Welcome, I’m MItra.
Founder of Empowered Births – HypnoBirthing® Educator & Mum of (almost) three.
I’m a passionate HypnoBirthing® educator and a part-time physiotherapist, recently relocated from my hometown of Gisborne to the stunning Lake Hāwea/Wānaka region. Growing up, I developed a deep love for the outdoors—especially snowboarding. School holidays were spent carving up the slopes of Cardrona, and over time, I fell in love with this incredible part of the country. This year, we finally made the move to raise our children here, surrounded by nature and adventure—the perfect backyard.
I’m a proud mum to two beautiful little humans (with baby number three on the way). I gave birth in 2021 and 2023—two incredible home-birth experiences that I credit to the power of HypnoBirthing® and the knowledge I gained through completing an in-person course.
Through my own birthing journey, I became acutely aware of how stretched and under-resourced our maternity system has become. Midwives are often working to their limits, and the system can default to a one-size-fits-all approach. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always support the unique needs of each birthing woman and their whānau.
That’s why I created Empowered Births. I believe every parent deserves to feel informed, confident, and in control of their birthing experience. Through HypnoBirthing® classes (a powerful alternative or alongside to standard antenatal education), I provide tools and knowledge that support you during labour and beyond, alongside helping you ask the right questions, make empowered decisions, and approach your birth with calm and confidence.
Whether you're based locally and wanting to participate in person or you’re anywhere across Aotearoa and wanting to participate online, Empowered Births offers HypnoBirthing® classes NZ-wide—giving you access to this transformative course, no matter where you are on your journey.
What is Hyonobirthing?
HypnoBirthing® is as much a philosophy as it is a technique. It is a rewarding, relaxing, stress-free method of birthing that is based on the belief that all babies should come into the world gently, in an atmosphere of calm and joy. HypnoBirthing prepares a birthing couple – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually – for an easier, more comfortable and, sometimes, pain-free, birth. Through a well-thought-out program of deep relaxation, self-hypnosis, special breathing techniques, visualisation’s, affirmations, and education, HypnoBirthing® returns to a woman the art of birthing in a way that allows her to summon her natural birthing instincts and to birth her baby safely and with ease. It is a program a that considers the psychological, as well as the physical, well-being of the mother, her birth partner, and the newborn, independent of context, whether that be in the quiet of a home, a hospital, or a birth center.
FAQs
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You can begin your HypnoBirthing classes at any time, but we recommend that if possible, you start your classes between weeks 16 and 30 of pregnancy. This will give you enough time to practice the techniques you will learn during the classes. If you’d prefer to start classes earlier or later in your pregnancy, that is perfectly fine.
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Bring your birth companion. Your birth companion can be your partner, midwife, doula, mother, sister, friend or whoever you intend to have by your side during your birth. You can also do the classes by yourself if you’d prefer.
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The birth companion helps to prepare the mother for birth by assisting her in performing her relaxation techniques required during labour and birth. The birth companion also helps the mother during the birthing process by helping her to feel comfortable, bringing her anything she needs (like water) and also by offering support and reassurance to the mother. It is also the role of the birth companion to liaise with the mother and health professionals during the birthing process.
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Yes it is. Other childbirth preparation classes educate you about what can potentially go ‘wrong’ with your pregnancy, about pain management and other interventions that can be given to you during your birth. HypnoBirthing teaches you how to listen to your birthing body and follow it’s lead during the birth of your child. HypnoBirthing also empowers and educates women and their birthing partners about the birth process, what to expect and what questions to ask so that they can achieve the birth they desire alongside their health care providers. This empowerment helps women and their birthing partners to feel comfortable, calm and instead of fearing the upcoming birth, they get excited about it. As a result, births are usually shorter in duration, have less medical intervention and are actually enjoyed by both mother and birthing partner. When we have fear during birth, our body tenses which creates pain. HypnoBirthing helps to release that fear with relaxation techniques, guided meditations, visualisations and by educating you about the ins and outs of what your body does during the birthing process so that you don’t clench, but instead relax and open.
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It is entirely up to you. In HypnoBirthing we focus on natural birthing but do touch on special circumstances should interventions be necessary. Our classes are also more focused on birthing and the immediate post birth period, I’m also happy to educate you on pelvic health. However, if you feel you need to learn more related to the caring of your baby and child development post birth, ante-natal classes may be beneficial to you. 'Knowledge is power' as they say!
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Of course you can. The good news is, many Obstetricians and midwives are now recommending HypnoBirthing. However, if they are unfamiliar, you will learn all the techniques needed in your HypnoBirthing class to help you talk to your health care providers about your birth plan. Please talk to me about how we can help to inform your health care providers about what HypnoBirthing is.
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Absolutely. During the HypnoBirthing course, you will learn relaxation techniques that will be useful to both you and your baby, pre, during and post birth, regardless of how you plan on birthing your child. Throughout pregnancy and birth HypnoBirthing will help to keep you positive, relaxed and in a calm state of mind. This helps both your body and your baby in any situation.
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No! HypnoBirthing will help you to release any fears and negative memories you may have from previous birthsand replace them with positive thoughts and images. I will help you understand how the body works and how fear affects the birthing muscles along with give you confidence in your body and prepare you for a positive birthing experience.
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Yes it can. For many of the above mentioned reasons
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We do not promise a pain free birth, however most HypnoBirthing mothers report that although there was pressure felt during their birth, they felt in control and relaxed. They may sometimes feel discomfort but could easily manage it using the techniques they had learnt. HypnoBirthing mothers birth in many different ways. Some find power in their voice and are louder, some only make deep breathing noises. All births are individual and unique to that mother and baby.
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Ofcourse! Self-hypnosis is just a way to describe the deep state of relaxation that you will be in. You will be aware of everything that is going on around you and will be able to respond and communicate with anyone you choose. Just like doing meditation, you are aware of everything around you but you can still clear your mind and relax.
It all begins with the instinctive natural ability of a women’s body to give birth. By eliminating any fear you may have and empowering you with knowledge and tools. We give you the confidence in your own body to achieve your best birth and give your child the best start to life.
