About Laura
Hello and welcome to The Yorkshire Hypnobirthing School! Hypnobirthing is one of the best things that has ever happened to me and I am keen to help other parents to have a positive birth experience.
I am originally from Guiseley in Leeds and now live just up the road in Yeadon with my husband Craig and daughter Charlotte. I have a huge passion for my community, being from Yorkshire and maternal mental health.
I have studied hypnobirthing with KGHypnobirthing which is one of the world leaders in hypnobirthing and I’m passionate about helping others to have an empowering experience.
I also have first-hand experience on how hypnobirthing works as I used it throughout my pregnancy and the birth of my daughter.
Prior to using hypobirthing I was extremely nervous about any type of ‘medical’ environment and the idea of having a baby terrified me. After listening to negative birth stories for years and watching unrealistic births on TV I was petrified at the thought of having a baby. My anxiety prior to becoming pregnant with regards to healthcare became so severe that I suffered from panic attacks and sleepless nights if I had an upcoming medical appointment.
When I became pregnant I knew that I needed to do something to help me overcome my anxiety in order to ensure that me, my husband and my baby had a positive birth experience. The fear of causing my unborn baby harm due to my anxiety gave me the determination to find a method to remain calm during my pregnancy. I was keen to curb my fears in order to give my child the best possible start in life and that’s when I discovered hypnobirthing.
Despite a hospital transfer via ambulance and a baby born at 36 weeks I was able to use hypnobirthing effectively, birthing my baby after 26 hours of active labour without any intervention and a little gas and air during the 2nd stage of labour.
As a result of this positive experience, not only was giving birth and meeting daughter the proudest moment of my life. I was proud of me in a way that I cannot describe, I had changed from a woman who lived in fear to a mother who felt like she could do anything.
I am very passionate about ensuring parents have the best birth for them, regardless of what they choose.
My hypnobirthing journey
My hypnobirthing journey started when I was about 12 weeks pregnant, I was well know in in my family for having a fear of hospitals, blood and birth. I was prone to fainting and a visit to the dentist resulted in a panic attack. My fear of birth was extreme and this fear was only intensified when I announced my pregnancy and people began to tell me birth horror stories even though I never asked to hear them!
When my sister mentioned hypnobirthing and I decided to look into it, I became hooked. Not just on hypnobirthing. On everything to do with birth. I spent hours reading hypnobirthing books, went to NCT classes, active birth classes, I tried pregnancy pilates, watched hundreds of birth videos and came across a digital hypnobirthing pack nearing the end of my pregnancy. I felt more and more confident with every extra bit of information I took in as it meant that I understood the process of birth and what would happen during my labour.
A combination of all of these different things helped me massively and although a face to face hypnobirthing course cannot cover every element of pregnancy and birth it’s an excellent way to prepare yourself for the birth of your baby. We invest so much in items for once the baby is born but it all starts with the birth.