The nurse who teaches the calm side of birth.
Founder of The Birth Shed, based in Derbyshire. Mum of two, registered nurse, qualified social worker, and accredited hypnobirthing teacher.
Hi, I’m Donna, Founder of The Birth Shed.
I’m a mum of two boys, based in Derbyshire, and I started my own Hypnobirthing journey following pregnancy loss in 2021. This was a really tough time for me and I made it my mission to feel more informed, confident and trusting of myself and my body, again.
Hypnobirthing changed everything for me. It was one of those “once I knew, I wanted everyone else to know” moments.
Like so many people, I’d heard the stories. The scary stories. The stories that make birth sound terrifying, overwhelming and completely out of your control. But what I discovered was something very different.
I discovered that birth doesn’t have to be approached with fear. That knowledge is powerful. That confidence can be learned. And that preparing for birth can completely change the way you experience it.
My two births looked very different. My first son’s birth was not what I had imagined at all. Due to a pregnancy-related medical condition that was outside of my control, I was induced and eventually had a Caesarean birth.
Was it the birth I had originally planned? No. Was I able to navigate this new birth path? Absolutely.
And that’s because Hypnobirthing taught me something I now teach every family I work with: It’s not about creating the “perfect” birth. It’s about feeling informed, supported and confident enough to navigate whatever path your birth takes.
We spend so much time planning for Birth Plan A, and of course, this is so important, but imagine what comes from knowing you can adapt if things change, too? How powerful is that?
Because let’s be realistic, birth isn’t always predictable. But that doesn’t mean it has to feel frightening.
I hear so many pregnant women say they’re terrified of labour. Sometimes they’re scared when they think about birth. Sometimes they’re scared when people ask about it. And honestly? I don’t think that should be the norm.
I want birth stories to sound different. I want more women to look back and say:
“I felt strong.”
“I felt supported.”
“I trusted myself.”
“I loved my birth.”
Not because everything went exactly to plan, but because they felt informed, empowered and involved in their experience every step of the way.
We deserve to be the main character in our own births. Fact. Not a passenger. Not a bystander. Not someone birth simply happens to.
That’s why I created The Birth Shed. To help women and their birth partners feel calm, confident and prepared for birth, whatever shape that birth may take.
Because when fear is replaced with knowledge, support and self-trust, everything changes. And because despite what we’ve been taught to expect, birth can be one of the most powerful, transformative and incredible experiences of your life.
I want that for you, too.
That’s a good question.
Because let’s be honest, there are lots of Hypnobirthing courses out there. And if it were me investing my time and money into a course, I’d want to know who was teaching it too!
I’d want to know if the person teaching me was someone I felt comfortable spending my precious time with.
I’d love to be able to invite you round for a cuppa and a chat, but seeing as that’s probably not practical, here’s a little bit more about me and why I created The Birth Shed.
The journey that led me here.
My sons are my biggest inspiration and the reason I first discovered Hypnobirthing. I’ll share more about my first birth story further down.
But my passion for helping people started long before entering the pregnancy and birth world. I’m a Registered Nurse by background, specialising in Learning Disabilities, and I’m also a Qualified Social Worker.
For my entire adult life, my career has centred around supporting people, advocating for them and helping them feel heard, valued and empowered. I’ve always had a strong sense of justice and a huge drive to stand up for people when they need someone in their corner.
It’s led to some incredibly proud moments throughout my career, including receiving the Florence Nightingale Award.
Then, in 2022, something unexpected happened. I discovered Hypnobirthing during my own trying to conceive and pregnancy journey.
And honestly? I just had so many wow moments. So many light bulb moments that made me think oh my gosh, why doesn’t everyone having a baby know about this? Why isn’t this the norm?
The more I learned, the more passionate I became about helping other women and birth partners approach birth feeling informed, confident and excited, rather than fearful.
Fast forward to today and I’m the founder of The Birth Shed, teaching Hypnobirthing across Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, North Leicestershire and online.
To shed fear and build confidence.
