A 5 or 6 week, in-person, evening antenatal course for couples (the expectant parent and whoever their birth partner will be). Suitable to attend anytime in pregnancy, but probably of most value after 26 weeks.

Why take the Empowered Birth Course?

Firstly, congratulations on your pregnancy! Exciting times ahead for you!

I’m so glad you’ve landed on this webpage, as you are obviously looking for ways to get informed and prepared for birth. The Empowered Birth Course - and the hypnobirthing theory that underpins it - will give you the chance to do both of those things.

Antenatal courses come in all shapes and sizes, so it can be hard knowing which one is the right fit for you. If you are looking for a course which will give you a thorough understanding of the birth process and which will leave you feeling confident in your body’s ability to give birth, then you’re in the right place.

The Empowered Birth Course utilises the KG Hypnobirthing method to learn the skills necessary to help both mum and baby enjoy a positive birth experience.

Each course is delivered by qualified KG Hypnobirthing instructor and experienced doula Sarah Boyd - who introduces the course in the short video below:

What does the Empowered Birth Course include?

As you can see from the course content below, you’ll learn about the physical and mental process of birth, how to navigate the maternity system in the UK, and how to feel confident and in control before, during and after birth.

Here's a run-down of what we cover during the five week course:

• what hypnobirthing is

• how and why hypnobirthing works

• the power of language

• the anatomy and physiology of childbirth - helping you to understand what you can do physically, both in advance and on the day itself, to help labour run as smoothly as possible

• the process of labour, from signs of it starting to holding your baby in your arms

• what can help and hinder successful labour and birth, including the role of hormones, your mind and your nervous system

• why complications in labour may arise, and what you can do to continue to feel in control even if things don't go exactly as you had expected

• navigating the maternity system in the UK

• questions to ask in labour

• when and why you might be offered interventions such as induction of labour, Caesarean birth, forceps or vacuum assistance, and what happens during those procedures

• considerations about where to give birth

• positions to give birth in

• the role of the birth partner

And there's more!

You'll also get:

• the chance to ask questions, share experiences, and get to know other couples due around the same time as you

• ongoing email and phone support, right up to the time your baby is born. This can be particularly reassuring if things change in your pregnancy after the course has finished, and you want to talk over your new circumstances so that you continue to feel calm and in control of your birth experience

• relaxation skills and scripts to practice at home between the sessions and before the birth

• a copy of Katherine Graves' The Hypnobirthing Book

• an audio download of three hypnobirthing tracks, to listen to at home

• a full course folder including all the notes accompanying the course

Optional sixth session:

If this is your first baby, you have the option to add on an extra session to prepare for life with your little one. It covers:

• feeding them (however you intend to do that)

• meeting their emotional and physical needs

• responding to their cries

• normal infant sleep

• safe sleep practices

FAQs about the Empowered Birth Hypnobirthing Course

When to take the course?

It is a good idea to aim to finish your course between weeks 32 and 36, as this gives you time to keep practising the skills in the weeks prior to the birth, and also ensures you finish the course before your due window (weeks 37-42) starts.

Who is this course for?

Anyone who’s pregnant and their partner! If this is your first baby then you’ll probably benefit from doing the full six week course, so you get info about caring for your baby too. But this is definitely not a course only for first time parents - I’ve had 2nd, 3rd and even 4th timers along too, and they’ve all said that they learnt something new from it, and that it helped them feel better prepared for this birth than they had been previously.

What is hypnobirthing?

In a nutshell it is a technique where you learn to enable yourself to become deeply relaxed very quickly, using specific words, touch, smells or colours to act as “triggers”. This can help you to feel calm and in control in labour, regardless of what else is happening.

You can also read our blog post or download our FREE pdf “A quick guide to hypnobirthing” to get all the details of what the course includes, and to understand a bit more about what hypnobirthing is and why it is effective.

Don’t be put off by the word hypnobirthing - this programme is based on science and evidence, not magic and mystery!

