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Real Life Success Stories from our Parents
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Our second HypnoBirthing bub has arrived! A dear little thing, that will give her big brother a run for his money when she grows up a little hehehehe. I thoroughly recommend using hypnobirthing; the techniques are easy to use and natural birth without medication is a wonderfully empowering experience. Amanda is wonderfully easy to talk to as well.
<div>Isla is now self settling, is in a sleep routine that she completely sticks to, does a 2 hour lunch nap and continues to wake 1-2 times max at night.</div> <div>She also takes a bottle from her Dad (she took the pigeon one) and is smashing down solids and has put on lots of weight. She did have a UTI back when you came to see us so she had a course of ABs and that seems to have settled.</div> <div>All my anxiety regarding her sleep has gone and we are having such a wonderful time with her, she is such a happy chilled baby.</div> <div>Thank you so much for your help I found it very helpful and will recommend you to friends in the future/will be in touch if we need help again in the future.</div>
We worked with Amanda when our first child went through tricky sleep periods and transitions and here we are again with our second! I think that says it all - we trust Amanda’s advice implicitly. She’s a miracle worker, but not only that she’s kind, generous, caring, calm and patient and we have never had an issue she hasn’t known how to resolve quickly. I am sure this won’t be the last time we are in touch with Amanda. Her packages make it so easy. Thank you so much again. You’re amazing x
I contacted Amanda as I was feeding Lily to sleep, but she was becoming very difficult to get to sleep and was having increasingly numbers of frequent wakings in the night. Amanda was very empathetic and supportive in all situations, as well as providing lots of detailed information. She was also very positive, which helped a lot when I was feeling overwhelmed. I no longer feed Lily to sleep, and we don't have to co-sleep anymore. I have a lot more confidence in dealing with Lily's behaviour and I have a much better understanding of methods that can be used to gradually achieve better sleep (with love!). Also, I don't lose my temper as much as I used to when trying to get Lily to go to sleep. She has a routine at bedtimes which she likes. She is happier to be in her cot than ever before. She is getting more sleep which improves her behaviour. I loved the phone support as I was often overwhelmed or upset and Amanda could sympathise and offer useful advice on how to tackle the problem. Amanda was always gentle and supportive which i liked. The individualised approach was also fantastic.
Very informative and helpful! Amanda is so lovely and provides a non judgemental, warming environment. I attended a sleep work shop and it outweighed my expectations. Thank you Amanda! Looking forward to using your other services in the future.
We contacted Amanda, as our Zoe was sleeping from 3pm till 4am her body clock was totally out. Dylan our 15 month old was breastfeeding all night, every 45 minutes and my husband and I was exhausted! Amanda has literally changed my life, this month. She is a wealth of information and in a kind, loving way she helped us so much. Within a few days of implementing Amanda's program, Zoe is sleeping like a little angel from 6:30pm till 6:30 am. Dylan is sleeping so much better from co sleeping and breastfeeding all night to sleeping in his own cot and only needing reassurance twice during the night. We have gone from complete bedsharing, to him moving into his own room, being back safely in his cot, and dropping feeds he no longer needs. Amanda also helped me wean from breastfeeding in a nurturing and safe way that met both my needs and his. I learned so much about sleep but also about crying and why babies cry. The healing benefits of crying. I am also actually sleeping at night which is nothing if not FANTASTIC! Her sleep guidance package was easy to read, and really effective. <span class="response-text other-item ta-response-item">We have reached all our sleep goals, in the time we were working with her and feel confident to continue on our own.</span> I feel that my parenting has transformed and completely recommend her services to everyone!
Scarlett out of the blue started having separation anxiety when going to bed, was scared that a cat was in her room and would not be alone or sleep in her bed in her room. We loved working with Amanda's calm nature and individualized approach. She took the time to listen to our situation and analyze it individually. She made me feel confident that I wasn't going to be forced to let my child scream her way through her sleep problem. She helped me understand why it was happening and devised a plan that I was comfortable with. Scarlett is back in her room, confidently goes to bed without a fuss and sleeps through the night. The separation anxiety is gone and she will happily play in her room on her own again. Very happy!
