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Amy’s Story: First-time mum with baby born calmly at home, and at just the right time in lockdown!

June 16th, 2021|0 Comments

Amy’s Story: First-time mum with baby born calmly at home, and at just the right time in lockdown! I just thought you’d like to know that our baby girl Sloane was safely delivered at home [...]

Siobhan’s Story: Empowered decision-making, and feeling in control when birth is unpredictable.

June 16th, 2021|0 Comments

Siobhan's Story: Empowered decision-making, and feeling in control when birth is unpredictable. As first-time parents expecting during the pandemic, Siobhan and John made some big decisions when choosing the best birth environment for them and [...]

Carlyn’s Story: A fast second stage, and breathing baby out

June 16th, 2021|0 Comments

Carlyn’s Story: A fast second stage, and breathing baby out. In preparation for her second birth and looking for support in staying calm and in control during a possible quick second stage of labour, Carlyn [...]

Nicki’s Story: Induction, a Birthing Centre labour at 42+3, and a surprise from baby!

June 16th, 2021|0 Comments

Nicki’s Story: Induction, a Birthing Centre labour at 42+3, and a surprise from baby! Nicki and Luke did the Barefoot Birthing Private Course in September 2019 for their second baby, due in December. This is [...]

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Email: rachel@barefootbirthing.com

Tel: 07742 261 498

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Google Rating

5.0

Based on 31 reviews

Barefoot Birthing - Hypnobirthing & Mindful Birth Preparation Classes

5.0

natalie bygraves

Huge thank you for taking the time to prepare me for Willows birth. After having a difficult labour with my first child, your advice and encouragement was so valuable in preparing me for what was an incredibly positive experience in my second birth, Natalie X

Billie Dunne

Rachel gave me the confidence, knowledge and support to prepare and plan for the birth I wanted. I can’t recommend her enough. My birth of our daughter was beautiful, powerful and positive. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without Rachel. My husband was a little sceptical when I mentioned hypno birthing, but he is so pleased we worked with Rachel and learnt so much, especially about how to support me during labour.Thank you Rachel- you are amazing at your job!

Anna Parker

We hired Rachel as a postnatal doula and I’m so so glad we did. Best money ever spent! She is so kind, gentle, and supportive. She helped in so many ways- I wanted help with holding my baby so I could rest, for moral and physical support at my physio appointment (she had baby in the carrier so I could focus), and she was so helpful with all those little jobs like tidying the kitchen, folding the mountain of baby clothes, bringing me cups of tea, feeding support etc… I didn’t realise how alone I was after my first baby - this time was soooooooooo lovely in comparison. Dare I say Ive actually enjoyed motherhood this time because of the support I’ve had!

The Mindful Birth Group

Rachel is such a fantastic member of The Mindful Birth Group team- she offers so much support and knowledge to fellow teachers from her extensive experience as a teacher and doula. It's always such a pleasure to spend time with her on team days/Zooms too :). She's a brilliant teacher and I would recommend her to anyone considering taking a course!

Stella Marra

Rachel's one to one classes have been extremely useful as she explained all the techniques to prepare for the birth event. The amount of knowledge and insight she has shared is impressive and I would like to recommend her to anyone who is looking for antenatal or postnatal classes.

Sarah Lambley

Rachel has been such a huge support throughout my pregnancy. Her one-on-one session with me and my partner was so useful - talking through all the possibilities, our excitements and any fears, showing us brilliant movement techniques and so much more. I have felt so empowered every time I’ve spoken to Rachel about anything to do with my pregnancy, birth and motherhood. Rachel offers the perfect amount of information, research and advice and I would highly recommend her to anyone.

Risha Patel

We were recommended Rachel from friends who had previously completed her courses and we could not be happier that she was a part of our first pregnancy and birth journey. 100% recommendation from us!The birth of our son was such a positive experience. Very smooth from start to finish. I know we will always look back so fondly on it. That was really a big aim for us, having heard a certain amount of difficulties and concerns from friends. Thanks to Rachel I feel like we were able to achieve this.We felt so much more prepared following the course. It was comprehensive and covered all that it said it would. It allowed my husband and I to discuss the pregnancy in a different way and we both learnt so much about each other’s thoughts on birth from it. The information on birth options and post-natal care was incredibly useful. Put together in the way it was, it helped relax us on the day and enjoy the experience, as did the lovely oil Rachel provided, which stayed firmly with me throughout.We would also have to say that Rachel herself is so approachable and calm that she really does make the course experience what it is. Even following the birth of our son she has checked in with us and been a huge support in our breastfeeding journey.

