Parent Testimonials – full stories are on the Birth Stories page:

Naomi feels hypnobirthing has been life changing and uses the de-stress techniques still. –  “I would really recommend hypno birthing with Jo. The course really helped me have a calm birth and pregnancy too. I choose to do hypnobirthing rather than any other antenatal course and have made lots of lovely friends through the drop-in hypnomums sessions. I still use my hypno mentality when faced with parenting or work dilemmas it has given me a more calm approach to life’s challenges in general!”

Mark, Eleanor’s father. What a lovely hypno hero he was! –  “The package has arrived! Baby Eleanor is here and she’s a real bundle of joy at 8lbs, born at 11:33am on August 18, after a very short active labor (under 1hr 30mins) that was all natural. My dear wife, I love you so much … You were so calm and focused. I also want to say a special thanks to Jo Redmond, our local hypnobirthing teacher, and the other hypnomoms and dads for supporting my wife and I through such a positive, present, and relaxed birthing process. The experience was amazing to witness, even for the midwives as they marveled at her ability to breathe through – so relaxed -and give birth relatively quickly.

Averil, second (hypnobirthing) labour was such a different experience. –  “Giving birth for the second time, we knew there was a way to have a natural birth without all the pain and angst. In our quest, we found hypnotherapy and the lovely Jo. Jo gave us the tools to know what to do in order to stay focused, and have the most wonderful birth experience possible.”

Tori was so calm, she nearly got sent home!  – “I was so calm that I nearly got sent home when I had transitioned and was ready to push! The look on the midwife’s face was priceless as she examined me and then tried to calmly escort me from triage to birthing room. Mainly it helped me feel in control. I was also able to block out the hospital and my horrid midwife who kept yelling at me and tried to force me to have an epidural. I was able to completely tune everything else out and concentrate on my body and my baby. Personally labour was not very painful to me. I also felt hypnobirthing helped keep my labour short (4.5 hrs active labour). I feel much better prepared for a future birth and have no fears about delivery.”

Tessa managed an induction amazingly with hypnobirthing.  –  “I was thrilled to bits that we did the hypnobirthing course with Jo at Healthworks. We had a calm, drug free birth following induction, I have no doubt that was down to the fact that we were hypnobirthing. In a nutshell we thought it was great because:
– you feel relaxed in the lead up to birth
– regular hypnomum meet ups give you time to prepare, relax, and meet local pals
– you are more aware of how people frame/discuss birth – and when to close your ears! (Ie all the negative stories, it doesn’t have to be like that!)
– if you plan to have more than one baby its a great investment as you can hone the techniques each time.
– your birth partner has a clear role and can guide midwives, and you!

Birth and having a newborn are unpredictable, for instance I really wanted a homebirth, but had to be induced as was very overdue. For us, being prepared for birth and beyond by doing Hypnobirthing with Jo meant we were as ready as we could be for whatever twists and turns out journey took. I highly recommend it.”

Third time Mum, Fiona, has a completely different birthing experience this time.  –  “After two stressful births I decided to give hypnobirthing a go and it was by far one of the best decisions I ever made! Not only did it help me relax during my pregnancy (I also had a 2 yr old & 4 yr old) but it equipped me with the self-belief I needed to approach my third birth with confidence. Listening to hypnobirthing scripts and practising breathing techniques taught by Jo allowed me to labour at home and progress very quickly, resulting in established labour lasting approximately 1hr 40mins. I can honestly say that hypnobirthing allowed me to have the most wonderful birth experience and my only regret is that I didn’t enter the world of hypnobirthing sooner!”

Beth managed a difficult labour magnificently with hypnobirthing.  –   “From being low risk all the way through pregnancy I was suddenly assessed as high risk at triage in the early stages of labour. Without a doubt everything we did in hypnobirthing sessions got me through and enabled me to have a calm birth despite it not quite being the one I had in mind! My husband was really instrumental (which I think is another massive plus to doing it) throughout, helping me to implement the relaxation techniques and breathing. In the end it was quite long with gas and air and ventouse. Apparently I hardly made a peep….I think I was just totally in the hypnobirthing zone! I now recommend hypnobirthing to all friends and family but feel really very fortunate as there is such an amazing set up here in Walthamstow with the wonderful guidance of Jo and the extra drop in sessions. I know my friend in Sheffield didn’t get all of that on her course so I think what Jo does is amazing. Thank you Jo!! x x x”

