Emily Soundy –

“Emily ran hypnobirthing sessions classes for us and it is without doubt one of the best ways we prepared for the birth of our baby girl. We cannot recommend her more highly.

The sessions had clear aims and provided my husband and I with strategies to work on together in between sessions as well as life skills we are still using now. My husband felt better equipped to help me in the birth as he was clear on the ways to empower me and protect me, by reframing and using the vocabulary we learnt in the classes and by removing unhelpful distractions.

Emily is highly competent and compassionate. She deeply cares about empowering women in their births. My friends and family noted how positive the classes were for me as I became more hopeful and altogether peaceful when talking or thinking about childbirth.

Before attending these classes I felt apprehensive and anxious about the birth in particular. My distorted view of birth was as far from empowerment as possible and in many ways terrified me. Dramatised depictions of birth often had me in tears and leaving the room so the idea of a positive birth story was something I desperately hoped for but wasn’t sure I believed could happen.

I was choosing decisions based on my own fears rather than working out what was best for me and our baby. Being able to talk through fears and worries honestly and openly helped me to make good choices. I found the breathing exercises and relaxations really vital for reducing stress and particularly relished having a strategy that could take me from a place of fear to hope in a matter of minutes. Rather than letting a throw away comment or negative birth story impact me, I was learning to reframe these thoughts to remain positive.

Looking back, I don’t think I would have had the positive birthing experience that I (and my baby) had without Emily and the course.”
Sarah, Exeter.