Jennifer Spragg

We took the Barefoot Birthing hypnobirthing course for our first pregnancy and it proved invaluable. Rachel was a fantastic teacher and coach, and we really enjoyed the course content balance covering the science as well as mindfulness. We felt really in control and went on to have a really positive birth experience and a lot of that was down to the prep we did on this course.

Charlotte Jones

My partner and I attended an online hypnobirthing class in June 2021 with Barefoot Birthing and it was without doubt the best thing we did to prepare for the birth of our baby.We found the course very beneficial and gave us the confidence to make informed choices about all aspects of the birth, including birth plans, pain relief, interventions etc. The breathing and visualisation techniques taught by Rachel helped me to stay relaxed and manage discomfort throughout my labour and enabled my partner to support me throughout.The materials used during the course and those sent to us were very helpful and understanding some of the science and statistics behind birth made us feel more confident in making decisions relating to the birth. We particularly liked using the affirmations and the partner cards!We would absolutely recommend Barefoot Birthing to any expectant parents. Rachel, we cannot thank you enough for your help in bringing our baby into the world!

Elizabeth Herridge

A very positive, friendly and insightful course that benefited both myself and my partner - it was very well managed and an enjoyable class to be a part of. I'd recommend it to any new parent, mums and dads, or birthing partners.

Hayley

My husband and I attended an in person session in June 2021, Rachel was so welcoming and friendly over the duration of the two days. We were encouraged to ask questions and Rachel was on hand via phone and email if we needed her. Without a doubt the tools and tips we learnt on this course helped make our birthing experience so amazing!Thank you so much, you made the last few months of my pregnancy so calm and I gained the confidence to vocalise my needs and preferences to loved ones and medical professionals.Would recommend you and your classes to everyone!Hayley

Zoe Coutinho

When I got pregnant, I was extremely anxious about the birth of our baby. My sister had a very difficult birth with her first child and I had no other real frame of reference other than TV etc. My husband and I read the Katherine Graves hypnobirthing book and found it really helpful so we decided to sign up for Rachel’s course to learn more about it.We really enjoyed the course, and found it really informative. Everything Rachel said was backed up by science and made complete sense. The techniques we learned really helped us to stay calm and relaxed through the birth of our son, even when things didn’t go entirely to plan. My husband found the course helped him to prepare for the birth and he was a fantastic birth partner, able to focus on protecting my oxytocin and ensuring we had all the information to make informed decisions throughout my labour.We’d highly recommend the course to all expectant parents. Thank you Rachel 🥰

James Campbell

To say the Barefoot Birthing course was an investment is an understatement.My initial thoughts on giving birth were close to petrified. My knowledge was clouded by media, film, and horror stories of others, and I couldn’t see how I’d be able to change my mind set. However, the shift was apparent from the first session with Rachel. She provided information that was backed by science and taught in a clear, calm, and well-paced manner that meant I was relaxed and reassured. It wasn’t long until I went from scared to excited and I put this all down to the tools Rachael equipped us with for the birth, tools that would apply to any scenario that we might encounter during birth.I’d highly recommend a barefoot birthing course. Rachel’s knowledge and support really put us in good stead for the birth of our baby, and she went above and beyond to ensure we had all of the information we needed for a calm and positive birth plan.The little touches such as bringing snacks along to the session were also well received too!If you’re not sure whether this is the course for you, go along to a taster session and be reassured this will help you on your birthing journey.

Katie Welford

Rachel was super friendly from the first email and made us feel very relaxed. Her resources are very practical and her delivery is calm, warm and personable. My husband and I have been left feeling much more positive about the birth of our second baby, and armed with resources to cope with different situations. I would really recommend Barefoot Birthing to any parents to be!

Hannah Cunningham

As first time parents, we were really keen to explore and learn more about hypnobirthing. We attended a taster course with Rachel, and knew straight away that her course was right for us. From the beginning Rachel was so welcoming and supportive, sharing all her knowledge and made sure that all our questions were answered.With Rachel’s support we had planned and prepared for a calm, natural water birth. At 34 weeks we found out our baby was breech, and whilst we did what we could at home our baby was comfy and did not turn. We therefore had a planned abdominal birth booked for 39 weeks. All the tools and techniques we learned with Rachel, we were still able to use and we ended up having the most magical, calm and incredible abdominal birth 2 weeks ago. I would recommend Rachel’s course to any parents to be - skills for life, not just birth!

