Lionheart Hypnobirthing - Pregnancy, Birth And Parenthood Empowerment
About Lionheart Hypnobirthing - Pregnancy, Birth And Parenthood Empowerment
Hypnobirthing support from a registered midwife and certified hypnobirthing teacher, to help you prepare for a calm and confident birth, and feel supported into parenthood
Lionheart Hypnobirthing - Pregnancy, Birth And Parenthood Empowerment Description
I trained and qualified as a midwife in 2006. I was absolutely fascinated by pregnancy, labour and childbirth and a career in midwifery seemed the obvious choice for me. I was very proud to be a midwife. However, my experiences of working for NHS maternity services left me disappointed - I didn't have the time to talk, and - most importantly - listen to women. I therefore trained and practised as a health visitor and continue in this career.
When it came to my own child rearing, I put this off for many years; what I had seen on labour ward had made me extremely anxious and I envisaged my own birth to be extremely painful, distressing and traumatic. When I first found out that I was pregnant, my first thought - sadly - was not one of joy but anxiety, thinking "I'm going to have to give birth now". This anxiety really started to engulf me as my pregnancy advanced. Alas, I researched methods for having a calm and natural birth and to my delight I found hypnobirthing!
My husband and I used the KG hypnobirthing approach, and had sessions in our own home by a local midwife. Together, we worked hard on preparing for labour and birth.
My labour and birth were absolutely wonderful - I laboured through the night with my husband by my side, using a hot water bottle, a TENS machine and a birthing ball. I started pushing at home and then my waters broke, so we called the hospital and made the journey in. Though I was gently pushing in the car, and during the short walk to the hospital, the whole situation was very calm. The midwives did not feel I was in advanced labour when I arrived. However, when I had a surge (contraction) I started pushing involuntarily, and they realised I was almost ready to have my baby!
Baby Samuel was born 30 minutes later. It was a smooth and calm birth for both him and me; lasting about 12 hours in total. My body knew what to do and because I had prepared my mind for birth, I was so calm and relaxed, I trusted my body to do what nature had designed it to do. I felt like a super hero after I had given birth and was amazed by the power and strength of my mind and body!
It was my own birth that restored my passion and interest in labour and birth and led me to my next adventure in teaching hypnobirthing to other expectant parents.
My qualifications include: *Trained midwife with bachelor or science degree *Registered health visitor with masters degree *Diploma in KG Hypnobirthing (and endorsed by the RCM) and. . . . most importantly. . . . *KG hypnobirthing mama! !
Every birth is different, and whilst I can't promise you that hypnobirthing will give you your perfect birth , I can assure you it will make a positive difference. I can also assure you that by the end of the course you will be feeling calmer and more prepared for your forthcoming birth. . . maybe even excited about giving birth! ! !
Hypnobirthing works. It has been seen time and time again. Whatever you choose, I hope you have a wonderful and empowering birth experience.
Reviews
✨F R E E one hour Hypnobirthing taster session✨
Give me one hour⏰ of your time and I will teach you more about keeping your labour and birth C A L M and C O N F I D E N T than if you completed any other antenatal preparation.
Boom!!! 🔥💣💥
... The only 'downside' is you will want to know more!
Booking is essential. ✨Like and follow✨ my page and head to the "events" section for all the details.
Love Rachel xxx
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I could not love💕 this photo any more.
I had a great morning @momoscoffeeshop with these gorgeous ladies (plus new dad Damien who took the photo).
This is what I'm all about. ✨Support✨Reassurance✨Empowerment✨ in pregnancy, labour and birth, and parenthood.
... See you next month guys and gals.
Love Rachel xxx
P.s Yes...those are twins 👼👼 you can spy at the front!!!
#motherhood #mums #newparents #baby #twins #newborn #sthelens #merseyside #letseatcake #inthistogether #support #supportsmallbusiness
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✨🖊N E W B O R N C O U R S E🖊✨
Thank you Kim for looking over the content of my newborn course. You've given me lots of confidence that it is going to help lots of new mamas and papas to FLOURISH🍃🌹💐.
I am really excited about this new course!!! It is going to help you RELAX into parenthood, TRUST your gut instinct and NUTURE baby in the way you want to.
... For more details on this course go to:
https://www.lionhearthypnobirthing.com/ne wborn-course
Love Rachel xxx
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✨G R O U P H Y P N O B I R T H I N G✨
These are the dates ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Here's where you book your place: www.lionhearthypnobirthing.com/choose-a-c ourse/hypnobirthing.
... A £50 deposit secures your spot.
Are you ready to get excited about birth?! This course will change the way you feel... and therefore how you give birth.
I'm talking:
💕Confidence 💕Calm 💕Choice 💕Knowledge 💕Empowerment
Love Rachel xxx
#grouphypnobirthing #birthwithoutfear #growingahuman #birthpartner #birthfear #Hypnobirthing #lionhearthypnobirthing
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Birth can be hard work, it can be intense. But, at the same time, birth doesn’t have to be scary or distressing. It doesn’t have to ruin the joy of your pregnancy.
Labour and birth can be totally AMAZING. It can fill you with joy, make you realise the power and strength of your mind and body, and teach you so much about yourself.
Preparing for birth is absolutely essential in my opinion and experience. During my time as a labour ward midwife, I saw so many women arriving at ...hospital in an utter frenzy; not understanding what was happening to their bodies - leading to panic, fear and distress.
Whilst there are no guarantees, a positive birth experience is not down to pot luck; it’s down to preparation.
Hypnobirthing is a complete labour and birth preparation course that is becoming more and more popular. It is far more than a just a few techniques to use in labour. It combines hypnotherapy techniques (to achieve deep relaxation of the mind) with the knowledge and wisdom of birth anatomy and physiology (to ensure your body and baby are optimally prepared for birth).
By combining these two aspects - the outcome is profound! Hypnobirthing gently changes a woman’s mind-set so that she releases fear, trusts her instincts, her body and the natural birth process, and learns to work with her body.
Come join me at Momo's Coffee Shop for a FREE one hour hypnobirthing taster session; get a feel for what I do, and how hypnobirthing can help you have a calm and confident birth.
Drinks and snacks will be available to purchase.
Although this is a free event, booking is essential as places are limited. Message the page or email rachy_lith@hotmail.com telling me:
-The names of those attending -Your estimated due date -Your email address Ideally, you'll be 12-30 weeks on the date of the taster.
In the run up to the taster....take a look at my website www.lionhearthypnobirthing.com so you can see the services that I offer.
See you there!
Love Rachel x
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This is tomorrow guys and gals! ☕🍰
Our meet up @momoscoffeeshop
10-12 for coffee, cake and a natter about all things parenting or NOT parenting...your call.
... Any of my current or previous clients welcome as well as anyone needing a bit of extra support.
Love Rachel xxx
#motherhood #parenthood #mothersmeetup #lionhearthypnobirthing #baby #newborn #coffeebreak
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🙌Abby from Love Your Birth🙌 explaining the misconception about "low" and "high" pain thresholds.
Love Rachel xxx
✨Body Confidence✨
This is something I've never spoke about on here.
I know you're "supposed" to say you love💕 you post baby body ("it did an incredible thing growing a baby" and similar cliches)...but what if you don't love her?...your body that is.
