Lucy,
Just a quick note to say thank you for your hyno cd. Your phrases combined with my hynobirthing ones made my labour incredible. I heard so many times your phrases like (each surge is like climbing a mountain and the birth of your child is such a positive event). I had 12 hours of induced labour with no pain killers which was just incredible. We ended up having an emergency c section as she was too big, the wrong way head down and tilted too much to my left of my pelvis, but it was all just perfect. And preparing for it really helped.
I can't recommend the combo of you and hynobirthing enough though (I totally recommend Katerine Graves and her positive statement and deep meditation cd).
Thank you :-)
And my birth experience was completly perfect and is my wonderful daughter Ailsa.
Clare :-)
Hello Lucy,
I hope you had wonderful Christmas and New Year although so far away now almost thinking about the next one. I came to see you mid Autumn last year for a session - you helped me overcome my fear of birth and of being held hostage to NHS hospital practices!
I wanted to let you know just how wonderful your hypnosis is and how much it helped. Little Myriam was born on 1st February (which my husband geekily keeps pointing out is a pallendrome 01.02.2010). The birth was fantastic. With a combination of your daily hypnosis, acupuncture, a TENS machine and gas and air I dilated fully in six hours with waters and my waters broke naturally (depsite vile midwife telling me I had to have them broken for me only one hour after entering delivery suite at 5cm dilated - I remembered everything you said and I firmly said no thank you).
Alas I did not manage the water birth I had hoped for as there was a bit of fresh blood at the beginning so I ended up on the dreaded and frankly appalling normal labour ward. Midwives all wanting me on my back and just standing to one side saying 'push' every twenty seconds while eating biscuits. Useless. So I ignored them all and stayed standing. However after an hour of being fully dilated baby was still not coming and without a willing midwife to help with positions, I was ransom to the mob. About ten of them descended on me saying baby could be distressed and they had to examine me on my back. Too excruciating to bear and I begged them to examine me on all fours but they couldn't. Ended up epidural, salad servers and stitches. Baby picked up infection (convinced in theatre) and ended up in neo natal unit for a week. All well now though and we are home.
However, I really did enjoy the labour and somehow the positive messages in the CD also helped me cope with the anxiety of her being unwell. You are a marvel. Might need one to help get through first six weeks!
My very best wishes and enormous gratitude,
Leyla xxx
hi lucy,
i had a lovely baby boy called harry on saturday. and i never EVER thought i would say this but the birth was incredible.
i arrived at the hospital thinking the fact that i was able to laugh, make conversation and be completely normal between contractions would mean i was only about 2 cm, but i was 9 cm!!!! my second stage was 5 mins and i didn't tear. the whole thing was about 4 hours. i can't believe how calm i was and neither can my husband. the combination of my natal hypnotherapy cd and our cd really helped. i just stayed in the moment and counted down from 10 with each contraction, which actually really helped as by 5 i knew i'd broken the back of it (apart from at the end when it was more like from 20!!).
seriously you would not believe the difference in how i coped compared to my last birth so thank you so much for helping me learn how to stay calm - not that i didn't have full faith of course, but i really cannot believe it actually is possible to stay calm and look back and describe labour/birth as incredible!!!! all those people weren't lying to me after all!
thanks again,
cath
Lucy...I just wanted to thank you....the CD we recorded at my hypno session helped me so much - not only leading up to the birth but also during the first stage of labour whilst I was at home.....my only regret is that I didnt visit you earlier so I could listen to it more in the weeks leading up to the birth.
During the first stage of labour, we played the CD on repeat....It really allowed me to focus on something other than the contractions so much so that I fell asleep at one point :) Thanks again...I would def recommend you to a friend
Take care
Michelle
Dear Lucy,
Incredibly enough I'm only now getting around to writing to you about my birth of Maarten Anderson, who was born on March 24th. So he is definitely quite a big baby by now and happily, we are very well. Or perhaps Ariane had already told you?
In any case, I wanted to thank you again for your Hypnosis for Birth CD that you made me last Christmas, when we met at the Park Hotel just before Christmas. We had flown over from Germany and Ariane had gifted me session with you! She had been so happy with her session with you, and what do you know, she had a great breech vaginal delivery!!
Although I started a bit late listening to your CD (about 8 weeks before the birth), from then on I religiously listened to it every night and fell asleep to it (usually quite quickly :) ). I loved listening to your soothing voice and feel that it helped me with my confidence and ability to look forward to the birth, knowing that each birth is different and that my body is capable of birthing well. By the time the birth came around, my fear of tearing badly and pushing had been largely eased and I was confident that this time would be better.
