Hello and welcome to my page 'Love Your Birth', thanks for visiting.
I'm Sophie and here is where I tell you a little bit about myself and my
journey to become a HypnoBirthing Practitioner.
I'm originally from Auckland but after travelling the world for years moved to Papamoa Beach in 2009 to start a more relaxed lifestyle. I feel lucky to be able to raise my children by the beach, the fresh ocean air, sinking my toes into the sand and the general relaxed lifestyle is so good for the soul, and being able to wear beach gear everywhere is a huge bonus!
Fertility did not come easy to me, so on my journey to become pregnant I learned so much about lifestyle, diet, general well-being and how the body and reproductive system work; I found both the scientific and the holistic advice fascinating, and discovered that when you use a little bit of both, mind and body work better together.
In 2014 after years of trying to get pregnant it finally happened and I was absolutely over the moon! I knew I wanted to have a natural birth, my mum had birthed my sisters and I totally naturally as had most of my family. But I know myself well enough to know that I like to be prepared for all situations and birth is something I'd never done before, so taking steps to prepare myself for the unknown the best way possible was important to me. I'm that girl who always has the biggest suitcase with something for every season and every occasion packed no matter where I'm going and what the time of year! A good friend of mine and my sister had both practiced HypnoBirthing for their first births and had great experiences. So I did some research and found there were no practitioners in Tauranga, but found Vicki Bullick in Cambridge, so I booked in and travelled over to Cambridge for the classes. After the first session I knew these classes were perfect for me, the scientific side mixed with the holistic made so much sense, it was so well balanced, factual and logical but also calming. I took the HypnoBirthing way on board fully and practice the techniques daily throughout my pregnancy's.
On February 1st 2015 after three short hours my beautiful baby boy Samuel was born, he was 8 pound 12 (nearly 4kg). My birth was an experience I will treasure forever and I truly believe I have HypnoBirthing to thank for that. I knew to go with the natural flow of my body and breath with it, not to fight against it, the tools and techniques I had practiced were invaluable. One of my first thoughts after having Samuel was, 'I can't wait to do that again!'
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Over the first few months of motherhood I went to mum groups, and often we sat and discussed birth experiences, most of which were traumatic, when I talked of my beautiful experience I was looked at like a bit of an alien...it was so sad, my empowering experience was the only one in a room of about 15 mums. Heartbreaking. So I decided to do the HypnoBirthing Practitioner training program so that I could pass on my knowledge and teach more parents in our area the HypnoBirthing way. I have now been teaching since January 2016 and have taught hundreds of couples how they too can be prepared and have an enjoyable birthing day.
In 2017 I had my second HypnoBirthed baby, Eleanor Rose. Another amazing empowering experience, this time a waterbirth at the beautiful Bethlehem Birthing Centre.
I teach in a way that is factual, logical, empathetic and personal. You will learn all about your body and the scientific side to birth, and you will also learn amazing natural tools and techniques to help you through labour, I will guide you through the process of birth, and help you navigate questions from the medical profession, and ultimately help you to feel empowered by this lifechanging experience. This course really is the best of both worlds.
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So here I am in beautiful Papamoa, here to spread the word about HypnoBirthing and help mothers and fathers prepare for birth, prepare for parenting, and have the memorable, happy birthing experience they so deserve. Thank you for reading my story, and do get in touch should you wish to know more xo
