About

Meet Sofia, your hypnobirthing teacher

Hi, I'm Sofia! A mum of two, a secondary school teacher and a certified hypnobirthing specialist, offering bespoke antenatal and birth preparation courses face to face from the comfort of your own home. My goal is to help women and their birth partners work towards turning fear about birth into confidence, and using evidence based tools to help women achieve a positive birth experience.

Why I became a hypnobirthing teacher

Holland Hypnobirthing has been inspired by my own pregnancies and birth experiences. Like so many women, I went into my first birth not really knowing what to expect, and honestly, terrified.

But for my second birth, I realised I needed to be more prepared, and I discovered hypnobirthing. And during that course, something just clicked. The more I started learning about how our bodies work (and how misunderstood birth can be), everything changed for me. Through hypnobirthing, I went from feeling scared to feeling calm, confident... and actually EXCITED to give birth, and I went on to have the most incredible and redemptive birth experience I could have ever imagined.

From a planned epidural to a planned home birth

My only "plan" and "preparation" for my first birth was that I was going to get an epidural. That's all I cared about, and I honestly used to think people who chose NOT to have medical pain relief were a bit bonkers, and an unmedicated birth would NEVER be for me. That birth ended up being heavily managed involving induction, multiple methods of pain relief, and resulting in a difficult delivery with forceps and an episiotomy.

During my second pregnancy, I decided to throw myself into a hypnobirthing course, and it gave me the education, tools and confidence I didn't have before, and I ended up planning a home birth. Something I always said I would have NEVER wanted! During my pregnancy, I was actively engaging with my hypnobirthing relaxation tools, working closely with my midwives and hypnobirthing coach, and on the day of my birth I drew upon all the tools and techniques I had been taught including breathing techniques and hypnosis audios and gave birth to my beautiful son in a birth pool in my living room. It was AMAZING!

I truly would never have had this birth experience had it not been for hypnobirthing. Not only did I think I wasn't capable of birthing in this way, but I also never thought I would want to. And yet, it was the most incredible experience of my life.

My approach is no nonsense, non-judgmental, evidence based, and supportive of all births.

Why choose me?

Simple, effective and no nonsense: I combine hypnobirthing techniques with practical birth tools, and personalised support throughout the course. No nonsense approach, just tools that actually work!
Empowering: I help you understand your birth choices, support with writing a birth plan, and help you to release fear throughout pregnancy before the big day.
Friendly and supportive: My teaching style is relaxed, reassuring and personalised to your ideal birth.
Personal experience: I’ve had two completely different birth experiences, both at home and in hospital, so I can support you with real world perspective, no matter where or how you plan to give birth.