely new view on birth and pregnancy!
Thank-you so much for all the support and help you’ve given us over the last few months.
Maddy, Jem and Nara
Sally was so supportive during my pregnancy. As lockdown happened in my final few weeks of pregnancy, I felt the tension in the world.
Sally helped me feel grounded and confident in the process of birth. She truly listens to you and creates a safe space to be open, to share your concerns, and to practice exercises that calm the mind and body.
Sally has years of experience practicing meditation. It's clear that she spends time growing and developing herself. She is an open-hearted and humble human being.
I would highly recommend her for your birth journey.
Hospital Birth Stories
Maria and Martina
So, I was pregnant again! After trying for some time, I got a bit twitchy, and I went
to a fertility clinic to get checked.
The results were discouraging to say the least. I have a depleted egg reserve.
After the news we got from the fertility clinic, I was devastated. The dream of having another baby came crushing down, and
I felt a deep sorrow for losing it.
I gave myself time and space to grieve and allowed the feeling to take its own course.
I came to terms with it, and resignation took over, so when I realised I was pregnant and for some weeks after that, everything seemed unreal. Then fear kicked in,
and my defence mechanism took over telling me not to get too excited or happy because it could all go wrong at any time. After an early scan where I saw the little shrimp-shaped thing that defeated the odds had a heartbeat, I decided to listen to the lesson life was offering me and choose hope over fear.
And along came Sally. I knew that hypnobirthing was about empowerment and learning to trust your body and your instincts to help you through labour, but
the first benefit I received from it was
during pregnancy. Sally was an amazing listener since day one and she offered
an environment conducive to opening my heart and releasing my fears and insecurities. That made a huge difference
in my pregnancy and enabled me to establish a connection with my baby that my anxieties and fears had only hindered
till then. Sally’s guidance was invaluable.
The evening I met the little baby girl who came into my life to restore hope, everything was perfect. I had the birthing experience I wanted, and I will always feel an immense gratitude to Sally for it.
Hypnobirthing has also had a long lasting positive effect in me and has given me the tools to face the challenges of the first few months of sleep deprivation with mindful kindness.
Fran, Roland and Hali
We wanted to say thank-you so much for the brilliant experience we had at Sally’s classes. I had been recommended a hypnobirthing book by a friend however didn’t know much about it and slightly put off by the idea of traditional connotations of hypnotherapy. However from our first phone conversation Sally put my mind at ease and reassured me that I could have the positive birth experience I longed for. Roland was slightly more sceptical but agreed to come along and support me.
From the moment we entered Sally’s house, the calm and welcoming atmosphere put his mind at ease. The questions she asked made us feel like she was really getting to know us and tailored the sessions to suit our needs. Sally let us talk through all our worries and we never felt that our time was rushed or restricted. We came expecting
to learn relaxation techniques to use during the birth but came away with a great understanding of the whole birth process. So much so that we felt top of the class when we attended our antenatal classes!
I am so glad that we started Sally’s classes early on in my pregnancy as I was able to use the techniques and felt calm and relaxed throughout. I felt completely empowered and had a great understanding of what I did and didn’t want from my birth.
I knew that whatever happened I would
be able to cope.
When it came to the birth I laboured at home overnight using the breathing and visualisation techniques we had been taught. I felt relaxed and even managed
to doze between contractions. I had been asked to go into hospital in the morning as we were not sure whether my waters had broken the morning before. We arrived expecting to be told to go home as my contractions were still 6-7 minutes apart, however I was told I was actually fully dilated! Some complications then arose
and my birth plan went out the window, however we were still able to remain
calm and use the techniques.
In the throes of a very quick and dramatic birth I even remember thinking ‘when is this going to get really painful?’ Sally had talked about having a pain-free birth and I been more than sceptical! I can’t say that there was no pain, however the hypnobirthing techniques made it extremely manageable and I gave birth without any other pain relief apart from a local anaesthetic when I needed an episiotomy.
The whole way through the process I had said I didn’t mind what path the birth took as long as we had a healthy baby at the end of it and that is what we got.
Sally’s support throughout has meant the world to us, be it in person or via texts, we knew she was there! The extra session close to our due date put us in a clear and calm frame of mind to be able to deal with what was to come! We can’t thank-you enough!
Lottie, Lewis and Freddie
Going into this we had no idea what to expect but instantly felt reassured by Sally. The course she provides is completely eye opening and made us both see pregnancy, labour and birth in a whole new positive way.
Throughout the early stages of labour
I listened to KG tracks and allowed my body to relax, taking time with Lewis to enjoy funny TV and overall prepare for what could be a long day. Sally was able to support us with empowering texts that really helped throughout.When it came to the birth we ended up having to make some difficult decisions which meant leaving our homebirth behind but because we had all this knowledge from Sally we felt prepared. After labouring for 20 hours in our own space we were able to make the right informed decision for us. I think the hypnobirthing training gave us the ability to remain calm through the move to hospital for a beautiful waterbirth. Essentially allowing my body to bring Freddie closer instead of stalling labour and 7 hours after the transfer, there he was. Even in the last minutes, feeling my body naturally start to push, I was making jokes and laughing with Lewis and midwives.