Well, I did have a lovely birth, and a waterbirth at that, just like I had hoped for. Start to finish was three hours. I tore but not too badly (definitely not a third degree tear like the first time) and although I still hated second stage and pushing (I did swear a bit and remember saying I don't want to do this), I eventually accepted what was happening and got on with it. Felicia, my midwife, was there as planned and caught the baby, and Craig, my husband, was great for holding on to when bearing down.
I was just amazed (and relieved) when it was over and completely ecstatic that it went so quickly and smoothly and that my son was safe in my arms. After a not so wonderful first birth, it was very healing and empowering to have such a great second birth.
10 hours later I was at home with my family and feeling so proud and in awe of birth and the beauty of this amazing newborn.
I enjoyed looking at your website, Ari suggested looking at you top ten tips, which are great. Your advice to me about siblings was helpful and Christian has adapted well to his brother and is really sweet with him, although he now likes to be cuddled and held like a baby too!
Again, many thanks for your time and wonderful help.
Best wishes,
Annette Novak
Hi Lucy,
I came for a hypnosis session in May and I just wanted to let you know the birth went. It didn't completely follow my birthplan in fact I didn't even take it out of the bag!
But I laboured mostly in water, only had gas and air and used the techniques you taught me to see me through. I found I couldn't concentrate on the self hypnosis before going into The Malden Suite but with the gas and air it really helped me. I only had 7 hours of contractions and only 5 of them were extremely strong, I dilated from 4 to 10cm in 3 and a half hours.
Unfortunately Lorcan turned and didn't budge the last bit even after an hour and a half of pushing and I had to have the dreaded episiotomy and ventouse. But I healed quickly and have had no problems.
So all in all I was extremely happy with my labour and his birth and I just wanted to thank you for your help toward it!
Best wishes
Nuala
HiLucy,
Just to let you know that I had a baby boy called Connor last Thursday in the Malden Suite. Birth was amazing. Spent most of it at home with Viv (doula) & Scott, using the TENS machine & doing lots of stair walking in between listening to your CD & resting. 
I was fully dilated when we got to the hospital &, after a long spell of breathing, rather than pushing, I pushed him out in 17 mins with no stitches required! He weighed in at a stonking 8lbs 11oz(!) - 3 hours after he was born & after some fairly significant bowel action! 
The CD really helped me & it might make you chuckle to know that I kept hearing you say 'Fully Wide Awake' whilst I was trying not to push & thinking about my body being fully wide open. I was also visualising the beach in Barbados that we're lucky enough to frequent one or twice a year & imagining that each contraction was a wave rolling into shore. Viv came round today & was asking me how I managed to take myself off somewhere & commenting on how quiet & calm I was. The CD definitely helped a great deal, so thank you - money well spent!
Sonja x
Dear Lucy
I came to see you in February and you recorded a birth hypnotherapy CD forme.
I just wanted to thank you as I listened to the CD many times before Igavebirth to our baby girl. I was very fortunate as the labour happened verysuddenly and by the time I got to the hospital I was already 10cm dilatedand only had time for gas and air as she was born within an hour after wearrived at the hospital and it was a natural birth.
Our baby girl was born on Sunday night 22nd of March and I just wanted tothank you as listening to the CD I believe made all the difference inhelpingme cope through birth.
I have attached a few photographs for you
Take care
Hester Basson
Hi Lucy,
Just a quick note to let you know that our beautiful daughter, Evelyn Miri, arrived safe and sound at 1.28pm last Thursday 22nd January 2009. Everything went just as I had hoped it would and I had a natural and completely drug-free birth at the Birth Centre at Queen Charlotte's.
My contractions initially started on the Monday evening but listening to your recording helped me to stay focused and calm and I still managed to get some sleep over the next few days (I slept for more than two hours in the bath in between contractions occurring every three minutes in the early hours of Thursday morning!). I also know that the self-hypnosis I practised during my pregnancy helped me to remain relaxed throughout my labour and meant that I was able to stay at home until only four and a half hours before Evie was born.
I don't know whether it is a direct result of this or whether we are just incredibly lucky but she is so far proving to be a very calm, placid and undemanding baby who feeds easily and never cries. Needless to say, we are head over heels in love! Thank you for helping to make all of this possible for us.
Helen and Andrew x
Hi there
I just wanted to let you know that we have a brand new beautiful baby daughter!
She was born at home in the birth pool on Friday 31st October at 1:12pm weighing 7lbs and 10oz. Her name is Aoife Mary Gough and she is an absolute bundle of joy. Needless to say we are elated (if a little tired!) new parents.
Thank you so much for everything - the CD from our session, your advice and your website have been so so helpful. I still go back to your site to read your journal entries and in fact it was your article about home birth that made me decide to go for a home birth and it was such a wonderful experience I will be forever grateful to you!
Jennie and Gary
Dear Lucy,
I just wanted to say a big thank you for the hyponotherapy session that I had last autumn. Having been scared of the birth, I used the CD as often as I could prior to and during the labour. With the help of my doula and husband, I managed to stay at home for the majority of the labour (without pain relief) and arrived at the hospital fully dilated and gave birth within another 2-3 hours (only one or two puffs of gas and air needed). We had a beautiful daughter, Nina weighing 6lb and 12 oz. Without doubt the worst stage was the car journey to the hospital but your advice on how to sit and how to manage the stress were invaluable. I have no doubt that both the hypnotherapy and the yoga sessions that i took were significant in making my birth experience amazing, nothing like the fearful, painful experience that I had expected. Thank you so much for your assistance in this process.
I met a girl at a wedding last weekend who is 4 months pregnant and feels the same way as i did about birth so i have supplied her with your number and a firm reecommendation to get in touch.
I am loving motherhood and hope very much that we will be fortunate enough to have another baby soon (ish!).
I hope all is well with you and your family.
Many Thanks indeed,
Kind Regards,
Faith (Chapman)
Dear Lucy,
Thanks so much for the hypnobirthing session and the CD. My elective C-section was a very relaxing and positive experience with the help of your relaxation techniques. It was so useful for me to help me confirm to myself the decisions I made were the correct ones. Your calming voice certainly helped me visualise and made me feel confident during the experience. Olivia
Mary was born into a very calm atmosphere and she has continued to be a calm contented baby.
Thanks again,
Gemma Jongsma
Hi Lucy
Just wanted to let you know that I had a little girl, Erin Claire Friel, 6lb 1oz, last Thursday 17 Jan. All is well and we came home on Friday evening.
Sadly I didn't end up with the birth I wanted because my waters actually broke on the Monday evening. I had minor contractions that stopped and started until Wednesday lunchtime, when they finally
became more frequent. Went to hospital at about 5pm and continued using the active birth postures/birthing ball, which worked brilliantly, but when I was examined at around 8pm I was only 1.5cm dilated and they decided to put me on an oxytocin drip because of the infection risk to the baby with no waters. I managed to persuade the reluctant midwife to let me lean on my ball on the bed, and coped with TENS for as long as I could, but at about 10pm I opted for an epidural - it was just so painful and the midwife was saying I could be there till lunchtime the next day (!) Luckily, though, I was fully dilated very quickly and could feel enough to be able to start pushing. Baby was delivered with ventouse/episiotomy at quarter to one in the morning.
So there's a good example of how the cascade of intervention works! But the self-hypnosis was fantastic: normally I'm too squeamish to even tolerate a blood test but I used the hypnosis and never felt panicked or out of control. It's only now that I flashback to the ventouse/episiotomy bit and feel horrified at the whole idea of it!
I'm feeling fine apart from extremely sore stitches, and Erin is doing really well so far: Pete and I are so happy to have her. We are getting as much rest as we can. However, if you have any tips on settling a crying baby who won't go to sleep in her Moses basket at 3am, please do let us know!
Thanks again for the hypnotherapy: it definitely helped with both my driving test and my labour, and I'll definitely continue to use it.
Vicky x
Hi Lucy,
I hope that you and your family had a good xmas. I thought that I would update you on the arrival of Joti. She was born at home on Boxing day morning, 9.05am with the use of a birthing pool and some gas and air.She weighed 8 pounds. I had everything that I had hoped for, most especially the trusted and totally fantastic professionals, even a midwife who could do reflexology on me, all thanks to the NHS. Kal also really enjoyed the whole experience and it put the demons of Milly's birth, to bed for him aswell as me. Less than a week on, I am feeling physically very well as I had no stitches and have found that breast feeding has come back to me, rather like riding a bike!
The self hypnosis was fabulous, especially in the very protracted early labour, during which I somehow managed to eat a bit of Christmas dinner so as to give Milly a normal xmas!
Thank you, thank you for all your advice, I needed it as I went overdue and was starting to have to stand my ground about possible chemical induction.
I am feeling a much greater sense of peace about motherhood this time round.
Kind regards and sincere thanks, Lucy
Happy New Year!!
Ros
Hi lucy,
We are the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl ! Born Tuesday 26th June at 2.11pm, 3.5 hours after arriving at hospital.Weighed in at 6lbs 14oz.
Had some acupuncture treatment focused for induction on Monday pm (2 days after due date),
then started contractions in the evening.Used a hot water bottle during the night, Then woke my hubby at about 5am,
Used the tens machine and all the exercises you taught me during yoga – beanbag was great and lots of swinging hips and massage on back. Then gas and air when arrived at hospital, already 6cm.
1st stage very quick, 2nd stage slightly harder – took 3 midwives!!! :-o|)
Everyone at hospital was super.Almost had natural third stage – we had 2 hours of skin to skin which was lovely and were allowed to stay in the delivery room for 5 hours – fab!
Basically, was exactly as per my birth plan, completely fantastic, exhausted and ecstatic.
Name to follow...
Thanks for all your advice and help
Love
Dipa, David + 1
x
Dear Lucy,
just wanted to report back on how the birth went following the hypnosis with you back in june. Eliza was born on 5th oct at 5.30pm weighing 7lbs50z. i have to say it was a truly wonderful experience!!! The labour
was straightforward, just 3 and a half hours so luckily no time for the continuous monitoring they had threatened. By the time i got to the hospital i was almost fully dilated so just had a lovely midwife guide me
through the pushing stage using just the TENS machine and breathing and encouragement from husband.
i felt so elated to have managed to do it the way i wanted that i was on a complete high for 2 weeks. it is very life-affirming to realise that you can achieve something so demanding. Thank you so much for the birth hypnosis - it really helped me focus and fundamentally believe in myself. i was listening to it every day for the
last 6 weeks!! i will recommend you to friends. it was so wonderful to give birth to Eliza naturally and be able to hold her straight away afterwards and also to be able to get up and walk out of the hospital - this could not have been more different from my disempowering experience last time.
Thank you again!
Best wishes,
Laura Minogue
Dear Lucy,
Just to let you know that our gorgeous baby girl Libby was born on 19th Sept
in her amniotic sac, fully naturally with NO intervention - the birth we
wanted - didn't get the pool for the second stage as she came too quickly.
Hoping all is well with you and thanks for the help - it really did the
trick, so much so I actually said to Richard whilst in the throws "You can't
talk to me my eyes are shut" It's just my face was buried in a bean bag at
the time so he couldn't see!
Look forward to hearing from you.
Vicky
Baby A, born 1.50am, Monday 3 September, at home.
After occasional contractions for a few days beforehand, the contractions were 10 minutes apart and regular from about 9am when I got up on Sunday 2 September. Encouraged by their regularity, we decided to go for a walk in Richmond Park, by which time the contractions were 7 minutes apart. I found I had to stop walking and lean on S during contractions at this point. We came home and had some lunch, and I walked around the garden a fair bit. By about 5pm the contractions were hard to ignore, and 5 minutes apart, so we called the midwife and our doula, Michelle Gerlis, a trainee. Michelle arrived soon afterwards and took turns being with me while S inflated the birth pool in our dining room. At some point the first midwife Maureen arrived, though I'd lost track of time by then and was just focusing on breathing through the contractions with the help of the TENS machine, while rocking and swaying on all fours, mainly. At the loo I had a show, and a bit later on my waters broke all over the kitchen floor, as I was leaning on the counter during a contraction.
The first time the midwife examined me, I was already 9cm dilated, which was very encouraging. After a while the pool was ready and I climbed in. It was bliss! I was in the pool for a couple of hours, during which time I went through quite a long transition phase. I totally forgot that gas and air was available and just breathed through the contractions holding Michelle and S's hands and having my brow mopped. After a while Maureen wanted me to try to pee, so I came out of the water and unfortunately couldn't manage to pee at all. At this point my contractions had begun to weaken a bit, but I felt a strong urge to push. I didn't get back in the pool, instead I tried every possible position on a mattress on the living room floor to get her out. I pushed for 3.5 hours and it was a supported squat, between S's legs while he sat on the sofa, which got her out. I have a bent coccyx and it was my lower back which hurt most at this point. Finally, her head crowned and with the next contraction she was out and placed on my tummy in a split second and wrapped in a towel. She was screaming and felt huge! It was the most incredible moment of our lives. It took us 10 minutes to check if we had a boy or a girl, because we didn't want her to get cold. We'd been so sure she was a boy and indeed it was a surprise to all our friends and family too. She weighed 8lb 8oz (3.8kg) and was 56cm long. She came out with her hand by her face, which probably explains why the second stage was so long.
The whole birth was calm and private, with dim lighting and soft voices. I barely even noticed the arrival of the second midwife, Ronel, while I was in the pool. Michelle was amazing, so discreet and quietly encouraging. When I was pushing baby A out, the midwives just sat cross-legged on the floor and let me get on with it. At one stage, I heard them whispering in the other room, and I started to get worried that I would have to transfer to the hospital. I even remember asking them if ventouse would be necessary. I was pretty tired at that point. 
After spending some time with baby A on my tummy, I handed her to the midwives to weigh her and clean her up. Then S held her while I tried to deliver the placenta. I had stated in my birth plan that I wanted to attempt a physiological third stage. Two hours later, after trying everything possible, the midwives offered me the syntometrine injection, which I accepted. Unfortunately it didn't work, but it did give me one non-stop contraction that lasted about 1.5 hours. This was the most painful part. An ambulance was called and I transferred to Kingston hospital where we had to wait a couple of hours until a doctor was available to try and manually deliver the placenta. This was when I got to try gas and air – and immediately regretted not trying it during labour! With the help of the IV drip the doctor was able to manually detach the placenta in a few seconds, but I had to stay in for a few hours on the drip. I was lucky to avoid a spinal block in theatre. They also checked my iron levels before discharging me. I was given fluids intravenously at the same time and this definitely gave me back some strength. By midday we were home!
After some initial difficulties breastfeeding we seem to be managing alright, and A's mild case of jaundice has also improved. One week after her birth she had already regained and in fact exceeded her birth weight by 4oz.
We saw Ronel a few days after the birth and she confirmed our suspicion that if I'd been in hospital it would have been very hard to avoid intervention since the second stage was longer than they like in a hospital environment. I am so happy we managed to have her at home, and the transfer to hospital afterwards does not detract from that at all.
I'm convinced that regular yoga and listening to my hypnosis CD both contributed to my calm state before and during labour, and my confidence in my ability to birth our baby as naturally as possible.
Hi Lucy
I just wanted to drop you a line of thanks. You did a session of birth hypnosis for me back in September and I have now very successfully had my son. I came to you after making a complete hash of my elder son Thomas' birth but Oliver, who was born in march, was completely different.
I was able to stay at home until about 2 hours before he was born, without worrying Thomas, and then I was able to have him completely naturally without any pain relief including gas and air - which is amazing as I was a big wimp with Thomas. Thank you so much. I can't pretend I was calm by the end but thanks to you I saw it all in a positive way and felt in control. The most important thing I wanted to achieve was to get a euphoric hit when I saw and held my baby for the first time which I got completely. Thank you for helping me have the positive birth experience I could never have imagined having.
Hope all is well with you.
Best regards
Georgy
Hi Lucy, 
She is lovely – although I have reason to be biased. She is such a wonderfully calm and relaxed baby. She has taken like a duck to water to breastfeeding – which has been a great relief to me. Since her birth she has put on 9 ounces and she is becoming more and more alert each day. It’s a joy to watch!
John is totally IN LOVE with his daughter – they have bonded so well. I couldn’t have wished for things to be any better.
I’m healing well and I’m looking forward to watching my baby grow and develop over the coming months. Lucy, thanks again for all of your time, and kind words of encouragement. They meant a lot to me and helped me enormously when I most needed reassurance.
With lots of love,
Lisa, John and Eva May Baskott x
Hi Lucy
I've been meaning to let you know how it went with the hypnosis "on the day". As you must have heard from Maggie, I didn't exactly end up with the all-natural labour and birth I had imagined (although out of the small sample of my NCT group I had a fairly typical experience!), but I am taking a glass-half-full view and I'm glad that I prepared myself.
There were two points in particular where I think the hypnosis really made a difference to the way things went. The first was after I was admitted (after we spoke to you, we were on the point of leaving but I relented), and given five hours to go into labour before they induced me. I listened to the recording and managed to relax - and felt my first contraction about an hour later. I think the hypnosis really helped me take myself out of the unfamiliar and stressful surroundings to go into labour spontaneously. The second point was during the second stage. The epidural was still working and I couldn't feel a lot, and after a couple of contractions I realised that if I wanted to avoid further intervention I would need to work very hard at relaxing. I counted down breaths (and muttered "relax relax relax" to myself) between contractions - and managed to get away with a first-degree tear - I think without being able to focus like that I would have sustained more damage if not an instrumental delivery.
I feel more or less recovered (sleep deprivation notwithstanding) and George is thriving, so thank you for your help.
Louise
Hi Lucy
I came to you for a hypnobirthing session a few weeks ago and you asked me to let you know how it went - thought I would drop you a quick email. I had Ted last sunday, 26th and whilst it wasn't as straightforward a labour as i had been hoping, i did have a natural birth in the end. There was some concern over a possible blood vessel in my waters which meant I had to be in theatre to give birth, but the epidural they gave me didn't take so I was able to stay upright and push him out myself. 
Hope you are well
regards
Liz Horsfield