"Amanda's wealth of experience and knowledge was obvious when she came to help us with our babies sleeping needs. She worked with our baby giving us insights, information and demonstrated ways to help her sleep and settle well. Things continue to improve and we feel we now have tools to help us in the future"- thankyou!!
Hi Amanda How are you? Just want to thank you for your time spent with us with the Hypnobirth. After 24 hours in labour I managed to have a natural, drug free birth. I managed to get into deep relaxation and the rainbow cd helped me a lot. Breathing through my surges I did not scream once, and my midwives were amazed how well I handled it. This is Mason taken at hospital about 1-2 hours old! He took my breast first day and I also had delayed cord-clamping.
Thank you Amanda! I'm so grateful for your support with nightweaning, weaning and transitioning from co sleeping to own room! Your wholistic approach helped me to be as gentle as possible which was really important to me. Thank you thank you Xxx
Our main goal was to have as natural birth as possible so we decided to bring Amanda and hypnobirthing into our plan. We learnt so much about natural birth and labour in general. Even though due to complications I ended up being induced very early into the labour. However, thanks to Amanda's lessons all I was concentrating on was not having a c-section and because of hypnobirthing lessons and Amanda's guidance we were successful. I was home in 1 and half days to be with my baby. I was very calm in the few days before the labour and Rhys didn't cry at all when he was born. Even if you aren't able to succeed in having no intervention I would recommend any pregnant woman to use a hypnobirthing practitioner (especially Amanda). Hypnobirthing also really helps you to be a calm mother over for the baby's life. Every time someone meets our boy they always say he is one of the happiest babies they have ever met and I do truly believe this has a lot to do with what we learnt through Amanda.
Hi Amanda, Kioni Reilly was born Monday 8th October. She has beautiful long legs. I had a quick labour, 7 hours in total, a water birth and back home 6 hours later! <3
We loved Amanda’s gentle approach to sleep settling. She helped us gain extensive insight into the hows and why’s of our babies sleeping. With practical and calming tips we were able to successfully extend nap times! Thank you Amanda!
Amanda was instrumental in helping me diagnose and settle my reflux bub. He has a regular routine now and is a very happy baby. Highly recommend!
Hi Amanda, thank you for all your help. I loved your gentle, calm and flexible approach. It’s not what I expected in that when I had heard about other sleep consultants, the routine sounded very prescriptive and rigid. Your philosophy was very much in line with what we wanted and the results so far, have been great. As I email, we have a sleeping baby!
I loved group baby massage classes! I feel I have gained techniques to connect with Cyla even further. I feel I can read her better and her cues for asking for massage. Amanda has a calm, friendly and welcoming demeanor, and clearly explains everything!
We contacted Amanda when my little boy was only couple of weeks old. I must say I didn’t implement her tactics from the start as I didn’t believe the process. But when I did follow her guidelines I was amazed to see my little boy settle and fall asleep on his own in a matter of days. There was no more rocking or motion sleeping!! A few months down the track and the results are still amazing!
Amanda is a very nice and knowledgeable person. She had given me most precise and most helpful advice, tightening loose ends and clarifying often contradictory advice collected from different other sources. Answered a lot of questions, supported and encouraged when things seemed to not work. I regret I could not have had her over at my house as I am pretty confident she would have been able to help even better but an on-line package is definitely worth a try. For me it was very important that Amanda does not use CIO method and does not even consider it a legitimate one. She also does not judge and does not tell you what you should or should not do if she sees it works for you which makes you realise that you should not feel pressured to do something that does not work. So far, I am able to put my LO to bed without much trouble at night thanks to following Amanda's advice. We are still working on naps and night wakings but it did get easier even though not perfect yet. So do not expect a quick fix from Amanda, you still need to work but Amanda will always point you in the right direction.