... I don't hate her. I dont cry in the mirror or lose sleep at night or anything. She looks ok. And she DID do an extraordinary thing growing and birthing a human.
But 2 years on I don't quite feel like "me" on the outside (another cliche I know).
I was put on medication💊 for severe postnatal anxiety (theres a blog on it on my website www.lionhearthypnobirthing.com ) but my medication (mirtazipine) is notorious for weight gain (it's used to "treat" anorexia as it's primary purpose 😣😣😣) so I knew the knock on effect, but my mental health was my priority (obvs).
So I started my meds💊 and felt much better very quickly. Phew! But i also put a stone on in 2 weeks. 2 weeks!!!
18 months on I'm almost off my medication. But the extra baggage is still there. My chubbier pregnancy face hasn't budged and my middle (which obviously did the brunt of the "growing the human" 🤰) is still much softer than I'd like.
I won't lie...I find it hard to exercise time-wise. Here come the excuses🤣😂...If I've not got Sam, I'm working on growing my business, and having a shift worker husband makes it hard to commit to classes.
But something needs to change.
My mind feels very strong...which is my priority and very positive. I feel invincible most of the time! 😎💪👌👊
But my body has zero strength. I get breathless easily when I run and feel i have cement shoes on that feel hard to move when I run😦🙈
So here's my new thing. S K I P P I N G. and weight training 🏋️♂️🏋️♀️ (I'll post a video when I'm brave enough!). Starting with 200 per day and gradually increasing.
I'm enjoying the challenge already and matching my body strength with my mental health.
If you see me...ask.me how I'm doing. Hold me to account!
Love Rachel xxx
#postnatal #postnatalfitness #mumtum #lionhearthypnobirthing #strength #skippingrope #weightlifting
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Happy Saturday everyone!!!
We've just ordered a Chinese takeaway 🍲🍱🍤 and I am waaaaay too excited about its arrival!
How many of you are feeling excited about a (slightly) more monumental arrival?! 👼👼👼
... I've just started a 9 day stretch of continuous Hypnobirthing....imagine how many births are going to change for the better as a result!
Today's couple were amazing to teach...half the time it doesn't even feel like "work" when you love what you do.
Love Rachel xxx
P.s. how amazing is this picture?! Please spend some time imagining your little one "in there" (technical term) growing and developing and what an amazing job you're doing growing a human. Here's to you 🥂
#baby #babyshower #pregnancy #birthwithoutfear #birthpartner #Hypnobirthing #lionhearthypnobirthing #growingahuman #weekendvibes #weekend
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NEW!!!
3-4 Hour one off teaching session.
All the ✨essentials✨ of my Hypnobirthing course but for people very short on time or wanting to do other antenatal preparation.
... The investment from you is £150 and includes my 🎁gorgeous welcome packs🎁 with the book, audio, and goodies and treats. And support before/after the session as needed.
Give me a few hours of your time and I will get you and your birth partner(s) prepared, calm and excited about birth.
No praying🙏 or wishing🤞 for a great birth any more.
Drop me a message if you want in ☎️📱🖱
Love Rachel xxx
✨✨P.s my G R O U P course dates are live on my website. 3rd, 17th and 31st Oct. See www.lionhearthypnobirthing.com/choose-a-c ourse/hypnobirthing ✨✨
#lionhearthypnobirthing #birthpreparation #Hypnobirthing #pregnancy #birthwithoutfear #birthpartner #mother #calmbirth #essentialscourse
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This just popped up in my Memories. My first ever video...a year ago. Don't think I'd had a booking by then!!! I was nervous doing this but also really excited to share what I did with everyone.
Love Rachel xxx
✨Why my new client booked me✨
She wants:
💕Less pain. Yep...Hypnobirthing gives you a more complicated and manageable birth without doubt. With practical tools that will minimise birth sensations and mindset stuff to cope with the rest 👍🙌
... 💕More control. Absolutely....so many of my second time parents tell me they felt out of control last time. Not at the forefront of their own births. When I was a midwife, it was a common misconception amongst staff that women must pass their control, power and autonomy to professionals. Birth should not be like this...but I'm still hearing from my clients that this view is still held by some staff. I show my clients just how much choice, control and power they have over their own births, and how to use it.
💕Less fear. Yep...we've got this. When you understand and TRUST what is happening to you, when you learn how to deeply relax, when you learn that you (and no one else) is the boss and you have far greater control than you can possibly imagine, and once you know your birth partner knows how to support you in the very best way, you will feel confident and calm in labour.
Love Rachel xxx
P.s. dates from group Hypnobirthing course are out. View and book here: www.lionhearthypnobirthing/choose-a-cours e/hypnobirthing
P.ps only ⚡one space⚡left.
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✨On Wednesday I caught up with this beautiful family for their postnatal follow up✨.
Parents Heather and Stuart had their second baby, Grayson👼....little bro to Ivy aged 3...in July....and he is a peach🍑
Heather had had a caesearen section previously and was planning a home water birth🛀 this time round using Hypnobirthing techniques.
... Heather started off in labour and was calm and relaxed and carried on with her day to day activities. As the surges🌊 got stronger and with more of a pattern, Heather got into the swing of things and said she felt like she was riding the surges🌊 yeesssssssss!!!!....using the breathing techniques I'd taught her and my "best way of coping with a surge" technique 🏄♂️🏄♀️
Baby was, however, showing signs of distress, and an ambulance was called.
At hospital, Heather asked for a caesearen. "I just knew it was the right thing to do".
In theatre (and in the ambulance), Heather kept herself calm using the same breathing techniques. And baby was born healthy but needed to be admitted to special care for a couple of days to keep an eye on him.
On Facebook Heather wrote that even though the birth went as far off plan as possibly, they were still able to use all the Hypnobirthing tools to stay calm🌈, focused🌈 and make careful decisions🌈.
Heather wrote: "what could have been a ⚡traumatic⚡ birth was still a positive one. Thank you so much Rachel".
Heather...you are an ✨a s t o u n d i n g✨ woman. I knew that from the moment I met you. And with Stuart by your side you were an incredible team. You have the most beautiful family.
Love Rachel xxx
#vbac #caesareanbirth #lionhearthypnobirthing #Hypnobirthingaceasarean #baby #scbu #newborn #family #birthpartner #lionhearthypnobirthing
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My Hypnobirthing courses are a pretty remarkable form of labour and birth preparation.
It combines:
✨Deep relaxation techniques (hypnotherapy) to relax and calm your mind and body. When you can do this (trust me...it takes A LOT of practice for most of us)...you are going to have a much more comfortable birth. Yes please 🙋♀️... ✨Understanding of birth anatomy and physiology🤰 so that and your birth partner understand what's happening and what's coming next. You trust what's happening, feel more relaxed and confident. ✨Decision-making tools. In a nutshell🥜...it is highly likely that you will be offered a raft of interventions. Most people are as we have a very medicalised maternity system in the UK. These interventions really do change the course and intensity of your labour and often aren't actually needed. This part of my course will help you only agree to an intervention if it is actually needed.
Hypnobirthing is a ✨R E A L game changer✨. I cant say that enough. You will feel confident and empowered 😎💪👍 knowing you have the tools and techniques to have a much more positive birth, however that happens.
