We want to say a big thank you for the hypnobirthing which definitely helped a lot with the labour. I felt totally calm and prepared as the labour started…doing the breathing exercises and using dim lighting and warm baths to stay calm until we went into hospital. Once we were there the labour sped up a lot but I stayed very calm and Olly used lots of the phrases from the hypnobirthing to help me stay focused. I had some gas and air then but not for that long.The second stage of labour was a lot harder and it went on for a really long time but I did manage to stay calm between the surges and my mum (who was also there) was amazed at how I conserved my energy between surges. It got slightly frantic at the end because they were worried about how long it was taking but I got her out without needing instruments and hardly any pain relief which was great. Overall I feel very pleased with how the birth went. Thank you again for all your advice and teaching, it helped me so much and we both really appreciate the role you played in allowing us to have our baby naturally and without fear.
News and Events
Next hypnobirthing group course in Brighton is due to begin early 2020, dates TBC. Please check for more details.
Sign up for any course more than a month in advance and pay £205 instead of £235 for a group class, or enjoy a private course at your own home in Brighton & Hove area for £275 instead of £315!
Thank you to those who attended the last FREE HB introduction session at About Balance studios, if you missed it and would like to come another time, please join me on my Facebook page for the most recent event updates!
NEW! If you'd like to attend a course with me but are unable to attend in person, I am now offering the private course via Skype too, enjoy the course from wherever you are at the comfort of your own sofa for only £245!
I am also available in person or via Skype for Sedona Method sessions - for overcoming and letting go of difficult past birth experiences or for providing extra tools for dropping negative feelings or beliefs around birthing.
If you'd like more detailed information about my hypnotherapy and Sedona Method practice please visit my main site.
Enjoy a private course sharing with a friend comfortably at your home and pay the group course fee - that's £235 instead of £295!
Please have a look at what more of my courses' mums had to say!
Testimonials
I tried a lot of the breathing but have to confess I swore a hell of a lot too! I managed on two paracetamol and the pool… I had to get out of the pool as I just couldn’t push him out but the midwives were amazing at encouraging different positions, and eventually I managed it at home and no stitches! We are already sleep deprived but very happy!
Tammy and Rhodri Alexander, Brighton
I managed to have the water birth I wanted with just some gas and air! It was pretty long (43 hours) but I’m so happy with how it went. I’m not going to lie I was shocked at how intense the surges were and there were a couple of points where I was so tired and I thought I might not be able to do it. I know I never would have made it through without the hypnobirthing techniques and also just the actual mindset that hypnobirthing taught me. At the most challenging times I was able to complete… Read more
Sophie Poulton and Michael, London
Thank you for introducing us to hypnobirthing...our baby came 3 weeks early…I think the combination of denial that he was really coming that day and my hypnobirthing practice enabled me to stay calm, relaxed and happy throughout the majority of his birth… I found the affirmations helpful during the early stages and used the breathing techniques throughout, which really helped me keep pain at bay! We managed to have a completely natural birth, much to my surprise and delight as I’d previously h… Read more
Helen, Joe and Saxon Broadway, Brighton
We want to say a big thank you for the hypnobirthing which definitely helped a lot with the labour. I felt totally calm and prepared as the labour started…doing the breathing exercises and using dim lighting and warm baths to stay calm until we went into hospital. Once we were there the labour sped up a lot but I stayed very calm and Olly used lots of the phrases from the hypnobirthing to help me stay focused. I had some gas and air then but not for that long.The second stage of labour was a lot… Read more
Chloe and Olly T., London
I felt in control. I enjoyed the hypnobirthing course, and I definitely think it was a good decision to take it. I felt much less stressed before the birth than I would have felt if I did not take the course. We are really grateful!
E. S. London
I got pretty much exactly the birth I wanted to have, which is amazing and I feel very lucky… I went in to labour in the early hours… Not much really happened for quite sometime…I was completely exhausted, so decided to go to the labour ward to be assessed… Then was extremely disheartened to discover I was only 2cm dilated despite being in labour for nearly 24hrs… After trying to get some rest (whilst listening and practising my hypnobirthing techniques) I decided to have a bath to try… Read more
Rachel, Mike and Milo Watson, Brighton
Thank you so much for the hypnobirthing course – since then I wasn’t nervous…it was a natural birth…the breathing techniques and massage skills helped through the contractions, I didn’t suffer much pain
Kitty, Bob and Baby Mia, Brighton
Thanks, Maya, for the instruction and support…we had a wonderful water birth…we found the hypnobirthing techniques useful during the birthing time…really helped me to relax and focus. I think hypnobirthing is an excellent tool for birth – even if my experience was nothing like the videos! But we were well-prepared that every birth is different and we are happy to report that neither M. nor I felt fear at any point during the birth.