Sophie

Barefoot Birthing was fantastic for us as our not knowing to what expect in our first pregnancy we found it so engaging, insightful and informative. It gave us so much to think about along with tools to give us a better pregnancy. We also feel more prepared for a more positive birth too. Rachel was amazing and couldn't do enough for us. We had ummed and ahhed as to whether to sign up for an online course and we are so glad that we did, it still felt very personal and was definitely worth the money, especially given all the resources that you have access too during and after. I am looking forward to attending one of the in person meet ups that Rachel arranges when possible too! Can't recommend highly enough.

elliebutcher

We cannot recommend Rachel highly enough. After a complex journey to extend our family, we decided to try hyppnobirthing with a view to creating a more positive experience than we had had with a previous birth. Rachel went above and beyond to tailor a course for us as individuals, taking into account previous trauma and loss. She supported us as a couple and made us feel confident, heard and supported. She guided us through a birth after a miscarriage, during a pandemic with absolute confidence.She is a thoroughly compassionate person and a great listener. I would highly recommend Rachel for supporting any type of birth, ours ended up as a planned section but we were still able to use all of the techniques etc to make it a beautiful experience. Certainly a person that’s found their true calling in life!

Jack & Jen

We couldn’t recommend Rach and her Barefoot birthing course more!After a difficult labour with our son, we wanted to try a different approach in preparation for baby number 2, so Rach offered to deliver a bespoke course for us.The course was brilliant, Rach was informative, knowledgeable, friendly and warm, and didn’t shy away from the difficult parts.I learnt so much, even though I have already given birth and feel much more prepared and in control this time round.I am genuinely looking forward to my first surge, and I can’t thank Rach enough for that!

Emma Clayton

We decided to have private hypnobirthing sessions with Rachel instead of online NCT classes and it was the best decision we could have made. The course is so practical, and much more scientific than we originally expected it to be. My husband was asking so many questions throughout as he was really interested in all of the things we were learning.Although I wasn’t feeling nervous before, as I was still in my second trimester so I guess it was a little further away, I’m now feeling excited and so well informed. We have been listening to affirmations each evening which has been helping with my sleep pattern, something I was struggling with before.Rachel shares so much information and lots of helpful relaxation tracks and videos to ensure that we don’t forget anything that we have learnt. Such a lovely goody bag too! She has such a calming nature I just couldn’t help but think I can do this and I’m ready. I would recommend hypnobirthing to anyone that is expecting and it’s so nice to do something as a couple, especially given we have to attend appointments on our own now.

Anish Thakrar

We could not recommend the Barefoot Birthing Course enough! My husband and I felt we needed a course which not only covered hypnobirthing but also gave us a solid foundation in antenatal education. After doing a taster session with Rachel, we knew she was the right fit and immediately booked a private course. The Barefoot Birthing course is thorough, considered and easily digestible. We finished our private course feeling so much more empowered to make the right choices for us and our baby.Half way through our course we were given medical news which affected our birth plans. Rachel immediately tailored the last two sessions for our needs and also helped give us the tools we needed to discuss our options with the doctors and make informed decisions about our care going forward, I really couldn't speak more highly of Rachel and the course - it is easily the best investment we have made during this pregnancy!Shas and Anish x

Amy Nolan

My partner and I are expecting our first baby in February and were researching antenatal classes in our area. We signed up to the hypnobirthing course with Rachel after doing a taster session back in October. We knew right away we’d made a great choice! Rachel was so warm and welcoming, and a complete wealth of knowledge around hypnobirthing. We came away after our four sessions feeling so well informed and having gained so many fantastic skills to prepare for our baby’s birth and the weeks after birth also.Rachel was so generous with lots of resources for us to read through on our own, some great relaxation tracks and a truly delightful goodie bag complete with affirmations and tips for partners during labour!Can’t recommend this course and Rachel enough!

Stephen Morgan

Rachel was amazing, the course was stunning. Coming at this from a point of not really knowing what to expect or how it would work I am now in a position that I have recommended to ALL my friends that are currently having a baby (there are a few at the moment too!). Not only is this course amazing to give you the skills and practices for both mum and dad to feel empowered but it truly explains the reality behind birth, all aspects of it. I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I feel like I am MUCH more prepared for the journey ahead, not only the best case scenario but all scenarios, further preparing mum and dad for babies arrival. We can only recommend this course and encourage anyone to at least have a conversation with Rachel find out more about it and then make your own decision, you will not be disappointed. If I were to describe the course in 3 words of I would say, empowering, illuminating and dare I say it necessary! This course will give you the tools or at least show you the tools that you can use to have a birth and birthing plan that lives up to your expectations. THANK YOU RACHEL. We feel prepared for the next chapter! - Oh not to mention the amazing pack that you get, not only for mum but some VERY useful cards for dad too!

