Madeleine Findlay – Better Birth at the Coast

Kerry and Sam first time parents Whitley Bay

We absolutely loved our sessions with Maddy. Really appreciated her logical approach to hypnobirthing without being too “flowery” which may have put me off. The relaxation exercises  were lovely in late pregnancy and after some practice would send me off to sleep within minutes. On the day I managed to pass most of my labour at home with just the breathing exercises and staying up on my feet or ball and was 5cm by the time I reached the birthing centre. Etta arrived less than 3 hours later! My labour became slightly panicked when it was discovered she was breech when I was fully dilated. Even so I delivered her naturally and the midwives commented on how relaxed and calm I had seemed. I truly thank hypnobirthing for that as I was able to stay focussed on the task in hand and didn’t let my mind panic or think about what could have happened. Within an hour of her birth we were relaxing in our room eating sandwiches and were home 12 hours after she was born ready to start our new journey.

Claire and Phil first time parents

Madeleine introduced me to hypnobirthing a few months into my pregnancy and it really helped me manage the symptoms I experienced during this time as well as the apprehension around the delivery. As it was my first baby I was open minded about the process and was happy to see how it went.

The reading material she recommended supported my understanding of labour and contributed to my calm and controlled approach when the time came.

I also attended a class focussed on relaxation and breathing taught by a hypnobirthing midwife at my local hospital which was really helpful.

The strategies I found the most useful were the use of calm music, reminding myself the feelings were a natural process and breathing techniques.

The meditation scripts got me to relax and to be in control of the tensions I was experiencing, not just in labour but when pregnancy became more tiring too.

On the day, I went into labour at 38 weeks. My husband managed to travel 300 miles to get home in time. The use of hypnobirthing meant I could stay at home longer and resulted in me arriving at the birthing centre fully dilated.  I had my daughter within an hour. My mum who had been helping support me at home was really surprised and said she couldn’t believe how well I managed and had never seen anyone be so calm in labour before.

Lucy was born on the 17th of September 2018 by natural delivery and we couldn’t be happier with our new best friend!

Kadiatou First time mum

I always had a fear of giving birth, this is perhaps due to all the horrible stories about birth I heard growing up back in Africa. When I found out I was pregnant the idea of giving birth petrified me. I even convinced myself to go for a C section until I heard about hypnobirthing from Madeleine. I was sceptical at first but gave it a go and am glad I did. Madeleine was wonderful. We did relaxations together, watched lots of YouTube clips and she explained the process of pregnancy, labour and birth. I read the book and regularly listened to the audio she gave me and meditated and have to say it usually put me to sleep within minutes. From our first session my fears about birth started to fade as I became more confident in knowing my body is built to give birth. This made the pregnancy more relaxed and enjoyable and without complications. I became more positive and looked forward to a smooth and calm birth. I had a clear birth plan and I felt ready for birth. Sadly, on the day itself, things didn’t turn out quite as planned and I ended up with complications which meant continuous monitoring and a drip. We kept the room dark and played the music however I was unable to move around as I had planned, so wanted pain relief. I used the audio for as long as I could, however my labour progressed very quickly for the last hour so it was more painful than I had hoped for. Baby was born gently and she was fine straight away. I had agreed to have a medical student in with me and he was very emotional as it was the first natural birth he had seen. I very much enjoyed the course with Madeleine and felt prepared for the birth of my baby. The most important thing Madeleine taught me was to put trust in Mother Nature and that it’s my body and my choices.

“During our hypnobirthing course at our home Maddy presented us with the question “Where will you be having your baby?” A question we had been asked many times previously but it was usually worded as “Which hospital will you be going to?” When Maddy asked, she mentioned the option of homebirth and it was if a light went on in my head and I knew it was something I’d want to do. Thanks again Maddy for all your help and support in helping us achieve a birth like ours.

Baby Summer’s “Magical” homebirth with Amy and Dave