Birth trauma, fertility treatment, stillbirth, pregnancy loss, and breastfeeding testimonials
Birth trauma
My session with Cathy has really helped me overcome many of my worries and anxieties about giving birth. I feel I have been able to move forward from a previous traumatic birth experience and feel positive about my upcoming labour. Cathy was supportive, sympathetic and non-judgemental in her approach and I felt able to open up to her fully and talk about some very difficult aspects of my past experience. I am now able to talk about my previous birth without breaking down. l I would highly recommend birth trauma resolution treatment to any mother who has had a difficult birthing experience. Many thanks again for your support and approach through this, Cathy.
I found the session to be very powerful and it has really shifted how I view labour in this pregnancy. It’s only been since the session that I’ve been able to feel positively about giving birth naturally and to not feel panicky about it. I’m confident that a natural delivery is right for me and I now feel happy and relaxed with that decision (rather than anxious and panicky as before). I really appreciate your time and the support and empathy you gave me.
I suffered a difficult birth in 2018 and felt that the hospital's after care didn't help me get over the trauma. Cathy came highly recommended and after a couple of phone calls and a face-to-face session, I found that she had given me the tools to cope with the situation myself. I feel a lot calmer and much more able to process what happened. I would highly recommend her!
Cathy was recommended to me through a new mother’s class due struggling with postnatal depression where my traumatic birth was a contributing factor. I was experiencing flashbacks and nightmares as well as becoming very emotional whenever I tried to talk about my birth experience. I had also developed a fear around any future routine procedures (such as cervical screening). After just one therapy session with Cathy I felt completely new and as though a massive weight had been lifted - I really cannot emphasise that enough. I’m not having any distressing thoughts and I have been able to talk about my son’s birth without getting upset. Thanks to Cathy, I feel I have taken a massive step forward in my postnatal journey.
Before meeting with Cathy I had many unanswered questions about my traumatic birthing experience, but didn't feel comfortable to talk about it. Cathy was calm and approachable and I really feel the passion she has to aid mothers like me. Cathy used what felt like magical techniques to help me come to terms with my experience and explained why the chosen routes were taken. I now feel much more at ease with how my baby came into the world. She was happy to go the extra mile and I cannot thank her enough.
Cathy offered to help me after finding out of my traumatic birth. I was quite nervous but Cathy put me at ease and the session was really relaxing and positive. I felt really good after the session, as I worried it would stir up thoughts and feelings from that time and I would struggle to go back to that place. But my thoughts felt more clear, and I felt that it was okay to feel sad about aspects of my birth. In the days and weeks following the treatment I was even able to watch one born every minute without getting upset and having to turn the programme off. I don’t cry anymore and I am able to experience things that I couldn’t before without having a severe emotional reaction. Thankyou so much Cathy for offering to help, I never thought I would be able to come to terms with my birth but I now have and I am a happier and healthier Mummy for it.
I am at the end of my third pregnancy and felt I had a difficult birth with a previous delivery. During this pregnancy I feel very ashamed to say I had at my twenty week scan wished there may be a reason why I would need to have a planned caesarean so that I could avoid the horror I had felt following my previous traumatic birth. As the pregnancy is coming to an end I feel completely differently and I am now embracing the idea of a good labour and I now feel in control again. It was a safe space for me to talk and think honestly about my experience with a person who understands the issues and who is not being judgemental. I would strongly recommend that other women are given the chance to try this type of session if they feel lingering distress about a previous labour as it can help to create a positive new mindset for the next completely different birth experience.
Morning Cathy - I have a total success story for you! I gave birth to our 3rd little boy yesterday morning - I was totally in control and had no pain relief. Things were progressing so well at home that (my husband) and hospital weren't convinced I was even in established labour and I was more than 5cm dilated by the time we came in and baby M was delivered 4 hours later. I have been looking forward to letting you know and I think all the preparations and therapy must have all contributed to the calmness. Both of us are doing well. PS Thank you of course for all your input and words of wisdom - I really really think it all helped me.
I contacted Cathy after having lingering conflicting and upsetting feelings about the birth of my baby boy almost six months after having him. I sat on these feelings for a while and couldn’t understand that when talking about my birth I often felt anxiety, sadness and sometimes numb about the whole thing, I wanted the joy people described! Cathy was friendly, empathetic and understanding from the start and it was fantastic to hear that what I was experiencing was totally normal. Throughout the treatment and whole process she instantly put me at ease and as she is a midwife, she helped me understand why certain things had happened to me, kindly answering any questions I had. The session I had with Cathy has been fundamental in helping me come to terms with my birth and I now feel profoundly positive about the birth of my little one. I’m so grateful and would honestly recommend this treatment to anyone if you feel any conflicting feelings surrounding your birth. Thank you Cathy!