ALL my courses include the KG Hypnobirthing book and audio CD, goodie bag including local business discounts, affirmation bracelets, and local and organic treats, on going support and monthly group coffee morning's 🍰☕
✨Private courses✨ also include postnatal follow up at home🏠🏡.
£50 secures your place.
For more details go to www.lionhearthypnobirthing.com (link in bio for instagram) or drop me a message 📱☎️🖱
Love Rachel xxx
#Hypnobirthing #gamechanger #labourandbirth #pregnancy #birthwithoutfear #birthpartner #birthfear #lionhearthypnobirthing #baby
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I hate the word "clingy" when it's used as a bad thing.
It denies us of our emotional needs. And when we display what could be considered "clingy" behaviour (crying, wanting to talk and be heard, wanting to be held, needing reassurance), we clearly have a 'need' that needs meeting.
Whether we are 3 days old, 3 years old, 30 years old or beyond. It's the same.
... We are humans, not robots.
New parents are often told that if you hold your baby or toddler too much, rock them to sleep...whatever...they will be clingy and "you will make a rod for your own back".
This is not true.
When we give our children...whether they be infants, toddlers, children, adolescents...what they need emotionally...they are much more likely to feel fulfilled, safe, calm and confident. They build better relationships with others, are happier, more self assured and grateful. They learn to trust us 😍😃👼💃🕺
But...When we push them away, encourage them to self-soothe, or cry it out, are left alone upset, tell them to grow up or stop crying...we erode their self worth. They feel frightened and scared. Their confidence diminishes. They feel isolated and confused. The trust goes 😓
I have launched🚀 my ✨N E W B O R N C O U R S E✨ to reassure and support new and expectant parents in what they're doing. Giving them the tools and confidence to "read" their baby's subtle (and sometimes not subtle!) Cues that they need something. This is aimed at 0-3months but a lot is transferable beyond this.
You have ✨1 day left✨ to book this course at the reduced price!!! 💰💰💰
ALL the details can be found at www.lionhearthypnobirthing.com/newborn-co urse
Love Rachel xxx
#parenting #newparents #newborns #nosuchthingasclingy #baby #itsaminefirld #emotional
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✨So many birth partner's say they felt "useless" and like a "spare part" in the labour room 'last time'.✨
Oh no no no no no. There will be no spare parts when you've done my Hypnobirthing course! ❌🛠❌⚒❌
You see, the feeling of being useless and not knowing what to do, comes from not understanding what is happening, feeling fearful, and not knowing what might be helpful to their partner (so they do nothing so as to not make it worse!).
... ✨Birth partners are just as much a part of my course as the woman herself✨. Yes, it is the woman giving birth...but she needs the loving support and voice of her birth partner to help her feel SAFE, SECURE and basically get on the with job in hand.
If you want your birth partner to learn how to support you in the very best way, so you feel more satisfied by your birth experience and so do they...drop me a message ☎️📱🖱
Love Rachel xxx
#birthpartner #dads #Hypnobirthing #birth #labourandbirth #pregnant #lionhearthypnobirthing
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Next meet up Tues 4th Sept (September?! 😵😵😵) 10-12 @momoscoffeeshop in St Helens town centre.
I really do love 💕 catching up with you all.
Who's coming?
... Love Rachel xxx
#lionhearthypnobirthing #Hypnobirthing #mothers #mothersmeetup #letseatcake #baby #newmum #postnatal #pregnant
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✨On Monday I caught up with these beauties for their postnatal follow up...mum Alison, dad Craig, baby Ethan now 3 months old and pooch Ralph🐶🐕 (who got camera📸 shy!)✨
I've seen them a few times since Ethan's birth at our monthly meet ups ☕🍰 but this was a chance for us to sit together and talk privately about their birth experiences, becoming parents and anything else important to them.
✨I feel this is a really important part of my course. As much as I want to meet baby, I ...also want to see how parents are feeling too✨.
Here's some of what we talked about birth-wise (posted with parents permission of course):
🌟Alison describes her labour and birth as "intense" and with really strong surges🌊.
🌟Alison was able to use the breathing techniques🌬 she learnt on my course to good effect during every surge🌊. Craig said she "coped amazingly" and how proud he was of her 😍
🌟Alison could anticipate each surge using a little "trick" I tell all my clients about!🏄♂️🏄♀️ (this helps you stay one step ahead of the surge rather than it be on top of you).
🌟Alison told me that "Craig was really great" and he kept her calm and focused during more intense parts (it really is teamwork 👫👼).
🌟Craig said he was much more prepared because of doing my course. He knew how to support Alison in the very best way, he understood what was happening and felt confident to ask the hospital questions about their care. He said that without Hypnobirthing he "would have made things worse" 🙈😅
🌟The couple had to use the information I gave them from session 3 ("Making Choices" content can be seen here www.lionhearthypnobirthing.com/what-i-tea ch ) much more than any of us would have liked. They were offered a raft of interventions/procedures and felt much more confident in making careful and safe decisions and asserting themselves with health professional 👨⚕️👩⚕️
💞Thank you Alison and Craig. You were an absolute dream to teach. You are such lovely (and very funny!) people and such caring and loving parents to Ethan. He is really going to thrive with you two as his parents💞.
Thank you also for your Facebook reviews of my services 😘
Love Rachel xxx
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✨🌟Group Hypnobirthing- Please share the life out of this🌟✨
Hello to my lovely page likers!
So as well as my private "Full" and "Intense" courses (that are taught in your home on mutually convenient days)...i have also launched group hypnobirthing dates.
... The group venue is @omnitherapy_ Rooms in Haydock, St. Helens.
🌟Group 1: Wednesday 15th aug, Wednesday 29th aug and Wednesday 12th sept...7pm-10pm. Perfect for those expecting an autumn/winter baby.
🌟Group 2: Wednesday 3rd oct, Wednesday 17th oct and Wednesday 31st oct. Perfect for those expecting a winter/new year baby.
Early booking is recommended. And £50 secures your spot.
Drop me a message for more info.
Love Rachel xxx
#Lionhearthypnobirthing #sthelens #merseyside #liverpool #Wigan #warrington
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� Wow what can I say about Rachel?! Well besides being understanding and caring, the support she gave was second to non. I suffer with anxiety and had serious fear of childbirth so after being told I was going to be induced early (which of course was not in the plan and was the furthest from what I wanted) and no water birth allowed I panicked, like seriously panicked. The first person I text was Rachel and she was right there with reassurance and encouragement and she came too see us the next day, being the night before I would be started. The process was long, intense and an over all extreme mental battle plus an episiotomy (again more panic) but I was able to remain calm and relaxed, take on the help but I honestly and whole heartedly believe that had it not been for hypnobirthing and the tools provided by Rachel that I wouldn’t of even remembered to breathe. At times I lost my head but Rachel had taught me I can do this so I learned to trust myself, allow it to happen and now I have the most beautiful baby girl I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t a fan of being pregnant and the birth wasn’t easy but I’d do it again for her tomorrow! Anyone who knows me will tell you I never thought I’d ever say that but I would. Thank you Rachel so much! It’s people like you that make a big difference x
When my partner first mentioned that she wanted to do hypnobirthing I really believed it was going to be all crazy hippie stuff but because my partner was bad with anxiety and quite fearful of labour I was happy to try it and Rachel didn’t disappoint. She was really easy to talk to and she taught me how to keep my partner calm and focused. Learning the labour process and the anatomy of what’s happening was really beneficial as you understand exactly why everything is happening. Would recommend to everyone to give it a try!