“We were experiencing major bed-time resistance and waking multiple times during the night with our toddler. Life was getting hard! That’s until Amanda came into our lives. Amanda made some adjustments to our daughter’s environment and routine/cues. Amanda was so knowledgeable and I loved her caring approach. Our daughter is now going to sleep without resistance and sleeps through the night. We can’t thank Amanda enough”
Amanda’s knowledge is amazing. Evidence-based, gentle and logical, it was just what I needed when sleep deprived with 2 1/2 year old Noah! Wished I’d contacted her earlier. The week of support, encouragement and guidance after our phone call was very helpful too.
Mylo’s Birth story I had started to feel some tightening on the Friday night (right on 40 weeks) which I was unsure whether it was Braxton hicks or contractions. They were mild and stayed about 10-15 minutes apart over a few hours. I told Mitch we should go to bed in case anything else happened and they just faded away overnight. Saturday morning I woke up like any other day and we had a really relaxing day at home. I did some baking, had a nap and then went for a nice long walk that afternoon. As I was eating dinner that night (40+1) I started to feel similar tightening’s that I had the night before so I didn’t think much of it. We put a movie on and the contractions were coming about every 8 or so minutes and I had decided to put the tens machine on but still felt the pain was very manageable. Throughout the movie I bounced on the fit ball and was stretching on the floor with some clary sage in the diffuser. By the end of the movie I was getting quite uncomfortable but the frequency of contractions hadn’t changed too much. I initially told mitch to have a shower and go to bed so we got some sleep however I then told him I was quickly going to call the hospital (around 9.30pm) just to chat to them. I told the hospital what had been happening as well as what had happened the night before. I’d also had a stretch and sweep the Monday and my OB had said I was sitting around 4cm dilated. Because of this and how far we lived from the hospital (about an hour) they suggested I come in. Mitch madly got the last few items packed into the car however I was keen to take my time. I had another shower and double checked we had everything we needed although I still wasn’t sure I was actually in labour and was a bit surprised how calm I was. On the drive we put on some birth affirmations and I just breathed through the contractions with the tens still on and a heatpack across my tummy. When we arrived at the hospital about 11.30pm we had the CTG put on which they left for about an hour. Contractions were still quite regular, increasing in intensity slightly but not really in frequency. The midwives had mentioned a vaginal examination but were aware of my birth preferences that I had sent in earlier and then decided that this wasn’t necessary. I could tell they had read what I sent in as they mentioned it and seemed really supportive from when I arrived. They had a feel of my tummy and still thought that bub was in a posterior position. At 12.30am the midwives had said I was definitely having consistent contractions and could go home if I wished but could also stay in the birth suite. I don't think they realised how much i could feel as I didn't make a fuss and was really calm and quiet during the contractions. I still wasn't convinced myself that i was definitely in labour or was at least preparing for a much longer labour. Mitch was keen to stay as he was tired and not keen for another drive and I am very glad we did. I lay in bed with the tens on and tried to doze on and off. At 3am I was woken with a fright of a “pop’ and an intense contractions and some fluid. Waters had broken! I buzzed the midwife and she was on a break so another midwife came in. This is where things really got intense. I took the tens machine off and got in the shower, I had pain in my back and front and couldn’t decide where the hot water felt best. I asked to go in the bath and was then told I would need another 20 minute CTG while this happened. This felt like a lifetime but I asked for heatpacks which I used front and back and the time actually passed quite quickly. I had a vaginal examination but had asked not to be told about my progress. Denise reassured me I was doing really well. The bath was ready before I knew it and this was where the most intense part of my labour happened. I remember bits and pieces of the intensity and the midwives prompting me to breathe through the contractions and Mitch gently pouring water over my back. I couldn’t talk through this part but remember hearing conversations although it was kept to a minimal and was mostly quiet in a dark suite with the salt lamp on. I remember becoming quite vocal through the contractions but I didn’t even realise that I had begun bearing down at the end of my contractions. I got a brief urge to vomit and when the midwife came back in, I remember hearing a conversation