June managed a difficult early labour and an induction just with hypnobirthing. –  “We didn’t do any other courses, but the local Hypnomums network more than made up for that in terms of other new families to hang out with. I had a very long labour. My waters broke at 4am on a Sunday morning, contractions started at around 9am and my son finally arrived at 5pm on Monday after a chemical induction. It is the kind of experience that most women tell horror stories about, but the confidence and techniques that I’d learnt through the hypnobirthing made it very manageable. I did lots of pregnancy yoga too, which also helped a lot. I was only 4cm dilated when my chemical induction started, but 2 hours later I delivered my son. It was pretty intense and the midwives were strongly encouraging me to have an epidural, but some breathing and visualisation (and a fair bit of gas and air) got me through it. What I found with hypnobirthing is that you take what works for you, I struggled with some of the visualisations, so came up with my own. I really appreciated the affirmations, and the breathing was a godsend. It was also by far the best labour preparation class as it helped me understand what my body was doing and how to go with it. Jo provided such brilliant support, before and after birth too.”

Zita found confidence in hypnobirthing and emotional support in hypnomums.  –  “Hypnobirthing gave me confidence that my body is perfectly designed for birth and it’s the most natural and wonderful experience which could ever happen to a woman. It gave me practical knowledge about how I can help my body to give birth and last but not least, the weekly meetings with the other Mums are invaluable emotional support.”

Jeannie – Strep B, high BP and an induction – she did it all beautifully with hypnobirthing.  –  “My midwife suggested that I contact Jo and consider a hypnobirthing course because I was really anxious and my blood pressure was always elevated when I went to the hospital. I have a habit of feeling faint whenever I even go near to a hospital and I was desperate for a home birth. To be honest, I was really sceptical about the whole thing but I was willing to try. I was later told that a home birth was not recommended as I have strep b. I ended up going from low risk (planning my perfect hypnobirthing experience in a birthing suite) to high risk, being induced, wired up and on the labour ward. However, I remained calm, focused and positive throughout the whole labour. I dilated from 2cm to 10cm in about an hour and a half. I only had gas and air for the last leg and the midwife continually praised my breathing. She said I was superwoman and the only woman she had known to have been induced without any drugs. I can’t express enough how grateful I am to Jo and the hypnobirthing training for giving me such an amazing birthing experience!”

Mel finds hypnobirthing also helped to stay calm during pregnancy.  –  “Hypnobirthing with Jo worked wonders for me and my husband. My job was pretty stressful so it gave me the calming strategies I needed to prepare in advance and a great repertoire of breathing techniques & positions. I definitely credit it with helping me birth completely naturally & drug free!”

Briana has her dream hypnobirthing  experience.  –  “Hypnobirthing helped me maintain a positive and calm attitude through my entire pregnancy and the birth of our son. It gave me the tools to help me feel prepared for the experience. It also ensured that my husband and I were on the same page in terms of how we wanted labour to play out. I feel so thankful as it enabled me to have the birth of my dreams. Thank you so much, Jo!”

Katie, mum of Corrin (9lb 6oz baby, just a bit of gas and air). –  “The fact that he was such a whopper came as a shock to everyone, including all the midwives. I am certain I would not have managed to get him out if it wasn’t for the strength and utter belief that I had in myself, my body and in the baby that I learned at Hypnobirthing. I didn’t have any pain relief apart from a bit of gas and air. As a result he’s a really happy, alert and placid baby. Life is so wonderful now with Corrin in it and he was worth every surge and every uncomfortable late pregnancy night. Thank you Jo for everything xxx”

Georgie, a second time Mum.  –  “A friend recommended Hypnobirthing, and also Jo Redmond. Jo pretty much saved my life. The course was amazing. Jo was amazing. I hadn’t fully realised how much baggage (of a negative nature) both my husband and I were carrying. Jo gave us the space to talk, face our fears, deal with the past and move on to ultimately look forward to the next birth experience. She gave us the tools to take control of our own ‘birth’ day, to be strong and have a voice during labour. The birth breathing techniques that we were both taught were priceless. No antenatal or yoga class had ever come even close to showing me such a specific skill.