When I came across Lionheart hypnobirthing I sent Rachel an email and got a very quick response. I was so relieved when I heard she had also started the process very late. I booked her intensive course and after a small amount of persuasion my husband agreed to take part, and we never looked back.
Rachel’s course gave so much more than we expected and I feel the course is worth every penny spent. Having the personal lessons meant I was able to talk specifically about my own fears and history. Rachel is so friendly and has a very natural calmness which made it easy to open up to her about what we hoped we could avoid and achieve with the impending birth. Her background as a midwife and health visitor gave me and in particular my husband even more confidence in what she was teaching us. It was like having an incredibly detailed and personalised birthing course as well as learning how to practically use the hypnobirthing techniques we were learning. We felt incredibly confident about the our decisions and that the birth would be manageable and looked forward to doing it together.
My birth story
Once I had stopped working I felt able to dedicate more time to reading the scripts both alone and with my husband, listening to the CD and looking at the affirmations I had posted around the house. I began to visualise in more detail and mentally prepare for the birth. This alone made me feel calm and confident about my ability to labour and birth at home as well as understanding the biology of what was going to happen. I did a lot of OFP and about three weeks worth of perineal massage. Feeling so prepared was what helped me feel calm as knowledge really does empower. I could never have felt so sure from a group course where I wouldn’t have felt able to ask personal questions or where I may have zoned out of the bits I didn’t feel relevant to me. Because there’s so much discussion with Rachel, it is impossible for it to feel uninvolved or too general.
The birth was very quick. I said to my husband on the morning Benjamin was born that I had had enough of being pregnant and I just “wanted it out”. I was 3 days overdue, ready and looking forward to meeting my baby. I hadn’t felt any surges throughout the day but as it got to around 9.30 at night I had a noticeable surge...I thought maybe something might be starting so I laid on the sofa and watched some telly to conserve energy. At around 10.00 I told my husband I thought it might be starting and then at 10.30 I told him to call my dad to collect our son for a sleepover with his grandparents. The surges were very strong and I stood leaning forward my birthing ball on a chair and used the up breathing Rachel had practised with us and which I had been practising daily since our first meeting. These were incredibly useful along with looking at the affirmations in the living room where I had chosen to spend my labour. At one point I thought that the surges were so powerful that I might want some pain relief but as my husband was preparing the room for the pool, I just concentrated on my breathing and at 11.00 I thought things were progressing very quickly and asked for the midwife to be called. At 11.20 after returning to the sofa to try and slow things down my dad came to collect our son and left soon after. Then suddenly things just happened and I’d gone into transition which was very intense and I just concentrated on the breathing and holding my husband’s hand. I then began pushing. I couldn’t believe it was happening so quickly and I don’t think my husband did either. I was quite vocal...not loud but guttural (as Rachel had also described, making me feel it was all normal and fine). I could feel the head being born but I can honestly say I wasn’t really in pain as I was so concentrated on trying to do the down breathing. My husband caught our son and was holding him in his arms as the midwife arrived and asked...did that just happen? So although we had planned a homebirth, it was not quite as our birth plan had set out! My midwife was completely on board with my hypnobirthing and I’m actually glad we didn’t have any medical intervention whatsoever until after the birth. My husband’s version of events may be slightly different but I was unaware of any commotion or stress he may have felt whilst I was labouring...he did a brilliant job, which I’m sure he would say is down to our course!
Thank you Rachel! I really can’t thank Rachel enough for her part in my beautiful and exciting birth story! I heartily recommend her to anyone wishing to give this a go at whatever stage of pregnancy as being so well informed can only be a positive influence on any birth regardless of how much of it you choose to practise and use in the event.
We have just completed our Hypnobirthing sessions with Rachel at 38 weeks and I can honestly say I was the best thing we have done when preparing for the arrival of our baby. We were instantly drawn to the ‘Lionheart’ name and I when spoke to Rachel on the phone, I knew straight away that she was the person to teach and guide us through hypnobirthing. Rachel is so down to earth and has so much experience as a midwife and a health visitor, we really felt like we were in safe hands! Initially, I had wanted to deal with giving birth by going in ‘blind’. However, once I’d read Rachel’s website about the many benefits of hypnobirthing, my outlook changed completely. Through doing the course, in the comfort of our own home with my 2 birthing partners, we learnt all about the birthing process, how to create the best conditions for birth, how to manage our worries and fears, how to stay calm and positive, how to deal with ‘birth curve balls’ and most of all how to bring our baby into the world in the best possible way. The course isn’t just about using the techniques on the day either, we experienced some complications after 1 session with Rachel, I used the techniques that I’d learnt so far to deal with the situation and Rachel kept in contact offering advice and support, which really helped. I honestly can’t imagine going into my birthing journey without the hypnobirthing knowledge and techniques that we have gained. I found out that I had more worries than I’d realised but the course has enabled me to understand the birthing process completely and I now feel positive and excited about the birth of our baby - with my birth partners completely on the same page as me! I can’t recommend the course with enough. Thank you soooo much Rachel!
Jen Kilshaw
Thanks to Rachel we’re excited for our birth. I was set on a c-section when I met Rachel as I was so scared of birth. Now we’re having a Home birth and just set up our pool!! I’ll do a proper story and recommendation after the birth but for now I can say she’s got us excited and prepared for what lies ahead xxx
Rachel is amazing-all the reviews just show how fantastic the hypnobirthing course is , as well as how supportive Rachel is throughout. I had such an awful pregnancy and a traumatic Labour however I would not have managed to get through either without the support and advice off Rachel, and all the hypnobirthing techniques. The breathing techniques are amazing-i still use them now.if you are unsure at all then look no further- you need this course!xxx
Never heard of hypnobirthing before doing this and at first was in two minds about it. Rachael was amazing and helped me personally as a bloke understand slot more of the process we would be taking. I learned how to help my partner for support and initially to prepare myself on what was to come , having never experienced child birth before. This course made me more relaxed and well prepared and ended up enjoying the whole process in the end and less nervous.
More importantly we had Rachael there whenever we needed her for advice or support on the side if we were unsure about anything. Felt like we had a friend on the side who had the knowledge of everything and made our process of pregnancy and birth alot easier.
Just want to say a big thank you for our one to one course worth every penny! Me and frankie are deffinatly more prepared and positive about the whole thing thanks to you �. Not had the most straight forward 8months but using my hypnobirthing has helped me through and also kept me calm in certain situations. Your a lovely person and very professional. Thanks for all your help and advice love Gemma and Frankie xxx
It’s difficult to know where to start, to express how amazing Rachel has been for us in our pregnancy journey towards labour/birth, is hard to put into words! We were recommended by a friend to look up Rachel and lionheart Hypnobirthing, I wasn’t entirely sure at first, though I’d heard a lot of positives about Hypnobirthing, I wasn’t sure if it was the right choice for us. How wrong I was!