I was referred to Cathy for therapy following a very distressing conversation with my community midwife. After having had an emergency caesarean plus various other complications in my postnatal care I was traumatised and found it a huge struggle to confront my feelings about the birth. I felt vulnerable, weak but also angry. I found Cathy to be very friendly and empathetic. Following the completion of the therapy I find it much easier discussing the previous birth with others and the negative feelings which caused me to break down when thinking or talking about the birth are no longer there. I really appreciate the work Cathy has done with me it has made me a stronger and happier mummy!
I cannot thank Cathy enough for taking the time to walk me through this therapy. I was apprehensive and a little doubtful it would work if I'm honest - having quite suddenly, after 2 years started to have PTSD symptoms around my first birth experience. But when Cathy arrived she instantly put me at ease, validated my experience and helped explain exactly why I was having the symptoms I was - which was so reassuring in itself. The therapy seemed so simple, but I can honestly say has been a total game changer. I'm expecting my second baby in 2 months time and now when I think of the next labour, overnight have gone from feeling emotional, anxious, negative and so fearful about it - to feeling calm, peaceful and even a little excited about doing it again! I never would have believed that could be the case after just one therapy session. But now, thanks to Cathy's expertise and patience, I am feeling like a different person going into it this time round, with a feeling of renewed strength and peace of mind. For that I am utterly grateful!
My baby arrived in theatre after a lengthy 44-hour labour! After spending some of the labour in the birth centre, the point at which I went into theatre and medical procedures left me feeling disempowered and distressed and I struggled to process this part of the birth afterwards. The session I had with Cathy was so so helpful! The traumatic part of the birth had been replaying and replaying in my mind as a negative and confusing blur. The session allowed me to ‘unlock’ what had happened in my brain and more logically understand the medicalised part of the birth. Although my birth most definitely didn’t go to plan, I no longer have any negative emotions from it and have been able to move on from and enjoy precious time with my baby. Thank you!
I suffered a difficult birth in 2018 and was struggling to get over the trauma. Cathy came highly recommended and after a couple of phone calls and a face-to-face session, I found that she had given me the tools to cope with the situation myself. I feel a lot calmer and much more able to process what happened. I would highly recommend her!
I had a difficult time when my daughter was born. For a long time I couldn’t think about the birth without crying and panicking. As I approached the birth of my little boy 3 years later I felt haunted by what happened and struggled to go into the hospital without panicking. I was conscious that my anxiety around what had happened could easily affect my labour this time around. As I approached the end of my pregnancy Cathy offered me a relaxation session to explore my birth trauma. I didn’t really know what to expect and it sounded a bit crazy, but I just felt it was right to take any help I could get that might help me cope emotionally with the upcoming birth. Cathy was really supportive, clear and compassionate as she guided me through the process of exploring what had happened during my daughter’s birth. She also helped me to visualise the perfect outcome for my son’s birth - images I held onto through labour. Following the session I have been able to think and talk about what happened to me without fear or anxiety. It has become a thing that happened in my past rather than something that controls me now. Two days later my son was born at home, without any intervention or me even having to push. I couldn’t have asked for a better, calmer or more perfect birth. I believe that the session I had with Cathy released me to be able to have the birth we dreamt of and to move on from what happened to me first time round. I am amazed by the impact one session had, and am very grateful to Cathy for what ended up being a very healing experience!
I contacted Cathy 9 months after experiencing a traumatic birth and postnatal period which had in turn been the root of often crippling anxiety and depression. I had been carrying around feelings from that time around with me, keeping them raw and continuing to stress myself out daily with anxieties and generally very unhappy. I felt I wasn't a good mother and out of control. I told Cathy what had happened and how I had felt and was feeling at the time of the birth and after.
It was upsetting to go through again and to remember the sequence of events. I felt completely at ease telling her my story and never felt judged. She helped me to relax which I was surprised worked very quickly. We went through the technique and I don't think I have ever felt so relaxed before. It was difficult to go over the scenarios again but as it went on I began to feel somewhat detached to the memories. Afterwards I continued to feel relaxed and realised I felt lighter and felt an optimism I hadn't felt for a long time. The week after I continued to feel this way and when thinking back to my trauma I didn't feel the same. It somehow felt distant; that I couldn't access the awful feelings I had been dragging around with me before. It felt far away, I knew how I had felt but I wasn't continuing to feel that anymore. My husband commented that he had his happy wife back. I am now enjoying the days with my baby, I am sleeping much better, I'm not worrying and I feel positive about the future. I also have skills to use this again if I need to in the future. Thank you so much Cathy, it feels this was so simple but it has been so effective and my family and I are so grateful to you for getting me back to myself.