It was truly an amazing experience and I know that Sally's contribution to that is so invaluable, we are so grateful. Sally helped us both feel comfortable and confident; we're lucky to have her continued support.
Homebirth Stories
Beth, Taygan and Tiger-Lily
Just wanted to say a big thanks as we
really enjoyed the classes and I’ve totally benefited from them, feeling so chilled and excited for labour now! Thanks to you!
During labour.. waters broken, we’re just listening to some music, think I’m the calmest one here!
Thank-you for everything! Totally got me through that! No painkillers not even gas and air!
Debby and Freddie
Sally's hypnobirthing sessions were a wonderfully relaxing experience, and provided a great opportunity to talk
about birth in a positive and light-hearted way - this was really helpful after
a difficult first labour.
During labour, I used Sally's hypnobirthing techniques to embrace my contractions, particularly during the first stage of labour. Using Sally's techniques, I was able to give birth to my second baby at home. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the birth this time, and would recommend Sally's sessions to anyone. Thank you!
Jo and Felix
Sally led me through the whole hypnobirthing process with my 2nd son.
I had been induced at 40+15 with my first son and hadn't been able to enjoy the hoped-for home birth so we were hopeful for a gentle, calm home birth experience the second time around. I found the sessions with Sally to be relaxing and very informative. She is a gifted and knowledgeable teacher, with one of the most relaxing voices I've ever heard!
I may have fallen asleep several times whilst listening to her leading me through the exercises! The key for me was practising at home daily, or as often as
I could to embed the visualisations etc into my subconscious. In all honesty
I sometimes doubted whether it would work during labour, but I gave it 100% in effort anyway, practising the visualisations, printing out pictures to help with these,
and listening to the various tracks most nights before bed or at lunch time before a much needed nap. Sally was incredibly encouraging throughout, sending me texts in the week to see how I was getting on and just to touch base in between sessions.
I found this really helpful in keeping my mind focused on hypnobirthing and
why I wanted to do it.
I also found the extra materials Sally provided me with really useful...music etc to help me. I really valued the way that she was so sensitive to my individual needs and adapted the material accordingly if she became aware that something wouldn't suit me or had the potential to trigger a negative response within me.
In the event of my sons birth, hypnobirthing was the best thing I could have done to prepare for it. I felt relaxed throughout the labour from beginning to end and thoroughly enjoyed the whole birthing experience this time around, unlike the experience I had with my first born.
I absolutely know that the key for me was being free from fear, completely relaxed
and able to work with my body to help it give birth in the best way possible.
This helped me to have the birthing experience I had only dreamed of.....
I thought people were lying when they said they had actually enjoyed being in labour...but now I'm one of those people!
Thank you Sally for all that you taught me and for supporting me so competently throughout! Xxx
Caesarean Birth Stories
Nicole, Steve, Hayley and Maisie
Early on in this pregnancy I decided to attempt another VBAC and make it as natural as possible. After an emergency section in 2012 and an instrumental VBAC in 2015 my chances were pretty good.
This time I wanted to avoid instrumental which for me meant trying to avoid an epidural.
I started hypnobirthing in my third trimester. I mixed the sessions between going on my own and then taking a birth partner to each of the other sessions. Firstly, I learnt so much about what is actually going on during labour in our bodies, even though
it was my third child. My partner enjoyed this side of things, dealing with the facts and science side. I brought my best friend to another who was going to be present
at the birth and she was really in tune
with supporting my breathing and using
the right language to support me.
The sessions I did alone were a wonderful opportunity to learn how to quite simply, relax. With Sally's visualizations I was able to actively reach a very relaxed state,
which I then began to be able to do at home using music.
Talking through my previous labours with Sally helped me unearth concerns I didn’t even know I had and talk everything through so I felt prepared for any eventuality.
As it got closer to my due date, I had some health complications. A cardiologist signed me off after a night in hospital but it really threw me initially and I ended up leaving hospital with an elective c-section booked in. It was the right decision completely for me and I felt confident over the next few days waiting for the big day.
My hypnobirthing tools really came into
their own after walking into the theatre
and I started to feel anxious, for the first time in the whole lead up to it. I was sat
on the edge of the bed and the Anaesthetists were really struggling to
find a decent vein to get my cannula in.
I was feeling myself getting stressed and
I ended up pushing my husband away
as I felt the need to go inwards.
