Although though this was my third pregnancy, and my previous two births had been natural and uncomplicated, for some reason this time round I felt very anxious that something was going to go wrong. It was probably a combination of my age (39) and a nagging sense that I was pushing my luck by having a third when I already had two healthy children.

I’d vaguely heard of HypnoBirthing, and was prompted to call Kat after seeing a flyer in a local shop. I loved our first session, warming to Kat immediately. The group bonded well and I found the HypnoBirthing videos we watched incredibly inspirational.

At our third session Kat used a hypnotherapy technique whereby in a state of deep relaxation, we replaced any negative thoughts or fears around birthing with a positive image. I imagined myself, my husband Simon and two children all together surrounding our new baby in love and cuddles!
It was such a vivid and joyful image and one that I carried with me for the rest of my pregnancy. The old fears I’d had about losing the baby in labour, or them being unhealthy, were just not tangible to me any more.

During the course I also decided I’d really like to have a doula present (Kat being the obvious choice). In my last birth I’d found the midwife pretty much left me alone until the pushing stage, and had found this quite un-nerving. Having a doula meant I’d have the reassurance of having someone present throughout who was experienced, knowledgeable and reassuring.

The key HypnoBirthing techniques I used in the run up to my ‘guess date’ were the breathing, affirmations and rainbow relaxation CD. I listened to the CD every other night and found it useful in helping me to relax generally. During the last month or so I took it incredibly easy, surrendering myself to the intense tiredness I was experiencing. I looked after myself much better than in previous pregnancies, eating more healthily and having regular massages and reflexology treatments.

The birth went amazingly well – I still can’t get over how fantastic it was – and having Kat as my doula was just a wonderful thing for me. Kat met me and Simon in a huge light-filled room complete with birthing pool at University College Hospital London (UCH) at 8.30am on Saturday morning (May 8th) when my contractions were about eight minutes apart. After about an hour or so she suggested we go for a walk to help keep things going – I did about half an hour of ‘crab walking’ walking sideways up and down three flights of stairs.

This quickly ramped things up and by the time I returned to our room I was finding the surges really quite challenging. At around midday I decided I was ready to get into the pool and within half an hour my beautiful little girl was born – underwater and still inside the birth membrane, called the caul. I later discovered that this is supposed to be really lucky, an added bonus!

The last bit was like an outer body experience, I remember Kat saying: “There’s her head… now her shoulders are out” and recall thinking: “What on earth is she talking about?” but the second she was born I snapped back into myself and reached down automatically to help scoop her up.

The breathing techniques definitely helped me say calm throughout the birth. We had the Hypnobirthing CD playing and inwardly I repeated affirmations to myself around my birth canal opening and relaxing. Kat was so encouraging and positive, she helped me stay focused and reminded me about the breathing when I needed it. She also helped me get through the surges by massaging my lower back, which helped massively. The other key thing she did was encourage me to trust my own instincts and do what felt right.

My husband Simon had initially been a little unsure about having a doula – worried that it might affect what is obviously a very intimate and personal experience. But on the day he found it really reassuring having Kat with us. Although it meant he played a lesser role than he had in the previous births, he could see how much I was getting out of having Kat there, and for him that was the main priority. 

Kat’s other talent is her brilliant photography skills. Thanks to her we have a whole series of stunning professional shots documenting those first incredible minutes of our daughter Florence’s birth. I also had a photo shoot with her in the last week of my pregnancy. Knowing this was to be my last baby, I had wanted to get some nice shots of myself in full bloom. I was blown away by the resulting shots; I look serene, womanly and ethereal and shall treasure them.

Overall having a doula helped make my third (and last!) pregnancy and birth a very special experience. I felt so nurtured by Kat in the months leading up to the birth and of course, most importantly, on D-day itself. And the HypnoBirthing techniques definitely helped me override the concerns that had been troubling me, and allowed me to relax and enjoy the latter stages of my pregnancy. Kat’s just so multi-talented – a doula who also teaches hypnobirthing, she’s a trained masseuse, and as an added bonus, a professional photographer – how amazing is that!

Claudia, London