From the initial phone conversation I had with Rachel I felt that I understood a great deal more about what the course entailed. My view of labour had always been that I would be a ‘give me all the drugs’ kinda girl, which although works for some, I barely take paracetamol so the idea of anything stronger would send me to sleep!! Just after our first session, I already felt that there were so many positives to be taken from the course, learning some simple relaxation techniques helped me to take time out of my day to focus on myself and to chill out, something if you ask my husband is something I find impossible! This meant that I was able to focus on my birth aspirations, visualise us in labour and start to prepare ourselves for the big day.
With every session, Rachel answered every question or concern, she taught us about the practice of Hypnobirthing and how to use it effectively to ensure we had the birth that we wanted. She made sure we felt prepared and ready for what was to come and to know that there was nothing to fear in what we would experience.
In reality, our birth didn’t go quite to plan - as the best things never do, I had high blood pressure throughout and was strapped to a monitor as was my baby via a vaginal monitor and so I was unable to be as mobile as I would have liked and actually ended up in the position I’d most wanted to avoid. Without the Hypnobirthing techniques that Rachel taught us, my husband probably wouldn’t have been able to keep me as calm and as focused as he did throughout. He kept reminding me of our aspiration statements and focusing on our end goal. Without Hypnobirthing, when strapped to the bed and under strict monitoring, I really believe I would not have been able to remain as calm and focused as I was and without Hypnobirthing in that situation I believe i would have taken a raft of interventions which would have changed our birthing experience entirely.
I would highly recommend Rachel and the Hypnobirthing course, we found that having private sessions meant that we could ask the questions that we probably wouldn’t have asked in a group setting, it also meant that we had the benefit throughout of Rachel’s experience and wealth of knowledge and she was able to keep us on track ready to meet our beautiful baby boy. xx
If you are in two minds whether to do this course, then my advice is to just book it! You won't regret it! If you want to feel confident about your pregnancy and childbirth then Rachel is the lady who can help you with this. Her knowledge and experience is immense! This course not only helped myself and my partner feel empowered and relaxed, but we were actually looking forward to the birth!!! The course will help you through each stage of labour so you know what to expect and how to deal with it. Rachel is a great teacher, who becomes more like a friend that you can talk to easily. I messaged Rachel a lot of times with a lot of questions and nothing was too much trouble. Even after the birth of our son, when we had a lot more questions (following some complications) she has been there as a great support and a great help! The course is value for money as you get one to one tailored sessions, constant communication, aftercare sessions and Rachel's knowledge and experience. Book today!
I went to hypnobirthing to keep the wife happy. I didn't know what it was or what to expect- but happy wife happy life as they say. What we did get though was 100% beneficial. As first time parents we expected the worst. horrendous birth, pain, screaming but the worst thing was the not knowing. Rachel taught some relaxation exercises to my wife and I, but the education we received about the birthing process was the big thing. I went from knowing very little, to being confident in what to expect and how to deal with any changes to our birth plan. I was confident enough to ask the hospital questions about our care, to be able to tell the midwives No, when my wife was pre- occupied, and also ways to help her deal with birth.
I would highly recommend Lionheart hypnobirthing. Even though we have had the baby, Rachel is still helping and following up and has helped us in the 'being Parents stage' which everyone seems to forget about.
thanks for all your help.
I went to a hypnobirthing taster session in St Helens led by Rachel when I was 32 weeks pregnant. I left the session feeling really positive and a lot more confident about giving birth as a first time Mum.
Although I didn’t do the course because I felt I was too late on in pregnancy, I bought the KG hypnobirthing book and CD and started to practice the relaxation techniques at home.
Recently, my hospital offered me an induction/caesarean (at 38 weeks) because of a ‘big baby’ (8 pounds, 9 oz) and the risk of shoulder dystocia.
After doing my research and talking to Rachel, I have decided to wait some time to see if nature takes its course. I would really like a natural water birth and have no other pregnancy complications.
Had I never been to the hypnobirthing taster session, I would have gone along with everything the hospital has offered and would now be feeling very out of control going along for an induction without really knowing my options.
I cannot thank Rachel enough- knowledge is power � xX
� Wow what can I say about Rachel?! Well besides being understanding and caring, the support she gave was second to non. I suffer with anxiety and had serious fear of childbirth so after being told I was going to be induced early (which of course was not in the plan and was the furthest from what I wanted) and no water birth allowed I panicked, like seriously panicked. The first person I text was Rachel and she was right there with reassurance and encouragement and she came too see us the next day, being the night before I would be started. The process was long, intense and an over all extreme mental battle plus an episiotomy (again more panic) but I was able to remain calm and relaxed, take on the help but I honestly and whole heartedly believe that had it not been for hypnobirthing and the tools provided by Rachel that I wouldn’t of even remembered to breathe. At times I lost my head but Rachel had taught me I can do this so I learned to trust myself, allow it to happen and now I have the most beautiful baby girl I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t a fan of being pregnant and the birth wasn’t easy but I’d do it again for her tomorrow! Anyone who knows me will tell you I never thought I’d ever say that but I would. Thank you Rachel so much! It’s people like you that make a big difference x
When my partner first mentioned that she wanted to do hypnobirthing I really believed it was going to be all crazy hippie stuff but because my partner was bad with anxiety and quite fearful of labour I was happy to try it and Rachel didn’t disappoint. She was really easy to talk to and she taught me how to keep my partner calm and focused. Learning the labour process and the anatomy of what’s happening was really beneficial as you understand exactly why everything is happening. Would recommend to everyone to give it a try!
When I came across Lionheart hypnobirthing I sent Rachel an email and got a very quick response. I was so relieved when I heard she had also started the process very late. I booked her intensive course and after a small amount of persuasion my husband agreed to take part, and we never looked back.
Rachel’s course gave so much more than we expected and I feel the course is worth every penny spent. Having the personal lessons meant I was able to talk specifically about my own fears and history. Rachel is so friendly and has a very natural calmness which made it easy to open up to her about what we hoped we could avoid and achieve with the impending birth. Her background as a midwife and health visitor gave me and in particular my husband even more confidence in what she was teaching us. It was like having an incredibly detailed and personalised birthing course as well as learning how to practically use the hypnobirthing techniques we were learning. We felt incredibly confident about the our decisions and that the birth would be manageable and looked forward to doing it together.
My birth story
Once I had stopped working I felt able to dedicate more time to reading the scripts both alone and with my husband, listening to the CD and looking at the affirmations I had posted around the house. I began to visualise in more detail and mentally prepare for the birth. This alone made me feel calm and confident about my ability to labour and birth at home as well as understanding the biology of what was going to happen. I did a lot of OFP and about three weeks worth of perineal massage. Feeling so prepared was what helped me feel calm as knowledge really does empower. I could never have felt so sure from a group course where I wouldn’t have felt able to ask personal questions or where I may have zoned out of the bits I didn’t feel relevant to me. Because there’s so much discussion with Rachel, it is impossible for it to feel uninvolved or too general.