where Mitch asked Denise (midwife) if she was going to leave again (he didn’t want to be left alone with me!) and then Denise asked mitch if he knew about transition and he said no and I was thinking “are you kidding me? Did you not listen to anything Amanda taught us?!” Denise started talking to me about getting out of the bath soon (which I was not keen for!) and asked if I got out, could I get back in? Both midwives told me that they could hear me bearing down and thought I was nearly ready to have a baby so wouldn’t be able to get back in. I had a few more contractions in the water and kept telling them that I would get out after the next one! I even remember thinking that surely this was the part that you talked about where people start to make comments that they can’t do it anymore but hypnobirthing mums often don’t vocalise it. I definitely thought it but at no point did I say it. Eventually I got out and had a vaginal examination where I was told I was fully dilated! The pushing stage felt the most unnatural for me and I couldn’t quite get in a good position. I ended up on my back and even though I knew this wasn’t optimal. The OB on call came in after about an hour and it felt like she instantly offered me the vacuum because baby’s head was coming down and going back up. I remember thinking and knowing that this was perfectly normal and I looked at the monitors where she said that baby and I were both doing fine to which I responded that I would like to keep trying. The OB then offered a drip to extend my contractions as she didn’t feel they were lasting long enough for me to push. I again shook my head. I knew that sometimes your body gives you a break and really felt like this is what is was doing to allow baby to continue down the birth canal. I was able to bring baby’s head down where he crowned for quite a few more pushes. The OB had a warm compress on my perenium and this is where I was offered an episiotomy. I tried a few more times but really felt exhausted from bringing him down and then consented. It was a quick procedure and I really don’t even remember it as the next contraction baby’s head was out and the OB told me to reach down which I did and grabbed bub and pulled him onto my chest at 7.26am. Mylo was a perfect 3.2kg, 35cm HC and 52cm long. We had to be prompted by the midwives to even look whether he was a boy or girl, I was in so much shock that he was actually here! <div>Denise's shift finished at 7.30am so i didn't see her for too long after the birth. She came to see me our first night in hospital when she was back on shift, she told me that she was so privileged to have been part of my birth and that it was so amazing to see a natural birth and that she was sure he would not have turned so easily and quickly without moving around and being upright in the bath. I definitely know that doing the hypnobirthing course gave me the opportunity to have my dream birth. I knew and trusted my body and my baby and definitely know you gave me the confidence and knowledge to be able to do this.</div> Thank you so much I had such an incredible experience and love sharing my birth story with anyone who asks about it! Cassie, Mitch and Mylo x
I contacted Amanda because Tristan would only sleep being worn, short naps and lots and lots of work to settle for sleep! Her experience with her own kids and clients with reflux was a fantastic help. So much knowledge and helpful tips! She provided great support through regular email contact. Through her assessment Amanda referred us onto a lactation consultant who discovered Tristan had tongue and lip tie, we have since had it treated and we have a new baby boy as a result. Amanda"s wealth of knowledge and tips on sleep rhythms, reflux needs, breastfeeding nutrition, breastfeeding supply, paediatrics referrals has made life so much easier for us. We have felt affirmed in our decisions and wisely guided when we were unsure. Tristan is much more settled and a more willing sleeper! We have much less screaming and he is so content. 🙂
Both my husband and I loved doing Amanda's course. Not only did it give me the focus and believe that I could have have a natural birth, it allowed my husband to be actively involved and understand the birthing experience prior to going through it. This was something that was very important to the two of us. We appreciated that the course was spread out over 5 weeks with homework in between, this allowed us to study the material between classes and ask Amanda any questions that we had. I feel by practicing the material with my husband and alone this was why I was able to have a natural and clam birth. And as a result a very calm, relaxed and content baby.
I loved our baby massage classes. Doing baby massage classes with Amanda, has shown me a way to connect with my bub on a deeper level. Amanda has a very calming nature 🙂
Amanda's baby massage course was excellent and very fun! Through it I have developed a closer relationship and bond. Amanda had such a calm nature and advice was brilliant!
Hey Amanda! We have had our second bub (using the same hypno techniques as u taught us with our first), and he is 4.5 months old. Our story is a goodie! Waters broke <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groovy.babies1/inbox/?mailbox_id=120906967987232&selected_item_id=500751882#">at 2am</a> Back to sleep <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groovy.babies1/inbox/?mailbox_id=120906967987232&selected_item_id=500751882#">until 6am</a> Surges came thick and fast, drove to hospital <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groovy.babies1/inbox/?mailbox_id=120906967987232&selected_item_id=500751882#">8.30am</a> Arrived at hospital entrance <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groovy.babies1/inbox/?mailbox_id=120906967987232&selected_item_id=500751882#">8.43am</a>, crowned in the lift, head out as I got to our room, one last push as bubby lifted me into the bed. Baby in arms <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groovy.babies1/inbox/?mailbox_id=120906967987232&selected_item_id=500751882#">8.45am !!!!!</a> It was incredible and I was so excited the whole way through!
Hi Amanda -- Yes our son Woodrow arrived March 6th. I got my beautiful home water birth! Thank you so much for helping us along our way, and your suggestion of releases in the pool with our daughter was very powerful! He is so CALM!!!!!!!!!!
Doing a baby massage course gave me a new goal to aim for. To spend more time with my bub and to spend that time incorporating massage. I learnt lots of different strokes!
The birth went the best it could have gone given the circumstances but it was far from what we were hoping for. He was a vacuum delivery in the end. I was in labour for 27 hours. We thought it was all going well when we arrived at the birth suite at 2pm and then my waters broke around 3:30pm and I started to feel the urge to push around 4:30pm. We thought he was nearly here but I did the birth breathing for an hour in the water then after a check he hadn't moved down. After waiting a little longer to see if that would help I was then pushing/breathing down for another 2 hours straight. He still hadn't moved down and no one could figure out why. They brought the doctors in and eventually after an ultrasound figured out he was posterior and trying to come out with his chin up so he was stuck. It was looking like an emergency c section but we decided to try the vacuum first and after 5 pulls and huge pushes he finally arrived at 10pm. He needed a little bit of resus and had a low apgar score but was fine after a couple of minutes. Even though it wasn't the ideal hypnobirth everything we learnt helped us so much throughout. Even when things went wrong I felt calm and much more able to comprehend everything because of what we had learned. The midwife said the breathing had made a huge difference especially at the end because I was able to quickly catch my breath between pushes and really give it everything to get him out as naturally as possible. We still did it without gas or pain relief. Axel is three months now and has been super alert since the second he arrived! He's a very hungry boy and has definitely not been a sleepy newborn. I have him on a good routine now though and he sleeps through the night already 7pm to 7am with his dreamfeed. He's so smiley and a real chatterbox. I have attached a couple of photos. Thank you for everything you taught us! (A big thank you to Nicole and Steve for sharing their birth story. Baby Axel had a birth position of a deflexed head. Even in special circumstances the right education and care providers are essential in a positive birth experience for a mother and baby)
Julia, mum of Benji aged 21 months. We contacted Amanda because Benji was waking every 2 hours all night, he would only feed to sleep and was constantly waking early. As we are based in Melbourne, Victoria we used her Skype Support Package. Amanda had so much knowledge and an approach that was focused on the wellbeing of Benji, and making the transition as gentle as possible for him. She made us feel good about the changes we were making, which made the process easier for us . Benji is now sleeping all night and waking at 6am instead of 5am. He no longer needs to be fed to sleep or fed overnight. Complete night weaning gently!! We are all getting sleep so we have more energy and are less grumpy! Thankyou Amanda! 🙂
Groovy Babies founder Amanda Bude is one of Australia’s most highly qualified baby & child specialist specialising in baby & child sleep, HypnoBirthing® The Mongan Method, infant massage, attachment parenting and a range of holistic parenting strategies.