What are the benefits of hypnobirthing?

There are so many! Sarah outlines the key benefits of hypnobirthing in the video below:

Who is hypnobirthing for?

There can be a misconception that hypnobirthing is only suitable/relevant for women planning to birth at home, or who are hoping not to use pain relief in labour, or who don't want to have a Caesarean. Whilst these women will definitely benefit from using hypnobirthing, so will everyone else too, regardless of where they intend to have their baby, what pain relief they may opt for, and whether or not their baby is born by Caesarean. 

Hypnobirthing benefits the baby through pregnancy, as well as the mother during labour. Practising the skills and techniques in pregnancy means the mother is less likely to be releasing stress hormones, which cross the placenta and can affect the baby.

It can also really help both parents to bond with their baby before it is born, as it provides them with time together to think about and prepare for both the birth and becoming parents.

Watch our video to find out more about who hypnobirthing is for:

What type of births is hypnobirthing suitable for?

As well as looking at labours which start spontaneously and do not need medical assistance, we also consider more complicated scenarios, such as induction of labour and Caesarean births. So the course will leave you prepared for whatever happens on the day.

How many people are in the group?

The group size ranges from three to eight couples, and is usually around four to six couples. Keeping the group size fairly small results in a more personalised course, and many people find it less daunting asking questions in front of fewer people.

Who’s the teacher?

Sarah qualified as a KG Hypnobirthing teacher in 2019, having already been providing antenatal education to local parents since 2005. So far, to date, she has helped over 1,300 couples prepare for their baby’s birth. Sarah has a wealth of experience of delivering courses which are really well designed to meet the needs of everyone in the group. Also, her experiences of supporting more than one hundred and twenty women in labour across Oxfordshire as a doula (birth companion) sets her apart from other hypnobirthing teachers in the area, as she can draw on those experiences in her teaching, and they give her a deep understanding of the wide range of birthing journeys that women undertake, as well as a thorough knowledge of our local maternity services.

Here’s what attendee Catherine thought of the course:

Reviews for our Empowered Birth hypnobirthing course:

To read more than fifty testimonials from recent class attendees, please click here.

To Book

If you would like to join a group course, please use the Book Now button to secure your place on the course of your choice.

If you would like to book a private course, please contact me on sarah@birthbabybalance.co.uk. Please let me know when your baby is due, which number baby this is (first, second etc) and where you live, and I will get back to you with some suggested dates, and we will go from there.

2026 Course Dates

KGH032 for early August-early October due dates: Five week course: Thursdays 18th June-23rd July 7.00-9.30p.m. N.B. No class on 2nd July. Spaces available

Optional bolt-on session to cover feeding and caring for your new baby: Thursday 30th July, 7.00-9.30p.m.

KGH033 for mid October-early December due dates: Five week course: Thursdays 13th August-10th September 7.00-9.30p.m. Spaces available

Optional bolt-on session to cover feeding and caring for your new baby: Thursday 17th September, 7.00-9.30p.m.

KGH034 for mid December-mid February due dates: Five week course: Thursdays 15th October-12th November 7.00-9.30p.m. Spaces available

Optional bolt-on session to cover feeding and caring for your new baby: Thursday 19th November 7.00-9.30p.m.

Investment

Group course:

Five week group course, including a copy of The Hypnobirthing Book by Katherine Graves, a folder of notes, and an audio download of scripts: £275.00 per couple.

Bolt-on session covering feeding and other postnatal topics: £50.00 per couple.

Private course:

Five week private course, including a copy of The Hypnobirthing Book by Katherine Graves, a folder of notes, and an audio download of scripts: £450.00 per couple. If you live outside of West Oxfordshire, there will be an additional travel cost if I am coming to you.

Bolt-on session covering feeding and looking after your baby: £100.00 per couple.

Venue

Classes are held at The Yoga Room, Balance Studios, Bridge Street Mill, Bridge Street, Witney, OX28 1YH.