The birth was very quick. I said to my husband on the morning Benjamin was born that I had had enough of being pregnant and I just “wanted it out”. I was 3 days overdue, ready and looking forward to meeting my baby. I hadn’t felt any surges throughout the day but as it got to around 9.30 at night I had a noticeable surge...I thought maybe something might be starting so I laid on the sofa and watched some telly to conserve energy. At around 10.00 I told my husband I thought it might be starting and then at 10.30 I told him to call my dad to collect our son for a sleepover with his grandparents. The surges were very strong and I stood leaning forward my birthing ball on a chair and used the up breathing Rachel had practised with us and which I had been practising daily since our first meeting. These were incredibly useful along with looking at the affirmations in the living room where I had chosen to spend my labour. At one point I thought that the surges were so powerful that I might want some pain relief but as my husband was preparing the room for the pool, I just concentrated on my breathing and at 11.00 I thought things were progressing very quickly and asked for the midwife to be called. At 11.20 after returning to the sofa to try and slow things down my dad came to collect our son and left soon after. Then suddenly things just happened and I’d gone into transition which was very intense and I just concentrated on the breathing and holding my husband’s hand. I then began pushing. I couldn’t believe it was happening so quickly and I don’t think my husband did either. I was quite vocal...not loud but guttural (as Rachel had also described, making me feel it was all normal and fine). I could feel the head being born but I can honestly say I wasn’t really in pain as I was so concentrated on trying to do the down breathing. My husband caught our son and was holding him in his arms as the midwife arrived and asked...did that just happen? So although we had planned a homebirth, it was not quite as our birth plan had set out! My midwife was completely on board with my hypnobirthing and I’m actually glad we didn’t have any medical intervention whatsoever until after the birth. My husband’s version of events may be slightly different but I was unaware of any commotion or stress he may have felt whilst I was labouring...he did a brilliant job, which I’m sure he would say is down to our course!
Thank you Rachel! I really can’t thank Rachel enough for her part in my beautiful and exciting birth story! I heartily recommend her to anyone wishing to give this a go at whatever stage of pregnancy as being so well informed can only be a positive influence on any birth regardless of how much of it you choose to practise and use in the event.
We have just completed our Hypnobirthing sessions with Rachel at 38 weeks and I can honestly say I was the best thing we have done when preparing for the arrival of our baby. We were instantly drawn to the ‘Lionheart’ name and I when spoke to Rachel on the phone, I knew straight away that she was the person to teach and guide us through hypnobirthing. Rachel is so down to earth and has so much experience as a midwife and a health visitor, we really felt like we were in safe hands! Initially, I had wanted to deal with giving birth by going in ‘blind’. However, once I’d read Rachel’s website about the many benefits of hypnobirthing, my outlook changed completely. Through doing the course, in the comfort of our own home with my 2 birthing partners, we learnt all about the birthing process, how to create the best conditions for birth, how to manage our worries and fears, how to stay calm and positive, how to deal with ‘birth curve balls’ and most of all how to bring our baby into the world in the best possible way. The course isn’t just about using the techniques on the day either, we experienced some complications after 1 session with Rachel, I used the techniques that I’d learnt so far to deal with the situation and Rachel kept in contact offering advice and support, which really helped. I honestly can’t imagine going into my birthing journey without the hypnobirthing knowledge and techniques that we have gained. I found out that I had more worries than I’d realised but the course has enabled me to understand the birthing process completely and I now feel positive and excited about the birth of our baby - with my birth partners completely on the same page as me! I can’t recommend the course with enough. Thank you soooo much Rachel!
Jen Kilshaw
Thanks to Rachel we’re excited for our birth. I was set on a c-section when I met Rachel as I was so scared of birth. Now we’re having a Home birth and just set up our pool!! I’ll do a proper story and recommendation after the birth but for now I can say she’s got us excited and prepared for what lies ahead xxx
Rachel is amazing-all the reviews just show how fantastic the hypnobirthing course is , as well as how supportive Rachel is throughout. I had such an awful pregnancy and a traumatic Labour however I would not have managed to get through either without the support and advice off Rachel, and all the hypnobirthing techniques. The breathing techniques are amazing-i still use them now.if you are unsure at all then look no further- you need this course!xxx
Never heard of hypnobirthing before doing this and at first was in two minds about it. Rachael was amazing and helped me personally as a bloke understand slot more of the process we would be taking. I learned how to help my partner for support and initially to prepare myself on what was to come , having never experienced child birth before. This course made me more relaxed and well prepared and ended up enjoying the whole process in the end and less nervous.
More importantly we had Rachael there whenever we needed her for advice or support on the side if we were unsure about anything. Felt like we had a friend on the side who had the knowledge of everything and made our process of pregnancy and birth alot easier.
Just want to say a big thank you for our one to one course worth every penny! Me and frankie are deffinatly more prepared and positive about the whole thing thanks to you �. Not had the most straight forward 8months but using my hypnobirthing has helped me through and also kept me calm in certain situations. Your a lovely person and very professional. Thanks for all your help and advice love Gemma and Frankie xxx
It’s difficult to know where to start, to express how amazing Rachel has been for us in our pregnancy journey towards labour/birth, is hard to put into words! We were recommended by a friend to look up Rachel and lionheart Hypnobirthing, I wasn’t entirely sure at first, though I’d heard a lot of positives about Hypnobirthing, I wasn’t sure if it was the right choice for us. How wrong I was!
From the initial phone conversation I had with Rachel I felt that I understood a great deal more about what the course entailed. My view of labour had always been that I would be a ‘give me all the drugs’ kinda girl, which although works for some, I barely take paracetamol so the idea of anything stronger would send me to sleep!! Just after our first session, I already felt that there were so many positives to be taken from the course, learning some simple relaxation techniques helped me to take time out of my day to focus on myself and to chill out, something if you ask my husband is something I find impossible! This meant that I was able to focus on my birth aspirations, visualise us in labour and start to prepare ourselves for the big day.
With every session, Rachel answered every question or concern, she taught us about the practice of Hypnobirthing and how to use it effectively to ensure we had the birth that we wanted. She made sure we felt prepared and ready for what was to come and to know that there was nothing to fear in what we would experience.
In reality, our birth didn’t go quite to plan - as the best things never do, I had high blood pressure throughout and was strapped to a monitor as was my baby via a vaginal monitor and so I was unable to be as mobile as I would have liked and actually ended up in the position I’d most wanted to avoid. Without the Hypnobirthing techniques that Rachel taught us, my husband probably wouldn’t have been able to keep me as calm and as focused as he did throughout. He kept reminding me of our aspiration statements and focusing on our end goal. Without Hypnobirthing, when strapped to the bed and under strict monitoring, I really believe I would not have been able to remain as calm and focused as I was and without Hypnobirthing in that situation I believe i would have taken a raft of interventions which would have changed our birthing experience entirely.
I would highly recommend Rachel and the Hypnobirthing course, we found that having private sessions meant that we could ask the questions that we probably wouldn’t have asked in a group setting, it also meant that we had the benefit throughout of Rachel’s experience and wealth of knowledge and she was able to keep us on track ready to meet our beautiful baby boy. xx
If you are in two minds whether to do this course, then my advice is to just book it! You won't regret it! If you want to feel confident about your pregnancy and childbirth then Rachel is the lady who can help you with this. Her knowledge and experience is immense! This course not only helped myself and my partner feel empowered and relaxed, but we were actually looking forward to the birth!!! The course will help you through each stage of labour so you know what to expect and how to deal with it. Rachel is a great teacher, who becomes more like a friend that you can talk to easily. I messaged Rachel a lot of times with a lot of questions and nothing was too much trouble. Even after the birth of our son, when we had a lot more questions (following some complications) she has been there as a great support and a great help! The course is value for money as you get one to one tailored sessions, constant communication, aftercare sessions and Rachel's knowledge and experience. Book today!
