Hi I'm Charley!! I am a qualified midwife, KG Hypnobirthing teacher, wife and mum to Ffion.  I live in Swansea, South Wales and here is a little more about me and how I got to where I am today.

I have always been passionate about helping and supporting people. I have worked in a variety of roles over the years, but one thing that they all have in common is that working with and helping people has always been my main drive and passion in life. I have previously worked with children which led me to complete my BSc in Early Childhood Studies back in 2012. This degree covered aspects of pregnancy and midwifery which had always been of interest to me. My passion and interests in all aspects of pregnancy, labour, birth, breastfeeding and the early days with a newborn grew. This passion led me to undertake another degree and I qualified as a registered midwife in 2016. I have had the absolute privilege of supporting many families during my 3 years of training and also in the years since I qualified. My passion for supporting, empowering and educating families during these special and emotional periods continues to grow.

Back in 2018, I became a mum myself to my beautiful daughter Ffion. Becoming a mum to Ffion has changed my life in many ways. Not only have I had to adjust to becoming a mum, but Ffion was born with a rare congenital heart condition (hypoplastic left heart syndrome). This has resulted in numerous hospital stays and her undergoing 2 open-heart surgeries with more to come in the future. Being a midwife with a medical background has certainly helped in some ways, but I don't think anything can truly prepare you for having a baby with complex needs. Ffions condition has definitely had a big impact on my work as it has emphasised the importance of having access to knowledgeable and supportive health carers.

​

Due to Ffion's heart condition making her clinically vulnerable, during the current pandemic I have been unable to work as a midwife as I've been unable to risk her health by working in the hospital on the front line. This time has however provided me with the opportunity to pursue another of my passions - hypnobirthing.

​

Many of the skills and techniques used in hypnobirthing are already adopted by practicing midwives, however, undertaking the KG Hypnobirthing teacher training has provided me with a deeper understanding of the advantages and benefits that hypnobirthing offers to those undertaking a hypnobirthing course. Undertaking this diploma has also reignited my passion for empowering, educating and supporting families through this magical time.

I was a first-time mum in 2016, and I thought I already knew most of what I needed to know. I'm a biology teacher, and what I didn't know, I'd just Google, right? Everybody does it, so giving birth must just be easy, I'll be fine. In amongst my Googling, I did come across Hypnobirthing, but wasn't really interested in finding out more. 

More than anything, I wish I had found out more and utilised Hypnobirthing when my son was born. I was in labour for three days, I was totally unprepared, and I ended up traumatised and terrified of the possibility of ever needing to go through that again.

When I became pregnant for the second time, I was determined to make sure it was a more positive experience. I promised myself that if hypnobirthing was everything I'd hoped for, I would teach others and help them have the same positive experience.

... and hypnobirthing was everything I'd hoped for... and more.  

It's a logical, evidence-based approach to pregnancy and birth, and it gave me all of the options and information I needed. 

My husband was sceptical at the start but really enjoyed learning about the biology of birth and was relieved that he was given a specific role in the birth. The relaxation techniques were a great resource during my pregnancy and when my waters broke in the middle of the night, we were both prepared, calm and confident.