I contacted Cathy when my son was 9 months old. I didn’t recognise my birth trauma immediately afterwards, and it wasn’t until he was about 7 months old that I realised it was becoming a problem. At first I just thought about it a lot Gradually it escalated and when I began feeling upset and angry about my friends’ ‘perfect’ birth stories I called Cathy. If I’m honest I was dubious that the treatment would work at all. Especially in an hour and a half! When I met Cathy, I realised quickly that she was understanding, supportive and made me feel relaxed immediately. The first time I told her my story before the treatment I couldn’t get past the first sentence without crying. Now I can tell my story and not cry at all or feel sad. The memories are there but they no longer consume me. There’s something special about a midwife helping you through your trauma and I would recommend Cathy to anybody who might need a bit of help coming to terms with their experience
I had trauma rewind therapy with Cathy following the birth of our daughter in May this year. Sadly we miscarriged 3 years ago so I was very anxious during this pregnancy. We had a home birth planned but about a week before I was due I had reduced movements and was induced. It was a difficult birth and it brought back a lot of the trauma and anxiety from having a miscarriage. During the first few days of being back home with my daughter I felt very low and anxious and experienced feelings of guilt over the way she arrived into the world. I had planned a calm, relaxed home birth and instead we ended up having lots of different drugs and procedures done in hospital which was the last thing I wanted to happen. I felt like I wasn't able to think straight. I was tired, not sleeping, not eating. I was really struggling and felt so weak and worn down. However, after just one rewind therapy session with Cathy I felt so relieved, like a heavy weight had been lifted and I could process my thoughts more clearly. Cathy is really understanding and put me at ease as soon as I met her. I felt able to be completely honest about how I was feeling. As well as the rewind therapy, Cathy has taught me useful techniques to help manage unwanted thoughts which has really helped. Because of Cathy's help I am now able to look forward to the future, watch my daughter grow and develop and I feel positive about being a mum.
I contacted Cathy after having lingering conflicting and upsetting feelings about the birth of my baby boy almost six months after having him. I sat on these feelings for a while and couldn’t understand that when talking about my birth I often felt anxiety, sadness and sometimes numb about the whole thing, I wanted the joy people described! I didn’t want to feel this way, so I contacted Cathy to see if she could help me. Cathy was friendly, empathetic and understanding from the start and it was fantastic to hear that what I was experiencing was totally normal. Throughout the treatment and whole process she instantly put me at ease and as she is a midwife, she helped me understand why certain things had happened to me, kindly answering any questions I had. The session I had with Cathy has been fundamental in helping me come to terms with my birth and I now feel profoundly positive about the birth of my little one. I’m so grateful and would honestly recommend this treatment to anyone if you feel any conflicting feelings surrounding your birth. Thank you Cathy.
Stillbirth
I had a stillbirth in 2014 and a traumatic birthing experience when I had my son in 2016. The therapy was recommended to me by my midwife. Before the therapy I was extremely anxious and terrified about the birth of my child who was due in the same week I received the therapy. I was feeling low and was having quite negative thoughts about the birth. Cathy told me about the therapy and if I am being really honest I didn't expect it to work as my anxiety levels were so high. However I was pleasantly shocked at the significant impact this technique had. During the therapy I tapped into feelings and thoughts I had suppressed since the stillbirth of my child and I could feel the burden of this traumatic experience starting to lift. When Cathy asked me to visualise my new happy family with my new baby, for the first time my brain allowed me to form a positive image for the very first time and I was overcome with love and emotion for my family. I would strongly recommend this therapy to any women in my situation. It definitely works and totally transformed my feelings towards the impending birth of my baby daughter. I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Cathy for her professionalism, calmness, kindness and compassionate nature which made me feel comfortable enough to experience this therapy. She made me feel positive and confident to go through childbirth again and that is something I will treasure forever.
I contacted Cathy 9 months after experiencing a traumatic birth and postnatal period which had in turn been the root of often crippling anxiety and depression. I had been carrying around feelings from that time around with me, keeping them raw and continuing to stress myself out daily with anxieties and generally very unhappy. I felt I wasn't a good mother and out of control. I told Cathy what had happened and how I had felt and was feeling at the time of the birth and after.
