Thank you for organising our sessions at such late notice, for leading them so beautifully, and for adapting to our swiftly changing circumstances with such speed!
Rather extraordinary to think that Caitlin arrived just 5 and a half hours after you left our house. The contractions became rapidly stronger and more frequent just after you left, so we were advised to go to Addenbrokes at 11. We asked not to be told how dilated I was, which the (truly wonderful) midwife respected. We later discovered though that I was barely more than a centimetre dilated but the regularity of the contractions made her decide not to send us home.
A healthy baby was born at speed with no intervention at all. I am now thrilled to bits that our daughter had a natural birth with no pain relief and no drugs in her system. She is a very calm little thing, and last night managed to give us two bursts of two and a half hours sleep, so we are gradually finding our feet. We are truly grateful to you for facilitating such a wonderful event.

Polly - Mum who had a Vaginal Birth After Casearian (VBAC), December 2008

I was in pre-labour for three days at home. Surges kept building up to four minutes apart then falling back to every 10-20 minutes. We used the course techniques throughout the three days and it was wonderful. I didn't need the TENs machine or anything. By day four the community midwife said there must be a complication as I was stuck at 4cm and irregular surges, also I was pretty tired from three nights disrupted sleep. So reluctantly we went to the Rosie but I have to say the HypnoBirthing again was brilliant as it kept me focussed and positive in my outlook. We used the birthing pool there for most of the day. I got to 6cm but the surges were still irregular. Exhausted the midwife suggested some syntocinon might kick start the birth. I agreed but opted for a mobile epidural as my energy was low. The breathing and visualisations kept me calm and relaxed and William came out!
Jen

Ruby came 11 days late. I was in hospital due to be induced but she came naturally while on the ward. My waters broke at 4am on Wed night and Ruby was born at 11.40 on Thursday morning 25th Oct. I only had paracetamol and gas and air and I had a really good birth. Alistair read your fear release script when we went up to the delivery ward and I had Ruby over a birthing ball....I only got on the bed once so they could check how far I was dilated and I definitely didn't want to stay there! I had the relaxing music playing throughout. Alistair was brilliant and he kept saying affirmations like 'trust your body' etc. and breathe. So I want to thank you very much for the course as it definitely made a difference and I had a really positive labour.
Ruth - Mum

"I can't recommend the course enough. I'm amazed because I expected labour to be shorter but more intense than with my first baby but in fact I experienced a lot less pain. I was in early labour from midnight when I experienced the first surge, but labour started properly only at 3.50am. The baby arrived at 5.18 after a 6min second stage. We used the birthing pool for the last 10mins ...I thought I'd get in the pool as anticipated wanting to be in there for the hours to come (!) ...up to that point the surges were totally manageable by thinking about the baby moving down with each, and using my own visualisations to focus. So I was a bit uneasy when I felt the 'urge to push' after only three surges as I thought it must be too early, but out he came, still in the amniotic sac! Like giving birth to a balloon! Fortunately no tears - apparently being in the sac can help with that. Richard said I made no noise at all and didn't talk other than to say I was getting in the pool, and the only outward sign of discomfort was me moving my head from side to side and blinking rapidly during a surge." Sally - Mum

"Having followed Marie for 5 months, and listened to the techniques and ideas, I can say that this seems like a great way to approach pregnancy, both for the mother and for the newborn child. I can only thank Marie for being so patient and so open with us all along, and for introducing us to a different way of thinking of pregnancy. It has been a wonderful experience and one I will always remember."
Marie - 3rd year Cambridge University medical student

``HypnoBirthing really, really helped. The only mention of pain relief was when they said I was doing really well without it. We were all done and dusted in five and a half hours from start to finish.''
Catherine, Mum

"I was very impressed by how effective the techniques were in Marie's birth. At our review session with a doctor we told the other students there about HypnoBirthing. The consultant obstetrician who led our review session was also very interested in HypnoBirthing and said what a healthy attitude Marie had to having a natural birth."
Tom - a 3rd year Cambridge University medical student,

"I found the course really beneficial because it meant that I wasn't surprised by what happened as the labour progressed and I felt like a useful member of the birthing team"
Tim - Dad

Some of the things course attendees have highlighted they were most impressed with from our course:

"We found the course absolutely invaluable and are both really pleased we took it. We particularly appreciated the calm manner with which you presented the course materials, providing an excellent model to emulate."

"Watching positive birth experiences especially instructors own as it was so relevant and personal"

"Marie's knowledge and patience; relaxed atmosphere she created which enabled us to voice our fears and pose all questions"

"The systematic approach to explaining why techniques work, not just advocating them"

"The amount of material we could cover quickly and effectively in each session and that we were provided with plenty of additional material for home use. The inherent inclusivity of our husbands/partners in the process makes the course approach very special! "

"Seeing Marie's own birth experience, where she could explain in detail what was happening when and which I found most reassuring and impressive"

"Would you like to know how we used the techniques in preparation for (and during) the operation? We used one of the "deepening" scripts the night before and managed to get a good night's sleep. On the day, we had chosen a few affirmations which Phil repeated to me during the morning to keep us positive and to help keep fears at bay. We had a long wait - two emergencies had to go ahead of the scheduled C-sections, so it was difficult to keep focussed at times, but by the time they called us (about 4.30pm) we were looking forward to what was ahead.

I used slow breathing again and again when the anaesthetist had problems fitting the epidural. Phil believes that the training we did with you made the difference between having a birth at which I was conscious and having to resort to a general, which of course would have been a sad thing to have happenned. We will never know for sure but he could be right. The other thing we loved about the course - as I think I may have already said before - is the positive attitude to life and pregnancy and birthing generally. It doesn't put all the emphasis on how you "perform" on the day, but tackles much wider issues like body image and psychological well-being, and the cultural factors that may affect this, so you have a chance to address the things that could otherwise hold you back from enjoying the whole experience. Of course I am not telling you anything you do not already know, but these were the things that struck me most about your course, which is by far the most humane of the childbirth preparation courses I have come across and I really hope you have lots of success with it ..."

Jenn