Without the hypnobirthing I know I wouldn’t have been able to stay at home feeling safe for as long as I did. My husband cooked supper for our eldest, bathed him and put him to bed. At 7.30 I knew we had to go to hospital. We called the delivery ward and were advised to stay away for longer. Knowing my body and trusting my instinct we drove in anyway. Arrived at 8pm. Examined at 8.30pm and Luca arrived in the pool just as I had dreamt at 10pm. No drugs and no trauma. It was the most incredible experience of my life and one I owe everything to Jo for.”

Chris, a Hypnodad!  –  “We both found hypnobirthing with you invaluable. I was much more prepared as a result and was more able to deal with the hospital and make sure that we got the room and the water birth that we wanted.”

Alex and Joe, a great hypnobirthing team. – “Hypnobirthing helped me take control, which led to a calmer experience. I’m not a fan of hospitals/needles and the like – but with the help of hypnobirthing I was able to: give birth from start to finish in under 12 hours – (from established labour 3 and half hours), have the knowledge and power to get the birthing experience I wanted, to have, in the words of the midwife ‘one of the best birthing partners they’d seen’ and enabled me to think positively about a situation I had never been in before. Without it I think my birthing experience would have been an entirely different story.”

Nat was so quick she gave birth in triage!  –  “I can’t recommend hypnobirthing enough. It helped me overcome many birthing fears and anxiety, gave me confidence in how I would handle different scenarios and most of all understand and believe that the key is not controlling your birth but releasing control and zoning out with the scripts and breathing so your body can get on and do what it needs to. Worked for me – I chilled at home so long that I didn’t even make it passed a triage room!”

Lisa had to have a procedure which is normally painful and upsetting.  –  “Towards the end it was discovered that my baby was breech. I tried Hypnobirthing scripts, acupuncture and homeopathy and by the time I came to have the ECV (external cephalic version – when they turn the baby manually) I felt so relaxed it worked really well. Normally it’s not a very nice procedure but I had prepared for it and was so relaxed the doctor said it was the quickest he had ever done. My baby turned easily and then stayed there.”

Emily was a VBAC.  –  “My partner and I slowly got ourselves together and went calmly in a taxi to the hospital. He told the midwife that I had only been in labour for about an hour so we were put in a side room that was not very nice. I could hear women screaming in other rooms but the midwife couldn’t believe that I could be in established labour as I was so calm. I really wanted her to examine me but she said they were too busy.
I decided to pretend I needed help and started mooing like a cow to get some attention and my partner was trying not to giggle. The midwife thought she had better hurry up and examine me and found I was 8 cm dilated which sent her into a bit of a flap. I was moved pretty quickly after that.
I still couldn’t quite believe myself that I was in established labour because I couldn’t feel my contractions that much. I had a sensation of pulling, it didn’t really feel like pain. During the entire time I didn’t feel any intense episodes. During the latter stage the midwife even needed to tell me when I was having the contractions so I could push!”

Laura made some great friends through hypnomums club. –  “Hypnobirthing helped me relax, stay calm and positive from the start of my pregnancy and through the whole birthing experience. So many benefits and so many life long friends I’ve made too. I’m so glad I decided to do hypnobirthing.”

First time Mum, Tamara, had a home birth.  –  “We managed very well on our own, I was super, super calm and by the time the midwife arrived I was already 6 cm dilated. It’s hard to describe but it wasn’t painful, it just felt like pressure. Sometimes it was extreme pressure but it was manageable. I couldn’t lie down as my baby was posterior and it didn’t feel comfortable so I used the birthing ball and squatting positions. By 6cm the contractions were frequent and fast and I just got into the pool in time.
The second stage was smooth. I actually breathed him down, hypnobirthing style, with no pushing. Ethan came into the water and I picked him up, we did skin to skin and he latched on quickly. My first time baby, posterior position, had been born in just 8 hours, calmly and at home.”

Faye had a family affair, dog and gerbils came too!  –  “I had my whole family there: partner Rob, Mum, Dad, brother, sister, dog and two gerbils! We were all in the sitting room together with candles, lavender burning, home made chocolates and ginger tea. I was having a lovely time in the birthing pool and it was really tranquil. I had the Hypnobirthing Affirmations CD on a loop continually, that’s all I wanted to hear. I don’t even remember pain at this point, I was just so excited to be in the pool. Everyone was amazed at how calm and quiet and peaceful I was. They couldn’t quite believe it.”