A.Z. and M.E., Brighton
It was a home birth… I laboured really well from 8pm to midnight, relaxation breaths were great for surges, Tim did some excellent light strokes and although I wasn’t in a deep trance as there was worry about not hearing back from the midwives (service was overrun) the MP3’s kept me calm. After that it got a lot faster and we were more worried about lack of midwife, I wanted to be in the pool but just focused on the breathing. It was a mixture of just getting on with it and trying to visualise t… Read more
Lou Ashwell & Tim, Saltdean
We really enjoyed doing the hypnobirthing course. Although we were both quite relaxed about the idea of birthing before the course, learning and practicing the techniques gave us a lot more confidence to continue to be relaxed when the time came! We were having a home birth but the midwives didn’t come out to us very quickly as they were busy having a shift changeover and probably thought my birthing would take a while since it was my first baby. Things were progressing quickly though and t… Read more
Emily Hill, London (Home Birth)
We found the hypnobirthing techniques invaluable, particularly as things didn’t go quite to plan. We had hoped for a pool birth at home but instead ended up in hospital… with a syntocinon drop before we both became unwell and needed an emergency c-section followed by a weeks inpatient stay on antibiotics as we both got infections…Hypnobirthing was really useful. Interestingly for us it became most useful when the room filled with people and we were whisked off for c-section. It aided us bo… Read more
Laura Clarke & Parun, Brighton
Daisy-Mae finally made her appearance…the Hypnobirthing affirmations and relaxation kicked in beautifully. It was a rather long 16 hour labour…the home-birth went out of the window due to meconium in the waters…we were glad to be in hospital in the end because she got stuck (shoulder dystocia) with the cord around her neck and it was a bit frantic. But she’s absolutely gorgeous, healthy and we are so happy. The staff commented on how calm I remained even though things were difficult…Hypnobirthin… Read more
Georgie St Clair and Martyn McDermott, Brighton
Emilia Rose was born…another lovely home birth helped massively by calm breathing and hypnobirthing! Thank you!
Hilary & Paul Sinclair, Saltdean
We all want to thank you for your skills, patience and inspiration around Hypnobirthing. We enjoyed the sessions and found that they turned our ideas about birth around. We have used the techniques during the pregnancy and especially during the birth and this has resulted in the joyful birth of our beautiful calm baby…The start of the labour was very easy and we moved through this phase very quickly…we stayed pain free and relaxed…The next stage was quite a jump in terms of discomfort and … Read more
Claire and Joe F.D., London
Maya really helped us to get back to the basics in our perceptions of child birth and taught us how to look forward to and relish in the experience rather than fear it. The relaxation techniques were invaluable and having the knowledge she had given us helped us to feel in control of our daughter’s birth. We would highly recommend her to anyone considering an alternative to traditional ante natal classes where the focus seems to be on medical intervention and pain relief for a process that ult… Read more
Tracy Macassey, London
(This testimonial was written after just one session of Sedona Method for post-natal support) The method was quick and simple. Maya explained to me that it isn’t past events that are upsetting, but emotions you feel when you are thinking about them. Through a few simple questions she was able to get me to focus on my feelings and then almost ‘trick’ my brain into not feeling them any more. I wanted to work on the anxiety associated with having a small baby who had colic for 2 months and to… Read more
Marion Mackonochie, Brighton
…The first phase was very slow but I remained focused, had a bath, went for a walk, tried to eat, and used the birthing ball which was a blessing. We arrived at Brighton hospital at around 7pm and I was 4cm dilated…the hospital advised that I should expect to dilute 0.5 centre meters every hour, but I went from 4cm to fully dilated in 4 hours and 30 minutes! Nick said he couldn’t believe how focused I was! I remained calm the whole way through using my breath (which also reserved all my en… Read more
Danielle and Nick Sullivan, Brighton
Just wanted to thank you for everything. Baby Reuben was born on Valentine’s Day. He’s so gorgeous and I’m absolutely in love! Things went a bit wrong after [a scheduled] induction. It was very intense and unfortunately I then got an infection, had to have an epidural and then a C-section. This was due to me becoming poorly and exhausted, it wasn’t an emergency situation. However, everything I learned on the course I used throughout the first part of my labour. I got to go into the birth… Read more
Rachel V.T., Brighton
“Zach was born naturally in the water pool only four hours after arriving to the maternity ward! There was a slight hiccup in my zen like state when I became concerned about delays in moving to the pool, but I managed to recover it, get back in the zone and deliver our little boy in a stress free environment! I know it’s hypnobirthing that enabled me to have a natural birth without intervention. Thank you so much Maya for your teachings!”