It was upsetting to go through again and to remember the sequence of events. I felt completely at ease telling her my story and never felt judged. She helped me to relax which I was surprised worked very quickly. We went through the technique and I don't think I have ever felt so relaxed before. It was difficult to go over the scenarios again but as it went on I began to feel somewhat detached to the memories. Afterwards I continued to feel relaxed and realised I felt lighter, and felt an optimism I hadn't felt for a long time. The week after I continued to feel this way and when thinking back to my trauma I didn't feel the same. It somehow felt distant; that I couldn't access the awful feelings I had been dragging around with me before. It felt far away, I knew how I had felt but I wasn't continuing to feel that anymore. My husband commented that he had his happy wife back. I am now enjoying the days with my baby, I am sleeping much better, I'm not worrying and I feel positive about the future. I also have skills to use this again if I need to in the future. Thank you so much Cathy, it feels this was so simple but it has been so effective and my family and I are so grateful to you for getting me back to myself.
Pregnancy Loss
Cathy was introduced to me by my community Midwife during my 18th week of pregnancy. I very sadly experienced a loss last year and I was finding every day of this pregnancy very difficult - with heightened levels of anxiety, followed by fear and belief that I would lose this baby too. I felt comfortable and at ease talking to Cathy during our session, and it has made a very powerful impact on my pregnancy (more than I truly realised at the time). Following our session, I felt my confidence increase everyday. I felt confident telling people about this pregnancy, and less anxious at every scan that I attended. But, even more importantly, I felt confident that my body was doing everything it could in its power to support me and my baby - something that I had lost faith in for a very long time. Cathy - you are an invaluable and very powerful resource to our NHS. I am grateful that you have been part of my journey and I could not recommend this service enough.
Fertility Treatment
My session with Cathy helped me overcome many anxieties about having a future pregnancy. I felt very negative about upcoming fertility treatment and having suffered from anxiety during a previous pregnancy that resulted in a miscarriage, I was worried about how I would feel next time around. I was quite sceptical about rewind going into it - I couldn't see how it could help change the way I perceived my previous experiences. However, it surpassed all of my expectations! I left the session feeling instantly lighter with a sense that I would just be able to cope better next time. I thought I'd only really know if it had helped me should I become pregnant again. I'm now in the early stages of pregnancy and feeling much stronger mentally this time around! I feel much more calm and relaxed so far and can only put that down to my rewind session. I'm hoping to have a much more positive experience this time around and for that I am truly grateful!
Breastfeeding
Being able to breastfeed my baby was something that was and is incredibly important to me, but following the birth of my second baby I realised that the difficulties and trauma I had experienced when establishing breastfeeding with my first baby 3 years earlier were causing a lot of stress, anxiety, upset and negative emotions. One of the midwife support workers suggested talking to Cathy about rewind therapy. We spent time chatting on the phone to work out if it was something that could help and even just talking about things and have someone truly listen helped and gave me hope that I could feel better about it all. I wasn’t sure what to expect but Cathy was so calming and reassuring. After the treatment everything just seemed to slot into place, made much more sense and overall I felt so much better and able to cope with what was happening in the present rather than dwelling on the past and letting my past experiences affect me so much. Cathy also gave me some really useful advice and guidance on dealing generally with anxiety and nervousness that was affecting other areas of my life. I’m so pleased I went ahead with the treatment and I would highly recommend it for anyone dealing with trauma relating to birth or any situations or circumstances around having a baby. It’s such an overwhelming time and accepting the help and support from Cathy has made such a positive difference for me.
I had had a really traumatic birth in 2014 which resulted in PTSD and a real challenge with the postpartum period. I struggled with breastfeeding which contributed to a very difficult time with my first baby. I knew then, the second time round (June 2020) that I wanted to experience a positive and empowering birth - I met with Cathy a few days before I actually went into labour and we did some deep work around breastfeeding and the postpartum experience. Cathy is an intuitively caring and empathic person. I felt immediately comfortable sharing my experiences with her - knowing she would receive it without judgement, and with compassion. After talking through my experience, she then guided me through a really lovely relaxation (we did it outside due to covid distancing) allowing me to address the trauma. She then linked this to the positive birth I envisaged. I had been practicing hypnobirthing in the lead up to the birth, and alongside this, the session with Cathy really was one of the final puzzle pieces. I had the most empowering and wonderful birth at home, and Cathy and her kindness and compassion will forever be in my heart.