Hannah

Barefoot Birthing gave me the tools to have the birth beyond my dreams 💓 My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the 1to1 class with Rachel. She is a passionate font of positive birthing knowledge! We learnt so much over the 2 days with her; all about what hypnobirthing is, the tools we can use together in preparation (Hubby was happy to learn he’d have a pivotal role on the day too!), as well as relaxation techniques and affirmations. All the teaching materials were beautifully put together, and easy to refer back to. After the class, we felt completely at ease and EXCITED for the big day - whatever our birth had in store, we had so much more confidence, and understood we had *options* and could make decisions that were right for us and our baby. We felt so empowered by everything we learnt, we switched from a planned hospital to a home birth - best decision ever! The birth of our daughter was the most magical, positive experience. With hypnobirthing, we welcomed our daughter into the world in the most calm, confident and comfortable way imaginable. Get in touch with Barefoot Birthing, you won’t regret it.

Kelly Richardson

An enormous thank you to Rachel having recently completed her online course via Zoom. The course really was everything we were hoping for, and a lot more. Doing the course together with my husband has really meant we are on the same page and in it together, and he has really taken the hypnobirthing principles to heart and we practice the relaxation techniques daily together, and he has already prepped the sign for the birthing room door! We are especially enjoying working through the 4th trimester material. Rachel has a wonderfully inclusive manner, and really makes you feel comfortable and able to ask anything. We never felt rushed or under pressure, and her passion for the topics was really infectious. We highly recommend Rachel and Barefoot Birthing, and are truly excited to put everything we have learned into action on the day.

HANNAH LAMBERT

Rachel was amazing and our hypnobirthing course experience was a lot more informative than we could have imagined. As first time parents in a pandemic, it was so great to get so much support and knowledge, which has left us feeling so confident and reassured about our future adventure. We would highly recommend and will also be in touch with Rachel, I am sure, for any additional guidance we might need in the future! Thank you Rachel xx

Jenny Patel

I came across Barefoot Birthing through word of mouth. When I found out I was pregnant, I wasn’t too worried thinking about labour itself but as time went on and I entered my third trimester the thought of labour kept consuming my daily thoughts. I was watching all the TV shows I could find about giving birth and I thought I was preparing myself for birth but in fact in the back of my mind it was causing fear and anxiety. Watching all the women go through that pain made me feel very uneasy and I didn’t want to go through it. In addition, there were so many changes due to COVID-19 which were making feel anxious. I had heard good things about hypnobirthing from other mums and their experience but wasn’t really sure what it was about. I joined the taster session and met Rachel on Zoom. Myself and my husband joined up straightaway to the group sessions which ended up being private sessions. This was great!The course content by Rachel was so informative. I was starting to feel more empowered and in control of my birth journey. Even after the first session, I just felt so much more relaxed and eager to learn more. There is a lot to learn and by the end I really felt “knowledge is power”. My husband is going to be my birth partner and he felt like he has learnt so much about the role of a birth partner and how best to support me. We learnt about topics and questions to ask that we didn’t even think of and how to prepare a birth plan or even plans depending on different situations. We spoke about breathing techniques, visualisations and the different environments to give birth in.Rachel is really friendly, encouraging and knowledgeable that it made the course even more enjoyable. We recently completed the course and we both feel so much more confident. I do not have the same fears as I did before the course and look forward to giving birth to my baby and now feel able to make informed decisions.Rachel also spends the last session talking in detail about the “fourth” trimester and when the baby is actually here. This was also valuable. The materials provided in the course have really helped me prepare such as the positive affirmation cards.Thank you so much Rachel for changing our perspectives and we hope to update you very soon with our birth journey!

Carlyn Algar

Had a personal 2 hour refresher session for the birth of our second child. Rachel tailored the class to our needs and when I brought up concerns or hesitations from my experience with our first delivery, she addressed them not only with empathy but with solutions on how to handle should they arise again.My delivery was smooth and I felt confident going into it as a result of my consultation with Rachel. Highly recommend!