I went to hypnobirthing to keep the wife happy. I didn't know what it was or what to expect- but happy wife happy life as they say. What we did get though was 100% beneficial. As first time parents we expected the worst. horrendous birth, pain, screaming but the worst thing was the not knowing. Rachel taught some relaxation exercises to my wife and I, but the education we received about the birthing process was the big thing. I went from knowing very little, to being confident in what to expect and how to deal with any changes to our birth plan. I was confident enough to ask the hospital questions about our care, to be able to tell the midwives No, when my wife was pre- occupied, and also ways to help her deal with birth.
I would highly recommend Lionheart hypnobirthing. Even though we have had the baby, Rachel is still helping and following up and has helped us in the 'being Parents stage' which everyone seems to forget about.
thanks for all your help.
I went to a hypnobirthing taster session in St Helens led by Rachel when I was 32 weeks pregnant. I left the session feeling really positive and a lot more confident about giving birth as a first time Mum.
Although I didn’t do the course because I felt I was too late on in pregnancy, I bought the KG hypnobirthing book and CD and started to practice the relaxation techniques at home.
Recently, my hospital offered me an induction/caesarean (at 38 weeks) because of a ‘big baby’ (8 pounds, 9 oz) and the risk of shoulder dystocia.
After doing my research and talking to Rachel, I have decided to wait some time to see if nature takes its course. I would really like a natural water birth and have no other pregnancy complications.
Had I never been to the hypnobirthing taster session, I would have gone along with everything the hospital has offered and would now be feeling very out of control going along for an induction without really knowing my options.
I cannot thank Rachel enough- knowledge is power � xX
� Wow what can I say about Rachel?! Well besides being understanding and caring, the support she gave was second to non. I suffer with anxiety and had serious fear of childbirth so after being told I was going to be induced early (which of course was not in the plan and was the furthest from what I wanted) and no water birth allowed I panicked, like seriously panicked. The first person I text was Rachel and she was right there with reassurance and encouragement and she came too see us the next day, being the night before I would be started. The process was long, intense and an over all extreme mental battle plus an episiotomy (again more panic) but I was able to remain calm and relaxed, take on the help but I honestly and whole heartedly believe that had it not been for hypnobirthing and the tools provided by Rachel that I wouldn’t of even remembered to breathe. At times I lost my head but Rachel had taught me I can do this so I learned to trust myself, allow it to happen and now I have the most beautiful baby girl I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t a fan of being pregnant and the birth wasn’t easy but I’d do it again for her tomorrow! Anyone who knows me will tell you I never thought I’d ever say that but I would. Thank you Rachel so much! It’s people like you that make a big difference x
When my partner first mentioned that she wanted to do hypnobirthing I really believed it was going to be all crazy hippie stuff but because my partner was bad with anxiety and quite fearful of labour I was happy to try it and Rachel didn’t disappoint. She was really easy to talk to and she taught me how to keep my partner calm and focused. Learning the labour process and the anatomy of what’s happening was really beneficial as you understand exactly why everything is happening. Would recommend to everyone to give it a try!
When I came across Lionheart hypnobirthing I sent Rachel an email and got a very quick response. I was so relieved when I heard she had also started the process very late. I booked her intensive course and after a small amount of persuasion my husband agreed to take part, and we never looked back.
Rachel’s course gave so much more than we expected and I feel the course is worth every penny spent. Having the personal lessons meant I was able to talk specifically about my own fears and history. Rachel is so friendly and has a very natural calmness which made it easy to open up to her about what we hoped we could avoid and achieve with the impending birth. Her background as a midwife and health visitor gave me and in particular my husband even more confidence in what she was teaching us. It was like having an incredibly detailed and personalised birthing course as well as learning how to practically use the hypnobirthing techniques we were learning. We felt incredibly confident about the our decisions and that the birth would be manageable and looked forward to doing it together.
My birth story
Once I had stopped working I felt able to dedicate more time to reading the scripts both alone and with my husband, listening to the CD and looking at the affirmations I had posted around the house. I began to visualise in more detail and mentally prepare for the birth. This alone made me feel calm and confident about my ability to labour and birth at home as well as understanding the biology of what was going to happen. I did a lot of OFP and about three weeks worth of perineal massage. Feeling so prepared was what helped me feel calm as knowledge really does empower. I could never have felt so sure from a group course where I wouldn’t have felt able to ask personal questions or where I may have zoned out of the bits I didn’t feel relevant to me. Because there’s so much discussion with Rachel, it is impossible for it to feel uninvolved or too general.
The birth was very quick. I said to my husband on the morning Benjamin was born that I had had enough of being pregnant and I just “wanted it out”. I was 3 days overdue, ready and looking forward to meeting my baby. I hadn’t felt any surges throughout the day but as it got to around 9.30 at night I had a noticeable surge...I thought maybe something might be starting so I laid on the sofa and watched some telly to conserve energy. At around 10.00 I told my husband I thought it might be starting and then at 10.30 I told him to call my dad to collect our son for a sleepover with his grandparents. The surges were very strong and I stood leaning forward my birthing ball on a chair and used the up breathing Rachel had practised with us and which I had been practising daily since our first meeting. These were incredibly useful along with looking at the affirmations in the living room where I had chosen to spend my labour. At one point I thought that the surges were so powerful that I might want some pain relief but as my husband was preparing the room for the pool, I just concentrated on my breathing and at 11.00 I thought things were progressing very quickly and asked for the midwife to be called. At 11.20 after returning to the sofa to try and slow things down my dad came to collect our son and left soon after. Then suddenly things just happened and I’d gone into transition which was very intense and I just concentrated on the breathing and holding my husband’s hand. I then began pushing. I couldn’t believe it was happening so quickly and I don’t think my husband did either. I was quite vocal...not loud but guttural (as Rachel had also described, making me feel it was all normal and fine). I could feel the head being born but I can honestly say I wasn’t really in pain as I was so concentrated on trying to do the down breathing. My husband caught our son and was holding him in his arms as the midwife arrived and asked...did that just happen? So although we had planned a homebirth, it was not quite as our birth plan had set out! My midwife was completely on board with my hypnobirthing and I’m actually glad we didn’t have any medical intervention whatsoever until after the birth. My husband’s version of events may be slightly different but I was unaware of any commotion or stress he may have felt whilst I was labouring...he did a brilliant job, which I’m sure he would say is down to our course!
Thank you Rachel! I really can’t thank Rachel enough for her part in my beautiful and exciting birth story! I heartily recommend her to anyone wishing to give this a go at whatever stage of pregnancy as being so well informed can only be a positive influence on any birth regardless of how much of it you choose to practise and use in the event.
