What parents say about us......

Dear Eleanor,

You made it possible for me to have the most positive and wonderful birthing experience.

You were supportive and encouraging throughout, whilst still ensuring I felt fully in control and confident in my own body.

It is because of you i was able to have the natural birth I had planned. I even managed  to feel relaxed through most of it.

I can't thank you enough, Claire.

Claire Pring , mummy of Freddie, Devon.

Wonderful  VBAC Story

I've been raving about hypnobirthing to anyone who'll listen since Jan 11th! The midwife who cared for me during my labour was most impressed - she couldn't believe how calm, relaxed and focussed I was - she also didn't believe I was in established labour when I first arrived - and was shocked to discover I was 7-8cm dilated when she examined me!

I don't remember too much about the labour, other than I quite enjoyed it and spent most of it rolling around on a birthing ball! I do remember telling Jess (midwife) I felt the contractions had changed and I was getting an urge to push and she asked me what positions I wanted to try but all I wanted to do was stay where I was and go to sleep! So she knelt beside me and said you are going to have to move soon - the ball is in the way!! Yan found that all quite funny and dared to remove his hand from by bottom which he'd been instructed to rub without stopping, and rubbed my head instead at which point I told him quite firmly to get his hand off my hair and back on my bottom!! (Not a phrase he'll ever hear me say again I don't suppose!) Emi was born, unassisted, after a 9 hour labour and about 30 mins in 2nd stage - she was unbelievably calm when she was born - she was alert and made gurgling, squeaking noises but didn't cry for about 2 days!! She was nearly born in her waters too, Jess accidently broke them as she was crowning.  Yan even managed to cut the cord!!

So, the labour and birth were great - Emi is doing great - she feeds very enthusiastically and has gained 2 1/2 pounds already. She is so calm and relaxed compared to how Kai was as a baby we can't quite believe it!

All in all it has turned out to be a positive experience and we have a beautiful daughter as well! Kai absolutely adores her and has taken to life as a big brother as though he's been doing the job for months!!

So I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart as without your help I don't know where I'd be. Thank you, Winifred.

What Parents Say

"Eleanor helped us to learn not only about the physical ‘mechanics’ of labour and birth, but also about the mechanics of the NHS.  The former highlighted physical things that we had no idea about, for example the way the crowning of a baby’s head is followed by turning of the baby’s shoulders to allow easier passage into the world.  The latter was invaluable in helping me to understand that the NHS wasn’t a huge organisation standing in my way with bureaucratic tendencies, but one made up of individuals who were not only human but very much on my side and there to help.  We were also able to discuss fears which I’d buried, about the birth, and were taught a range of visualisation techniques, aimed at attaining and maintaining a sense of calm, and at engendering empowerment around birth and the decisions one may have to make. Eleanor also helped me towards a willingness to be flexible, which had not previously come easily!

The ‘tools’ Eleanor introduced us to were invaluable during an unexpectedly long labour and eventual emergency caesarean – a drug free water birth had been the plan, but I surprised myself with a new-found flexibility and acceptance of changing circumstances.  Somebody said to me just hours after the birth ‘I hope you’re not disappointed’ (by having a caesarean) – not a bit of it, how could I be when I had a beautiful son to show for it!  The techniques we’d been shown were also incredibly useful after the birth, for example when breastfeeding was problematic and painful (calming visualisations became essential!), and when I needed to introduce goat’s milk formula as a top up feed after two months rather than the intended six, due to breastfeeding issues – my usually inflexible self would have had far more of a problem with this than I did at the time.  Three months on, and the approaches we use are still very much enhanced by Eleanor’s approach, which helps to maintain a calmer household, no matter how sleepless the nights or how fractious the baby.  We can’t recommend her enough!"

"I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl  naturally in the water and with no pain assistance. Thank you to Eleanor for everything she did for us, her patient guidance, her calm nature and for the way she boosted my confidence, self esteem and belief in my bodies abilities. She listened to my wishes, gave me positive input and allowed me to take my own decisions. Thank you Eleanor, I don't think it wouldhave been the same without your encouragement and I will always feel empowered by the experience and the baby. " Claire Perrott, Hemyock, Devon.

"Thankyou for everything you did for me when I was in labour. I never imagined I'd be able to give birth without any pain medication so the fact I did is something I can be extremely proud of. Thankyou for keeping me going!" Kirsty, Brandon and Jace Conger, Taunton 

"I don't normally read testimonials and have never written a testimonial before, but I sincerely wish to endorse Eleanor and the hypnobirthing course. Her easy teaching style, calm nature and professionalism took all the worry out of the process leading up to labour. It also helped you face and deal with any issues that might be worrying you, before the baby arrived.

Our baby boy was in a difficult position and without the hypnobirthing I wouldn't have coped. I was able to completely "zone out" (for want of a better word) for hours at a time, without the use of pethidine or an epidural, completely unaware of my surroundings and did not even notice the time pass. I also believe that it helped to keep our baby calm. When he was born, he started to feed within the first hour, he was extremely active and did not seem in the least bit distressed by the process! We were home and starting family life within a few hours or the birth. The first comment, made to us by our friends, was how relaxed and energetic we were, considering that we had just had a baby!

I can't impress upon anyone enough how much this helped. it also meant that my husband was able to relax too and take it all in his stride. Should we be lucky enough to have another baby, we will be calling upon Eleanor again for her services to get us ready for "round two"! Many, many thanks Eleanor" Kate and Graham