The Birth Shed exists to normalise positive, empowered birth. To shed fear. To build confidence. To challenge the idea that birth is something we should automatically dread and just have to ‘get through’ or ‘endure’.
Because birth isn’t designed to be scary by nature. Yet so many women spend months feeling frightened of labour before it has even begun. I want to change that!
My courses are designed to replace fear with knowledge. To replace uncertainty with confidence. To help you feel calm, informed, prepared and excited as you approach your baby’s birth.
Because you deserve so much more than simply hoping for the best and winging it.
It’s not about a perfect birth.
One thing that’s really important for you to know about me is this: I don’t teach Hypnobirthing because I believe every birth will go exactly to plan. I teach it because I know how powerful it is when you have the confidence, knowledge and tools to navigate whatever path your birth takes.
My own birth experiences taught me that. My first birth didn’t follow the plan I had imagined. Due to circumstances outside of my control, I was induced and later had a Caesarean birth.
And yet, I still look back on that experience positively. Not because everything happened the way I wanted. But because I felt informed. I felt involved. I felt supported. And I understood my options.
That’s the difference.
So whilst we’ll absolutely prepare for your ideal birth, we’ll also build the confidence and flexibility to adapt if things change. Because positive birth isn’t about having a perfect birth. It’s about feeling empowered, respected and involved in your experience, whatever direction it takes.
That’s what I want for every woman, mother and family I support.
The birth of my son.
In December 2022, I gave birth to my wonderful son. He is the absolute light of my life. His birth went very differently to how I had planned or imagined it.
When the rush of excitement of pregnancy had levelled, I started to think again about birth. ‘He’s got to come out somehow.’ I realised I had some niggling thoughts that would come and go. Looking back now, these were underlying fears my mind had built up over the years:
At 38 weeks + 4 I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and was advised to stay in hospital to be induced. We chose to listen to this advice. It was time to meet our baby. I was induced that morning, and at 22.35 that evening my son was born by Caesarean birth. The best day of my life.
This was not the birth I had expected. But hypnobirthing meant:
I stayed in control and understood what was happening at every stage.
I used techniques instead of medication to manage my pain.
I made informed decisions that were right for me and my baby.
I accepted the ‘plot twist’ and chose a Caesarean birth. And I did it.
Hypnobirthing is so powerful. My story proves it is for ALL births. I want to teach others how to remove the fear and have a positive birth. You and your baby deserve this.
I genuinely care.
I’m an incredibly empathetic person. Sometimes to a fault. I genuinely care about the people I work with. When someone shares their worries, fears or experiences with me, I feel them. I truly care about how you’re feeling and how I can support you.
That’s why my support doesn’t stop when the session finishes. If you’re booked onto one of my courses and you have a wobble, a question or a moment where you’re doubting yourself, I want you to know I’m here.
Pregnancy can bring excitement, joy, uncertainty, overwhelm and everything in between. You don’t have to navigate that alone.
My values are at the heart of everything I do.
The Birth Shed is built on the values that matter most to me.
Whether you’re feeling excited, nervous, overwhelmed or a mixture of all three, you’re welcome here. I understand that pregnancy can bring all sorts of emotions, and there is no right or wrong way to feel.
You’ll never be judged for your worries, fears or questions. Only supported.
Because birth preparation shouldn’t leave you feeling more worried. It should leave you feeling confident. It should leave you feeling capable. It should leave you feeling excited for what’s ahead.
And it should leave you thinking: ‘I can absolutely do this.’ Because you absolutely can! And I’d be honoured to help you get there.
But why ‘The Birth Shed’?
This bit won’t be for everyone, but it explains the why behind the name. If you’ve ever had to name a business, you’ll know how hard it is. It took me weeks.
Fun fact: my maiden name is ‘Woodhouse’. A SHED is pretty close to a WOOD HOUSE, so it was a way to comically incorporate my maiden name into something important in my life.
And the word SHED itself. My mission is to SHED light on fear around birth. To SHED doubt. To SHED negative beliefs, and to go into birth feeling powerful and confident. Perfectly fitting.