We have just completed our Hypnobirthing sessions with Rachel at 38 weeks and I can honestly say I was the best thing we have done when preparing for the arrival of our baby. We were instantly drawn to the ‘Lionheart’ name and I when spoke to Rachel on the phone, I knew straight away that she was the person to teach and guide us through hypnobirthing. Rachel is so down to earth and has so much experience as a midwife and a health visitor, we really felt like we were in safe hands! Initially, I had wanted to deal with giving birth by going in ‘blind’. However, once I’d read Rachel’s website about the many benefits of hypnobirthing, my outlook changed completely. Through doing the course, in the comfort of our own home with my 2 birthing partners, we learnt all about the birthing process, how to create the best conditions for birth, how to manage our worries and fears, how to stay calm and positive, how to deal with ‘birth curve balls’ and most of all how to bring our baby into the world in the best possible way. The course isn’t just about using the techniques on the day either, we experienced some complications after 1 session with Rachel, I used the techniques that I’d learnt so far to deal with the situation and Rachel kept in contact offering advice and support, which really helped. I honestly can’t imagine going into my birthing journey without the hypnobirthing knowledge and techniques that we have gained. I found out that I had more worries than I’d realised but the course has enabled me to understand the birthing process completely and I now feel positive and excited about the birth of our baby - with my birth partners completely on the same page as me! I can’t recommend the course with enough. Thank you soooo much Rachel!
Jen Kilshaw
Thanks to Rachel we’re excited for our birth. I was set on a c-section when I met Rachel as I was so scared of birth. Now we’re having a Home birth and just set up our pool!! I’ll do a proper story and recommendation after the birth but for now I can say she’s got us excited and prepared for what lies ahead xxx
Rachel is amazing-all the reviews just show how fantastic the hypnobirthing course is , as well as how supportive Rachel is throughout. I had such an awful pregnancy and a traumatic Labour however I would not have managed to get through either without the support and advice off Rachel, and all the hypnobirthing techniques. The breathing techniques are amazing-i still use them now.if you are unsure at all then look no further- you need this course!xxx
Never heard of hypnobirthing before doing this and at first was in two minds about it. Rachael was amazing and helped me personally as a bloke understand slot more of the process we would be taking. I learned how to help my partner for support and initially to prepare myself on what was to come , having never experienced child birth before. This course made me more relaxed and well prepared and ended up enjoying the whole process in the end and less nervous.
More importantly we had Rachael there whenever we needed her for advice or support on the side if we were unsure about anything. Felt like we had a friend on the side who had the knowledge of everything and made our process of pregnancy and birth alot easier.
Just want to say a big thank you for our one to one course worth every penny! Me and frankie are deffinatly more prepared and positive about the whole thing thanks to you �. Not had the most straight forward 8months but using my hypnobirthing has helped me through and also kept me calm in certain situations. Your a lovely person and very professional. Thanks for all your help and advice love Gemma and Frankie xxx
It’s difficult to know where to start, to express how amazing Rachel has been for us in our pregnancy journey towards labour/birth, is hard to put into words! We were recommended by a friend to look up Rachel and lionheart Hypnobirthing, I wasn’t entirely sure at first, though I’d heard a lot of positives about Hypnobirthing, I wasn’t sure if it was the right choice for us. How wrong I was!
From the initial phone conversation I had with Rachel I felt that I understood a great deal more about what the course entailed. My view of labour had always been that I would be a ‘give me all the drugs’ kinda girl, which although works for some, I barely take paracetamol so the idea of anything stronger would send me to sleep!! Just after our first session, I already felt that there were so many positives to be taken from the course, learning some simple relaxation techniques helped me to take time out of my day to focus on myself and to chill out, something if you ask my husband is something I find impossible! This meant that I was able to focus on my birth aspirations, visualise us in labour and start to prepare ourselves for the big day.
With every session, Rachel answered every question or concern, she taught us about the practice of Hypnobirthing and how to use it effectively to ensure we had the birth that we wanted. She made sure we felt prepared and ready for what was to come and to know that there was nothing to fear in what we would experience.
In reality, our birth didn’t go quite to plan - as the best things never do, I had high blood pressure throughout and was strapped to a monitor as was my baby via a vaginal monitor and so I was unable to be as mobile as I would have liked and actually ended up in the position I’d most wanted to avoid. Without the Hypnobirthing techniques that Rachel taught us, my husband probably wouldn’t have been able to keep me as calm and as focused as he did throughout. He kept reminding me of our aspiration statements and focusing on our end goal. Without Hypnobirthing, when strapped to the bed and under strict monitoring, I really believe I would not have been able to remain as calm and focused as I was and without Hypnobirthing in that situation I believe i would have taken a raft of interventions which would have changed our birthing experience entirely.
I would highly recommend Rachel and the Hypnobirthing course, we found that having private sessions meant that we could ask the questions that we probably wouldn’t have asked in a group setting, it also meant that we had the benefit throughout of Rachel’s experience and wealth of knowledge and she was able to keep us on track ready to meet our beautiful baby boy. xx
If you are in two minds whether to do this course, then my advice is to just book it! You won't regret it! If you want to feel confident about your pregnancy and childbirth then Rachel is the lady who can help you with this. Her knowledge and experience is immense! This course not only helped myself and my partner feel empowered and relaxed, but we were actually looking forward to the birth!!! The course will help you through each stage of labour so you know what to expect and how to deal with it. Rachel is a great teacher, who becomes more like a friend that you can talk to easily. I messaged Rachel a lot of times with a lot of questions and nothing was too much trouble. Even after the birth of our son, when we had a lot more questions (following some complications) she has been there as a great support and a great help! The course is value for money as you get one to one tailored sessions, constant communication, aftercare sessions and Rachel's knowledge and experience. Book today!
I went to hypnobirthing to keep the wife happy. I didn't know what it was or what to expect- but happy wife happy life as they say. What we did get though was 100% beneficial. As first time parents we expected the worst. horrendous birth, pain, screaming but the worst thing was the not knowing. Rachel taught some relaxation exercises to my wife and I, but the education we received about the birthing process was the big thing. I went from knowing very little, to being confident in what to expect and how to deal with any changes to our birth plan. I was confident enough to ask the hospital questions about our care, to be able to tell the midwives No, when my wife was pre- occupied, and also ways to help her deal with birth.
I would highly recommend Lionheart hypnobirthing. Even though we have had the baby, Rachel is still helping and following up and has helped us in the 'being Parents stage' which everyone seems to forget about.
thanks for all your help.
I went to a hypnobirthing taster session in St Helens led by Rachel when I was 32 weeks pregnant. I left the session feeling really positive and a lot more confident about giving birth as a first time Mum.
Although I didn’t do the course because I felt I was too late on in pregnancy, I bought the KG hypnobirthing book and CD and started to practice the relaxation techniques at home.
Recently, my hospital offered me an induction/caesarean (at 38 weeks) because of a ‘big baby’ (8 pounds, 9 oz) and the risk of shoulder dystocia.
After doing my research and talking to Rachel, I have decided to wait some time to see if nature takes its course. I would really like a natural water birth and have no other pregnancy complications.
Had I never been to the hypnobirthing taster session, I would have gone along with everything the hospital has offered and would now be feeling very out of control going along for an induction without really knowing my options.
I cannot thank Rachel enough- knowledge is power � xX