Testimonials

100% of my couples state in their HypnoBirthing Institute course feedback they would
"highly recommend HypnoBirthing to other couples"
and that they would
"highly recommend Marie as an instructor".
Furthermore all couples strongly agreed that
"Marie has a positive and inspiring manner".

These are some of the recent comments from people who've learnt about HypnoBirthing through Marie:

Just to let you know that Edward James Cox was born on January 4th, arriving into the world two weeks early. My contractions were really far apart for a day and they thought they would have to induce me. But once I got to the hospital and put the cd on it was all green lights! I managed to get through one cycle of the rainbow relaxation CD...you could say I had a relatively quick labour, Teddy was born after 23 minutes!!! I think relaxation really does work....:-)
Ania - ComfortableBirth HypnoBirthing Mum, December 2009

Just a quick one to let you know that Ruben Charles Colchester Hall was born at 1.30am on Monday morning weighing 3840g. I have to say that it was a truly amazing experience. Ruben decided he was coming by stomping so hard he broke my waters around 11pm, and he was born in water 2 and a half hrs later. I will always look back on it with awe that he came into the world so easily! Thanks again for your help, and insight and all the best for the future... I will be recommending HypnoBirthing to all the pregnant ladies!
Lisa - ComfortableBirth HypnoBirthing Mum, October 2009

I really enjoyed practicing the hypnobirthing techniques during pregnancy as it made me relax on a daily basis and was very excited about using them during the birth.
At 30 weeks the doctors realised that my baby had problems with his kidneys and I was induced at 37 weeks. The good news is that the hypnobirthing techniques that we had practiced still worked, in fact they helped us to feel in control.
I delivered my son without pain relief, even though he decided to stay in breech position and all the doctors and nurses commented on how well the hypnobirthing had helped me cope with the contractions.
Hypnobirthing is also brilliant for giving the birthing partner a clearly defined role and way of helping.
I would recommend hypnobirthing to anyone and I would also highly recommend Marie as an instructor, she has a lovely calm and reassuring manner.
Sarah - ComfortableBirth HypnoBirthing Mum, September 2009

Chris, Claudia and I would really like to thank you because HypnoBirthing really worked for us and allowed us to have a wonderful and completely natural birth. Maybe my only regret was to leave the house so at the last minute!! I am sure that Hypnobirthing really helped me to enjoy the experience and the time coming up to it. I will recommend Hypnobirthing and your classes to any pregnant woman! Once again, thank you so much for your help.
Francesca - ComfortableBirth HypnoBirthing Mum, July 2008

Marie - thanks for all your help. I wanted the hypnobirthing to keep me calm, I never imagined I could do it without pain relief before i did the course.
Raylene - ComfortableBirth HypnoBirthing Mum, July 2008

We had Riley on Monday 16th June. I only got to 35 weeks so was in hospital, but managed to maintain the 'bubble'and had an amazing, enjoyable birthing experience.

The midwife at the hospital repected all our wishes, Amy and Peter made an excellent team and Peter was confident and secure with what I was going through.

My membranes released on Wednesday 11th and I managed to have irregular contractions for 5 days. Sometimes contractions were 3-5 an hour, sometimes 6 minutes apart for a few hours. Without HypnoBirthing, I would not have coped with those 5 days at all, I managed to still carry on and mantain a normal ish day.....with Clayton (who is finally walking at 12 months!) and we had chance to practice every technique and perfect it as we needed to.

It was a natural, pain-relief free (only gas and air) quick labour and when I actually gave in to my birthing body, relaxed and started to bring Riley into this world, was so amazing, I smile everytime I think about it. I feel so empowered and confident, we are both ready and excited to have more children, so we can practice it all over again! Amy & Peter were so surprised how controlled and confident I was at this stage, allowing him to enter the world when he wanted to, no pushing, just relaxing and breathing.

I left the hospital yesterday with no stitches and feeling amazing.

Marie - Thank you so much for helping support us through this.

Katrina - ComfortableBirth HypnoBirthing Mum, June 2008

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 - ComfortableBirth HypnoBirthing 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 HypnoBirthing 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 - ComfortableBirth HypnoBirthing Mum, October 2007

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 - ComfortableBirth HypnoBirthing Mum, October 2007

"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 - Comfortable Birth HypnoBirthing Mum
from Cambridge, July 2007

"Having followed Marie for 5 months, and listened to the HypnoBirthing 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, April 2007

``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, a recent Comfortable Birth HypnoBirthing Mum
from Cambridge, June 2007

"I was very impressed by how effective the HypnoBirthing 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,
April 2007

"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 - Comfortable Birth HypnoBirthing Dad
from Cambridge, June 2007

Some of the things course attendees have highlighted they were most impressed with from Marie's 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 HypnoBirthing approach very special! "

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

And from a Mum whose baby presented transverse who went on to have a planned Casearian:

"Would you like to know how we used the HypnoBirthing 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 - ComfortableBirth HypnoBirthing Mum, September 2007