I didn’t realise but he had requested my playlist be put on, which when I heard it, instantly helped. I started my breathing
and was very quiet, which really helped
as there were a lot of busy people moving around the room. On the third attempt they were able to place my cannula. They then moved to my back to begin the spinal block. One lot of local anaesthetic didn’t quite work as I could still feel them so they placed another injection of anaesthetic into my spine. Again, without the music and breathing I would have struggled. I had
to actively let go of my body’s instinct
to tense and just let go and accept this needed to happen.
Other hypnobirthing tools I drew upon during the surgery was feeling in control and knowing what was happening and that everything was ok. I was vocal and every time I felt concerned that I couldn't hear what was going on I spoke up and the Anaesthetists were amazing at keeping commentary going and reassuring me all was going well. We made our choices before the section to have the curtain lowered to see our daughter as soon as she was born, which they did and was the most incredible and intimate experience. There was no delay in me seeing her and I didn’t miss out on a moment. I had as much skin to skin as I could while they finished the section and they weighed her right by my head so I was involved and informed.
Sally equipped me with not just a lot of knowledge but the confidence to play such an active role in the birth of my daughter, even when our plan changed completely at the last minute.
Barby and Emilia
I was expecting my third child, I thought
I had all under control but I was wrong.
At 34 weeks pregnant I became anxious about the birth as I had a traumatic experienced after having my second child,
I booked a selective c section that I was worried about as my both past births were natural and I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing for me and my baby.
Thankfully I asked for help and I went to
see Sally, I didn't know much about hypnobirthing and she was amazing.
She was so caring and she helped me see things in a different way and she understood from where I was coming from, the fears became more clear and I started to have more rational thoughts about the whole picture.
I am very grateful for the time she gave me.
Now I have a beautiful gorgeous baby girl the c-section was smooth and I managed to enjoyed every minute of it.
Thank you Sally I can not thank you enough.
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Ruth
Sally really helped me when my course
(not with Sally) cancelled our hypnobirthing. I was having a medical c-section and I was very worried. It was only a couple of days before I was due my c-section when I realised Sally did hypnobirthing.
She sent me so many helpful links and advice, it calmed me down so much.
I would 100% recommend her.
Tanya, Ed and Zeb
It was our first baby and we had attended the day session preparing for birth provided by the NHS, and I went to pregnancy yoga regularly but otherwise these were our main preparing for birth classes. Me and my partner decided not to do NCT classes because they were expensive, time consuming and we were hiring a doula
so felt they would be a bit too much!
Sally was flexible about when and where
to have the classes. This was great because everything was getting busy towards the end of the pregnancy and
I was very tired! We had all the sessions
at her place and it was a very relaxing environment. She always made an effort to keep us comfortable, offering drinks, cushions and little breaks.
In the first session she encouraged us to talk a lot about our experience of pregnancy and thoughts about birth were so far, things we had read about, our expectations to get to know us both a bit. She took notes! This enabled her to tailor the sessions to our needs, focusing on what would be most useful and skipping less useful parts. She had a lot of material, but some of it we didn’t need (I’m a nurse, so knew quite a bit about the drugs that may be offered, for example), so this meant we could make the most out of the time.
We also really appreciated that she respected our beliefs and was not prescriptive about what we should be doing. For example, she encouraged us to change the words of some of the hypnobirthing scripts to ones that we would use, or words that had the greatest meaning for us. She was very encouraging that my partner wished to read the hypnobirthing scripts at the sessions. She also gave us print-outs of the scripts. This was one of the most useful tools she gave us, as we often read them to each other just before bed in the lead-up to the birth. Also, I recorded my partner reading them out on my phone so could play them at any time. I found it very relaxing. At the end we went back to the list we had made in the initial session of things I wanted at an ideal birth, things I definitely didn’t want, and things I wasn’t sure about. It was interesting how some of these things had moved into different categories as I’d gained more knowledge or had the opportunity to think about different situations. I felt that I ended the course more confident about what might happen and what I might like to do in different situations.
Moments we used hypnobirthing in labour
I was induced in hospital because guidelines recommend it for women who have gestational diabetes and whose baby had not been born by 40 weeks plus 6 days. After the induction drugs had begun to work I got into the bath with low lighting and music and I was doing the up breathing with each surge, imagining waves, which I’d planned in one of the hypnobirthing sessions with Sally.
My partner was helping with this. He had learnt some of the words and ideas from the scripts, and so talked me through some visualisations. In the birthing pool later on when I was 6cm dilated, I was truly in the throes of labour, and it’s all a bit fuzzy. In my head I encouraged myself with words/simple phrases/affirmations taken from the scripts. I ended up having an emergency caesarean section. When I was wheeled into theatre I was actually shaking with fear. My partner was right by my head whispering ‘relax your jaw, relax your eyes, etc.’ He managed to pull out of the bag the spirit of hypnobirthing. I felt myself gradually relax- it really got me through it, and feel amazingly grateful that I was in a relaxed state for meeting my baby just a few minutes later!