I’m Demelza, mum to 2 energetic young children, certified hypnobirthing instructor, birth educator and former primary school teacher. While I have ventured elsewhere for short periods of time, I feel very fortunate to be raising my children in the town where I grew up – Launceston, on the border of Cornwall and Devon.
With a background in psychology, as well as over 15 years as a teacher, I have always been in awe of the power of the mind and this was further strengthened by my own experience using hypnobirthing for the birth of my second child.
I am passionate about educating and empowering women to work with their bodies, and make decisions that are right for them and their baby so they can achieve a positive birth experience.
My Story
In 2015, I fell pregnant for the first time. I was terrified of labour. I did not understand the birth process. I did not educate myself about birth. I did not know I could prepare for it. I tried not to think about the inevitable trauma (as I believed it would be) and birth preparation was far from my mind. When labour began, at 40 weeks, I panicked. Looking back, I realise the decisions I made and my behaviours during labour could very well have hindered the natural birth process. My son ended up being born via an unplanned caesarean and I felt like I had failed at birth. Of course, having a caesarean does not mean failure – we are very fortunate that caesareans are an option if needed. I just always felt that things could have been different for me. When I fell pregnant with my daughter just over 2 years later, I desperately wanted a natural birth and wanted to do everything I could to make this possible. I had heard of hypnobirthing and when I began to read more about it, I was confident this could help me achieve a more positive birth experience.
As my pregnancy progressed, I was mindful that the majority of babies come after 40 weeks and knowing the baby would come when it was ready, I tried to keep myself calm and relaxed. I filled my days on maternity leave doing things I enjoyed and I very much focused on the birth I hoped to achieve. My husband and I discussed my birth preferences in the later weeks of my pregnancy and, although he was still unsure if my birth preparation would have a positive impact on my labour, he was fully supportive, and we listened to relaxations together at bedtime in the final few weeks.
As it turns out, our daughter decided she was ready to enter the world 2 days ‘early’ and that evening, after putting our son to bed, my waters began to trickle. Once my surges/contractions started, my husband said the change he saw in me surprised him immensely. Instead of the panic and tension observed during a surge in my first labour, I was calm, and through focusing on my breathing, I was able to go into a relaxed little bubble until it passed. I was managing each surge so well at home that we didn’t rush to hospital and it wasn’t until reaching the labour ward that I realised how imminent my daughter’s arrival was. Although I had hoped for a water birth, it wasn’t to be. I gave birth just half an hour after arriving in the hospital room, with no pain relief and my husband by my side. I still feel emotional when I think about my daughter’s birth, even years later because it had such a profound impact.
How hypnobirthing helped me
The antenatal education and hypnobirthing preparation empowered me to trust my instincts and remain calm to allow my body to give birth naturally. It also provided my husband with a purpose and he was a huge advocate for me in the short time we had at the hospital before our daughter arrived, relaying my wishes to the midwives and being there for me in the way I needed him to be. Following the birth, I felt wonderful and incredibly proud and I can actually say I enjoyed the experience – it was empowering!
Immediately after our daughter’s birth, I started sharing our experience with passion and enthusiasm and soon realised I wanted to help spread the word and facilitate other women in their preparation for labour and birth.
In 2019, while still on maternity leave, I enrolled on the KGHypnobirthing teachers’ course which is accredited by the Royal College of Midwives. This provided me with a diploma to become a hypnobirthing instructor. In early 2025, I also completed training in birth biomechanics with Shellie Poulter. Since undertaking further training, I have restructured my Tranquil Baby Hypnobirthing Antenatal Course so it packed full of more content. I am excited to be able to support pregnant women and their birth partners in their preparation for labour and birth to help them achieve their own positive birth experience. I would love to support you on your journey, please get in touch if you have any questions.