Suzanne Arter

After going through one pregnancy, very straightforward, you kind of just expect pregnancy number 2 to be the same. Only for me to learn at my 34 week midwife appointment baby was positioned back to back. This instantly caused panic within me as you hear of stories of back to back labours being longer and more painful. Ive known Rach for a few years now, I met her through one of my longest friends and when I told her baby was back to back she instantly wanted to help me... either by using methods to encourage baby to spin or to just simply put my mind at ease and prepare me mentally for what may or may not happen during labour. Just talking me through the position of a back to back baby and why she might be in that position for a very good reason was a useful tool in itself. After putting my mind at ease and breaking things down and talking about how in the scheme of things - at the end of it all I get to meet my baby and that’s the most important part. So for me, accepting that labour “may” be more uncomfortable and longer has helped me feel mentally more prepared. Once we had gone through all of that, we moved on to physically trying to spin the baby using a traditional Mexican method called “Rebozo”. We went through a couple of moves but the one that I feel benefited me the most was the one called “sifting”, whereby I am on all fours and my tummy is being supported by the material (and partner/friend) and then literally a sifting motion is carried out. A. This felt lovely as it took all the baby weight off of me - probably a bit of a work out for the person carrying out the movement but that’s not a bad thing. And B. Baby was moving loads during this movement..... which I hoped would encourage her to spin and be in that optimal position for the best way to birth baby. I am a positive person and I was confident baby would turn. All in all, having spent a 2 hour session with Rach, I feel I am ready now to go into labour and have the tools and the knowledge I need to be able to birth my baby confidently and to trust my body and my baby.Rach will put your fears and worries at ease and make you realise how blooming amazing a woman’s body is and this is what we are made to do! She’s amazing!UPDATE - Having seen Rach on the Wednesday evening, I decided to book in for a private scan 5 days later just to see if baby had turned.... and.... she turned. Ready when you are baby!!

Luke Hedges

Rachel has been so supportive of my husband and I during and after our Hypnobirthing course. After a tough first labour, we were really keen to learn about hypnobirthing and were willing to learn as much as possible from Rachel to prevent a repeat experience. Rachel is so knowledgable and anything she didn’t feel comfortable answering, she quickly found the answer for us.We worked together in going through my first birth and talked through why certain things may not have gone to plan and she has left me feeling confident and even excited about my upcoming labour.We both now feel we are equipped with the tools to navigate anything that might come our way this time around.Rachel is an awesome teacher and will put you at ease the moment she says hello to you. We can not recommend her highly enough!Nicki and Luke xxx

Chantelle Dunne

As soon as I found out I was pregnant my fears quickly turned to the birth so I started to google ‘how to make birth less painful’ and although hypnobirthing didn’t promise this it sounded like this was exactly what I needed.We opted for the private session so that I would feel more relaxed at home, but also my mum as well as my partner could attend (they were both my birth partners so it was important to me that they were both on board with it, which they both were, my mum going as far as saying had she have had the benefit of hypnobirthing when she was pregnant with me and my sisters, her birthing experiences could have been very different).The course content was brilliant and I’d go as far as saying I learnt so much more across the five sessions with Rachel than the antenatal classes we attended. Rachel also made the classes personal to me and my situation (at one point I had a low lying placenta and suspected gestational diabetes, so an elected c-section was on the cards).To not give too much away, at the start of the course you go through and write down everything that you don’t want your birth to be and then learn how these things can be beneficial to you and your baby in certain situations, which for me was the most beneficial part of the course because it gave me the knowledge to make informed decisions throughout my pregnancy and during my labour.My initial dreams of a water birth at home quickly fell away when my waters broke at 38+5. As my labour didn’t progress I eventually ended up being induced, which was the one thing I had wanted to avoid throughout. Things spiralled from there... but tooled with all the knowledge Rachel gave us, we were able to make the best decisions for me and the baby, but most importantly stay in control.Although by birth plan did not go to plan, I now look back and know that I was able to use the skills I learned from the hypnobirthing sessions with Rachel to get me through the 37 hour labour and some pretty hard decisions.For me, I went into Hypnobirthing thinking it would give me the tools to make my labour less painful but what it actually gave me was the power that I needed when things didn’t go to plan. I’d go as far as saying it saved me and got me to a position that I can now look back at my birth and feel empowered by everything.Thank you Rachel - I will be forever grateful 💙

Jen Locke

I love how passionate, knowledgeable and enthusiastic Rach is about all things hypnobirthing. I always come out of every conversation with her (and we have had many, about many birthing topics) feeling calm, informed and that everything will be ok!

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Barefoot Birthing is based in Morden, UK. Courses cover South London and Surrey. Including but not limited to; Morden, Cheam, Worcester Park, Sutton, Carshalton, Wallington, Mitcham, Merton, Wimbledon, South Wimbledon, Wimbledon Village, Colliers Wood, Raynes Park, Ewell, Epsom, Banstead, Coulsdon, Purley. I travel up to 30 minutes for private courses, and beyond depending on circumstances.

Typically supporting women registered at the following hospitals: St Helier Hospital, Epsom Hospital, St George’s Hospital, Croydon University Hospital, Kingston Hospital, King’s College Hospital, St Thomas’, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital.