All of the images in this post were captured and developed by the very talented and newest (to the area) Richmond, VA birth photographer of Focus on Joy Photography I had never heard of HypnoBirthing until my midwife recommended it to me. At the time, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made regarding my pregnancy and birth. I began having minor contractions around 3:30-4:00am, and throughout the day ran errands to Walmar

Nora's Birth Story Born: 4/6/15 at 9:36 am Birth stats: 7 lbs. 2 oz./19 inches long/13 ½ head circumference Day 2: 6 lbs. 14 oz. I'd been having contractions almost nightly for a week and a half. They felt like true labor and would get more intense and last longer each time they happened. I was starting to get a little crazy and, after so many false alarms, I felt like I'd never know when it was the real deal. Sunday, April 5th we had a really nice family day out at Strangewa

Photography by https://www.photographybynicolejohnson.com/ I never wanted kids. They weren’t in my plan and I was adamant that I would never be a mom. However life had other plans. My fiancé and I conceived while on vacation in Abu Dhabi. A place where birth control is not smiled upon at airport security. When I found out I was pregnant, I had a second of elation before reality hit me. That second of joy is why I chose to keep my baby. I knew this was going to be a one-time t

I learned a new trick and made a little video: A current schedule of classes is here.

Two things that I do not like: 1. Asking a postpartum family to do anything at all 2. Writing So it felt awkward for me to reach out to my past students and ask them to share a written birth story. I didn't know what else to do though because there are still so many misconceptions about HypnoBirthing rampant in the Richmond VA birth community and everyone knows that I am bias. My hope is that some family perspectives will shed light on the benefits that HypnoBirthing lends