Nicole & Euan Anderson, Brighton
I had 5 days of strong labour, intense surges against a cervix that wouldn’t dilate further than 2.5 cm…by day 4 baby’s heart rate was disappearing off the monitor. They were very worried and we went straight to C-section on day 5, rather than a pathway of interventions. The C-section and aftercare were great, and Gabriel was born happy, healthy and un-traumatized. We both feel that the hypnobirthing – particularly the breathing and visualization – was the thing that helped us get through th… Read more
Suzanne, John and Henry, Brighton
Thanks Maya for all your knowledge and learning, I practiced the relaxation in the weeks leading up and my general attitude toward having a relaxed birth definitely helped me during the birth. Birth was very quick… 4 hours! Woke up to surges at 5.30am…breathed my way through them ok, got in the bath at about 8 and it just accelerated very quickly, was quite intense, didn’t get an opportunity to use the birthing pool, and midwife arrived on scene 10mins before Flo did…she arrived the way … Read more
M. and D.Walsh, Brighton (Home Birth)
After a stressful birth experience with my son Seb in 2009, I made every effort for a peaceful uneventful birth with my second son, which included getting in touch with Maya Zack, Hypnobirthing and Sedona Method expert. I am so glad I did! Maya was very focused and passionate about her work and in turn about my story and how I could turn my experience of birth (and motherhood) around. In March 2012 I gave birth as I had hoped, at home, without intervention, without drugs or drama. Although I di… Read more
Tracy Strassburg, Saltdean, East Sussex (Home Birth)
I want to thank you so so much! Without the skills and knowledge I learnt from hypnobirthing I know my labour wouldn’t have been so fast and stress free! Full blown labour lasted about 3 hours in all…I gave birth to a lovely baby girl and on my due date can you believe! I woke up at about 5:30am with what I thought were just stomach cramps but I thought nothing of it and fell back to sleep. I woke up properly at about 9:00am. The cramps were still there and getting stronger but I thought they … Read more
Charley R., Brighton
So it happened, early at home. It was perfect! Thank you for all of your support and encouragement! …And a few words from baby Lilyana: I was born calmly at home with relaxing music playing… My mummy said that you helped her and daddy prepare fr this experience. So I would like to say THANK YOU very much!
Hilary and Paul Sinclair, Saltdean
Our labour was induced as I developed pre-eclampsia…waters had broken for over 24 hours. The labour was calm & relaxed, no pain relief & Betsy was very happy & alert when she arrived. The hypnobirthing breathing & relaxing techniques I believe helped us through it, Lewie was an amazing birthing partner – keeping me focused when things got tough!
Nicola Brown and Lewie, Brighton
I wouldn’t say the birth was pain free but it was empowering and with Sion’s help I breathed through it! She is a wonderful, calm and content baby. We are absolutely head over heels in love with her. Thank you for all your help and support!
Rosie, Sion and Juniper Moulson, Brighton
Unfortunately I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes so could not give birth at the birthing centre as planned. I ended up being induced, which of course was really not what I had wanted. The birth ended up being a very positive experience and I am very glad we did the Hypnobirthing course. I’m sure it helped with a quick delivery – [from] fully dilated to Ellie being born – 35mins, no pain relief needed.
Nikki and Clint Pike, Brighton
A friend recommended Maya to me and although hesitant at first about hyponobirthing as we didn’t know a lot about it, I can honestly say it has been an extremely positive experience. I feel so much more relaxed, confident and excited now about going into labour and would highly recommend to anyone thinking about doing it.
Joanne Brown, Brighton
Although I had quite an interesting labour and after all, having had an emergency cesarean, I can honestly say I got a lot of benefits from the course and it helped me throughout!
Andrea Louca-Jensen, Brighton
I’d gone from 4 to fully dilated in just 1.5 hours and baby’s head was there. With a few gentle pushes, she flew out so the pool would have not been filled in time anyway! I must say all the midwives at Brighton hospital were fantastic and cooperative. Despite having had to ‘fight’ for our natural birth, the hospital experience was very good and in fact, due to the presence of meconium, we were very glad to be there and not home where we would have had to transfer. Hypnobirthing has been very he… Read more
Jo and Ed Bramli-Chivers, Brighton
Maya was instrumental in helping us have the birth we dreamt of. She succinctly explained how hypnobirthing facilitates the relaxation so crucial to a positive experience. My boyfriend was quite skeptical at first, but Maya eliminated those doubts. We came to realize that there is nothing wishy-washy about hypnotherapy. It is based on factual research, biology, experience and common sense. Maya earned our trust and was an excellent teacher and communicator. As a result, we had a wonderful experi… Read more
Hannah Frankel, London (Home Birth)
Our birthing experience unfortunately didn’t go according to plan…he was breech and the advice from the doctors was that the chance of the turning procedure working was relatively small and likely to lead to an emergency C-section. We opted to have a ‘planned’ C-section the following day instead, the day before he was due. In the end, it was uncomplicated and a relatively comfortable experience. The C-section wound made the night in hospital was very difficult. Whilst hypnobirthing didn… Read more
E. and A. Cleevely, London
The birth of Raya was amazing. I did experience pain, however I managed to get through the birth without pain relief. I was put on a hospital trolley for a while and I was quite disempowered AT FIRST until I managed to pull myself together and I remembered a lot of the breathing exercises. As soon as they allowed me to get into the birthing pool I was able to really utilise the hypnobirthing and it turned into a very spiritual experience. I breathed Raya out and it was incredible. I’m so glad I … Read more
Penny Long, Brighton
The course was extremely helpful and Maya was all you could ask for in a teacher: patient, knowledgeable and fun to have around. She always made time for any questions and made it clear that she was available if we were unsure about anything between classes. The course was broken down into sections that weren’t too overwhelming; each week there was ‘homework’ but it was enjoyable and didn’t take long to complete. It was great to do the course with my partner – he knew exactly what to do and was … Read more
Katie and Jarvis Hill, Brighton