Hi my name is Kate Martyn and I am a practicing Registered Nurse, Registered Midwife, Certified HypnoBirthing Practitioner and a Mother.
I fell in love with the idea of becoming a Midwife over 10 years ago when I was placed in a maternity unit as a placement when I was a student nurse. Whilst there I had the privilege to be a part of a birth. Words fail to describe how special the moment of birth is. It is such an overwhelming, emotional, magical and amazing experience to be a part of and I knew right then that that was for me. After all to be a part of that moment that a couple will remember for the rest of their lives, the birth of their baby, is pretty special and an honour to be a part of.
Fast forward 4 years of working as an Emergency Nurse, which is also a passion for me, I decided
I was ready to become a Midwife.
Becoming a Midwife was an incredibly inspirational experience. It taught me all about childbirth- the amazing hormones involved and just how our bodies and babies work together during this process. From conception, pregnancy to birth it is an incredible and amazing process. Midwifery teaches all about this process and also centres around the philosophy that childbirth is a normal and natural event. Special circumstances of course do arise and we are trained to recognise these and intervene when necessary but it also centres on the fact that these are rare in the majority of healthy women.
Unfortunately, what I was being taught and what I was seeing in practice was two very different things. The realities of birth today is that we are seeing more and more intervention and labour and birth is being portrayed as something to be feared- it is portrayed as this on TV and even spoken about by well-intended friends.
There is a tremendous amount of fear surrounding labour and birth and we seem to be approaching a time when intervention is seen as something routine when birthing a baby. Caesareans in some hospitals were and are at a higher rate than vaginal births and artificial inductions higher than spontaneous labour in many hospitals. This had a big impact on me. But probably the part that affected me the most was the amount of fear surrounding childbirth and the lack of knowledge and preparation surrounding pregnancy, labour and birth. It was incredibly disheartening and upsetting to witness.
But childbirth IS normal and natural, we are made exactly for this and it does NOT need to be feared. In contrast in can and should be something that we approach with no fear but rather with excitement, calmness and knowledge so that in the event that intervention does arise we can make informed and educated decisions. That is where my passion lies in eradicating the fear surrounding childbirth and in providing current and evidence based information to families. After all intervention sometimes is necessary and lifesaving, but in such situations all families should have the knowledge so that they understand what is happening and still feel empowered and informed about the process and their birth.
Every birth, whether “natural” or with intervention should be one that the couple still have birth satisfaction and I believe that is maintained when the family feels that they are part of the decision making process, not when their decisions are being taken away.
I came across HypnoBirthing when I saw it in practice. I walked into a birthing room as their Midwife for the day. The first thing I noticed was that they had taken control of the room and it was an extremely relaxing environment. The husband was an integral part of the experience, turning the lights down, tending to music, aromatherapy and as his partner was in establish labour he ran through their birth plan with me. Throughout the labour he continually used the massage techniques learnt in HypnoBirthing and positive affirmations and to this day it remains one of the calmest, moving, and I could even use the word romantic, birth that I have seen.
I was so moved by this that I looked into HypnoBirthing and what it teaches. HypnoBirthing is a comprehensive yet easy to understand childbirth class that is based on the philosophy that birth is normal and natural.
HypnoBirthing explored the myth and misconception surrounding the fear in childbirth and eradicates it, it reconditions your mind for childbirth. That is something that I have really learned from my years as a Midwife- that the mental component is the major component when it comes to how you birth, it is about preparing yourself and believing in yourself and HypnoBirthing does this. In addition, it teaches couples everything they need to know about the labour and birth process, special circumstances and interventions so that if these occur the couples are able to ask educated and informed decisions.
Finally, I had found what I was looking for. I am extremely passionate about antenatal education and HypnoBirthing provides this plus so much more, it brings couples together over a five week course because they have to practice together the relaxation that is being taught. The partners are integral parts of the birth experience, not just onlookers. It is an incredibly rewarding course and the skills learnt are lifelong skills.
My mission and goal is that every couple should have the opportunity to have a satisfying and rewarding birthing experience. That women enjoy and embrace their pregnancy for the amazing time that it is and that they approach their birth with no fear only calmness and joy.
Having experienced the birth of our first baby, you can read our story HERE, I can say with conviction that birth truly can be the most incredible, rewarding and empowering moment in your life!
Hypnobirthing was an amazing experience for both my partner Renee and I and our beautiful little baby boy Leonardo Phoenix. When we enrolled we were overcome with the love shared by the coordinator Kate whose experience in midwifery and Hypnobirthing made her such an excellent teacher. The classes were an amazing intimate experience in a Yoga studio where we were taught the theory behind it and then got to relax and practice hypnobirthing in such a calming environment. Overall I was very overcome with how great Hypnobirthing classes were for me as a father and a husband to be able to connect on such a deeper level with my wife and for us both to focus on the connection with our little Leo, and it resulted in an absolutely AMAZING experience at birth for us.
Hypnobirthing helped me to eliminate all my fears about birth and i found myself excited and eager for the birth of our baby. The classes were extremely helpful and i learnt so much! It really helped my partner know as well his role during labour and how he could support me best and on the day that made it such an amazing bonding experience for us! Highly recommended.”
I was hesitant at first about these classes that my wife had booked, but by the end of the first class I was totally onboard, looked forward to each class as my relaxation for the week and loved practising at home. I felt prepared and excited for our birth and how i could best support my wife through this experience.
I am forever grateful that my husband and I had the opportunity to experience 1:1 hypnobirthing classes with Kate prior to the birth of our first baby. The classes gave me practical, authentic skills that helped me prepare for birth with excitement, and birth my baby with confidence. I think Kate’s extensive experience as a midwife in addition to her hypobirthing background is what makes her classes such a valuable experience. Just attending the classes themselves was a lovely experience because Kate creates such a beautiful, calming and supportive environment to teach in. I have extremely fond memories of the birthing experience my husband and I shared. He was was my rock and Kate’s guidance undoubtedly made my husband the amazing birthing partner that he was. I strongly recommend Kate’s hypnobirthing classes to all expecting parents, if you have any doubts cast them aside and just go for it, it can change your life! With my second baby due soon, I am looking forward to having a refresher course with Kate so that all of our hypnobirthing tools are fresh in our mind. Many thanks again Kate, and look forward to seeing you soon.
Kates knowledge as a midwife was a brilliant compliment to her Hypnobirthing training. The techniques she taught us enabled us a drug-free birth despite trying conditions. Highly recommended.
Hypnobirthing was a magical experience to have and I can’t imagine birthing any other way. The classes helped me prepare for a completely natural and stress free labour. It helped me to release all fears and actually enjoy the birthing of my baby. I felt empowered and knew that my body was performing the task it was meant to do. The information provided exceded all my expectations. I could not have asked for a better experience and it’s all thanks to Kate at Coastal Birthing and Beyond.
Amazing very personal sharing of knowledge. Loved having private sessions, loved that kate is an experienced midwife as well as hypnobirthing practitioner. Fantastic, very highly recommended experience!