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ABOUT RACHEL

Hi, I’m Rachel, founder of Barefoot Birthing.

I’m married to Luke, and we are parents to our inquisitive daughter Abby (born April 2017) and smiler son Ellis (born Oct 2018).

As well as all things birth, I’m a lover of lattes, music festivals, Grey’s Anatomy, a tv murder mystery, my slow-growing art collection, Leonardo DiCaprio, and most recently essential oils.

Although I prepared well for the birth of my daughter, and was relaxed and excited in the lead up to labour, it was only after her birth did I truly appreciate how powerful, unique, and life-changing birth is. It made me a stronger person for sure, and a fire inside me had been ignited.

Training Qualifications

  • Katherine Graves Hypnobirthing – Practitioner Training (The Royal College of Midwives accredited course), 2019
  • Developing Doulas – Birth & Postnatal Doula Training, 2021
  • Biomechanics for birth with Molly O’Brien – RM BSc (hons) – of Optimal Birth, 2019
  • Advanced Biomechanics for birth with Molly O’Brien – RM BSc (hons) – of Optimal Birth, 2021
  • Gathering In The Knowledge with Dr Sara Wickham, 2020, 2021
  • The Queer Birth Club Competency Training, 2021
  • Three Step Trauma Rewind, 2019
  • BSc Social Psychology

My passion for all things birth continued to grow and I chose to plan a homebirth for my second baby – which is still one of the best decisions I have ever made. After catching my son, and another empowering (albeit intense) birth, I knew I wanted to be part of a change for better births for everyone. I feel privileged to have had two positive birth experiences, but am all too saddened to know that I am probably in the minority, and this has to change.

Although sharing Hypnobirthing with my friends was special, I had the itch to learn more and give more. It was my husband who encouraged me to take the leap, and when my son was only weeks old I signed up to the KGH Practitioner Course – at the time the only course in the country accredited by the Royal College of Midwives. April 2019 saw the ‘birth’ of Barefoot Birthing and I haven’t look back since!

In early 2021 I became a Mindful Birth Group Associate, and now offer the Mindful Birth course. I truly believe in the power of simple mindfulness tools combined with the incredibly effective Hypnobirthing theory and techniques, providing an all-eventualities birth education.

I understand parents-to-be want to feel prepared, calm, and excited for labour and birth. That is exactly what the Mindful Birth course is designed to do, and all taught in a relaxed, inclusive, and personal atmosphere.

Following our hypnobirthing course with Rachel, my husband and I have been left feeling calm, in a positive mindset, informed and excited about the whole birth experience and ready to do this!

Rachel was very thorough, patient, and methodical in her approach, with great techniques to help you visualize what your body is capable of.

We loved the whole experience and would definitely recommend this course to anyone currently pregnant and thinking about hynobirthing. Thanks again Rachel and keep doing what you’re doing!

Joanna & Elliott,
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ABOUT HYPNOBIRTHING

The name does not really reflect all that Hypnobirthing is, it’s so much more than it sounds. (Also to get it out the way, there is no stage hypnosis – no waving pocket watches or pretending to be a chicken.) Hypnobirthing is a full antenatal education that is logical, practical, and evidence based. It is designed around:

  • Knowledge is power – know your body, know your options, be the leader of your birth experience
  • Birth is a natural event – understand your hormones, how to support labour, also important if having an abdominal birth
  • Birth is not a medical event – but sometimes it needs medical support so being prepared for all scenarios is helpful
  • The mind is powerful – where the mind leads the body follows, so it’s beneficial to calm the mind before anything else
  • Hypnobirthing is for ALL births – waterbirth, induction, abdominal birth, and everything in-between

Hypnobirthing is a collection of simple, informative, and relaxation tools that when combined put you in control for labour and birth – not just about feeling relaxed, but understanding your body and making informed decisions. Learning and practising Hypnobirthing during pregnancy and birth means you are more likely to have:

  • A natural (physiological) birth
  • Less medical pain relief, and experience fewer medical interventions
  • A calm and supportive environment for all birth types (physiological and abdominal)
  • A birth partner who can support at every stage of pregnancy and birth
  • A quicker recovery after birth, and feel prepared for life with a newborn
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ABOUT MINDFUL BIRTH

Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present & aware of where we are and what we’re doing.

It stops us from feeling overwhelmed or anxious by what’s going on around us. In order to practice mindfulness for such a big and unpredictable event in our lives such as birthing a baby, it is important to be educated on the process, along with our birth partners, and understand how we can navigate any unexpected turns. Only then, when we are fully prepared, can we truly practice mindfulness and enjoy the journey.

As a Mindful Birth Affiliate Course, the Barefoot Birthing course brings these two concepts (Hypnobirthing & Mindfulness) together to prepare parents by focusing on the mind-body connection, helping them to focus on what is in their control, and let go of what is out of their control.

This concept can apply to every single birthing scenario, from home water birth to planned or unplanned abdominal birth, and everything in between. Parents who take Mindful Birth courses feel prepared to meet their baby and go on to begin parenthood feeling good about the choices they made in preparation for and during the birth.

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