Alice Cappato, Author at HealthyLux

Snacking NUTS: Full power break!

How many of us find, mid morning or afternoon, the need for a small snack to plug a hole in the stomach. Let’s talk about … nuts!
Check the next HealthyLux workshop on 26th March. We are going to learn more about nuts and to prepare some delicious recipes together!

How many of us find, mid morning or afternoon, the need for a small snack to plug a hole in the stomach. And unfortunately, many of the snacks that we reach for, delicious and easy to find, are often not good for our health, especially if consumed daily.

The question that often arises is the following: what are the alternatives? Is there something healthy, cheap and convenient?

The answer is YES! And what’s more, these wonderful and ‘’mysterious’’ foods are also rich in valuable vitamins, good fats AND… they can even help you with your weight!

We’re talking about … nuts!

In this article, I will introduce you to these extraordinary foods and warn you about some stereotypes that are often associated with them.

Walnuts:

Rich in antioxidants, contains all known vitamins, except for vitamin B12. Contains a number of vitamins including folic acid which can help prevent birth defects.
Very high in magnesium, manganese and zinc.
It contains an impressive amount of Omega 3 fatty acids, or “good” fats.

Suggestion: try to consume nuts with their skins on (dark skins covering the fruit): they may taste a little more bitter, but 90% of the antioxidants are concentrated right there.

Extra tip: try to avoid shelled walnuts that have been washed and skinned and sold in transparent bags. Not only have lost a lot of their Omega 3, but some treatments even turn them into toxic substances.

Almonds: excellent choice!

Very rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E.
They contain lots of magnesium, potassium, selenium and manganese.
Very good sources of fibre and vegetable protein.

Suggestion: as with walnuts, the skin of almonds contains nearly all of the antioxidants, phenols, flavonoids and phenolic acids. It is much better to buy whole almonds if possible.

Brazil nuts

They are known as the richest food source of selenium in nature. Selenium is a mineral that may help to prevent prostate cancer.
The large amount of selenium appears may be beneficial for thyroid function. : your doctor can advise in effect for those who have problems of hypothyroidism.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids such as Omega 3 have been shown to help maintain low blood levels of LDL (bad cholesterol).

Pecan nuts

Very important in vegetarian diets such as they are extremely rich in vegetable protein.
High in magnesium, which is used to feed your muscles and memory
They are a good source of vitamins such as B1, B2, B6 and E. These are important to help slow down the aging process.

Hazelnuts

Contain B vitamins, which help the nervous system to function properly.
As with almonds, are rich in fibre. As we all know, this is important for the digestive process.
Very high in manganese. Benefits of this mineral include preventing anaemia, protecting cells from free radical damage and the production of energy.

Peanuts: totally wrong choice!

Contrary to the cliché, peanuts are not nuts! Like potatoes, they grow attached to the root of a plant under the ground. They are therefore a tuber vegetable and from a biological point of view, they belong to the same family as beans and chickpeas!
They are especially rich in Omega 6, which is already in excess in a typical Western diet. Omega 6 promotes inflammation while Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory.
They are almost always consumed roasted, salted, or sugar-coated! Not good for the figure of from a nutritional standpoint The only advantage is that peanuts are cheap.

So how should we eat nuts?

. As a general rule I always suggest to prepare a mix of all the above nuts and consume 20-25g (one handful) at 10 am and 4 pm to help beat the mid morning or mid afternoon slump.

Here is some bonus advice for each of the nuts throughout the day:

In the morning, fill up with energy, without getting fat:

walnuts or pecan nuts

At lunch, choose a light mix:

brazil nuts protect against bad cholesterol
Hazelnuts facilitate digestion

In the afternoon, prevent energy dips:

Almonds (rich in minerals) also good for concentration
Walnuts to counter fatigue

In the evening, end the day with lots of nutrients and few calories:

Walnuts are very nutritious and easy to digest
Hazelnuts rich in fibre – best friends for your bowel

Click here to discover the HealthyLux Nux box and taste some delicious nuts spreads!

Mauro Maza

Naturopathic Practitioner at Naturopathe.lu

Source: Naturopathe.lu

Healthy Recipes – What should I cook today? – Buttermilk cereals (muesli) with fruits

I am totally out of ideas – I can’t stand cooking the same things again and again and again!

Who of us doesn’t know this type of thinking? In our daily schedule, cooking becomes a routine and, after some time, repetitive.

It is often not due to lack of time but due to a lack of inspiration that we don’t know what to cook for us or our family and friends.

We rarely take the time to sit down and research new recipes.

A good way of bringing variety into your cooking routine is to buy a new fruit/vegetable or any other type of food during your weekly shopping. You have never tried the strange looking pumpkin or you never dared to buy the sweet potatoes because you don’t know what to do with them – why not go ahead and try?

Once you are at home you will have no choice but to be creative or to research new recipes. You will be surprised how easy it is to add variety to your cuisine.

It doesn’t always have to be a main meal. It may be better to start with small things – even if it is only a snack you adapt, or maybe try a new breakfast on Sunday morning? It is easier to be creative and to enjoy preparing new things when you have time and don’t have to rush to work or anywhere else.

For example, here is an idea for some quick and very tasty foods.

Enjoy!

Buttermilk cereals (muesli) with fruits

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:

300g mixed fruits or berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries…)

100g oatmeal

1 spoon sunflower seeds

3 spoons flaxseeds

600ml buttermilk

4 spoons honey

Preparation:

Wash, dry and clean the fruits and cut into bite – sized bits. Roast the oatmeal together with the sunflower seeds in a pan, with, as an option,

coconut oil to add some extra nutrients. Add the flaxseeds, leave for a little bit and turn off the cooker. Mix the buttermilk with the honey and add the fruits.

Put the oatmeal mix into a bowl and top with the fruit mixture and enjoy!

Sharing is caring, so if you like cooking or if you have discovered a healthy recipe that you love, get in touch so we can share it with the HealthyLux community and improve each other’s life!

Martina – Volunteering for HealthyLux

Veggy Proteins Wanted

More and more people want to decrease their daily intake of animal protein, some of them for ethical reasons, others in a bid to improve their health.

Decreasing the amount of meat, milk and eggs we eat, leads many of us to clash with oureducation in which we think that only animals can provide the protein necessary for the maintenance of health.

In this article we will try to address all the alternatives that nature has to offer.

What are proteins?

Proteins, along with carbohydrates and lipids (fats) are macronutrients. They are essential nutrients which provide energy and material for growth and regeneration in our body.

Specifically, proteins are molecules composed of amino acids, kind of like small “bricks” that are used for the construction of the larger molecule, the protein. There are around 20 different amino acids, 8 of which are deemed “essential” because the human body cannot create them.

These amino acids therefore have to be consumed through the diet. Food from animal origin has a better amino acid profile because they contain all the essential amino acids in good quantities; food from vegetable origin however is usually deficient in one or more essential amino acids. For this reason they are called “incomplete protein” sources.

Unlike animal protein however, plant proteins are devoid of fat and produce less waste products during their break down in the body. This causes less fatigue and overload in the kidneys.

What are good sources of vegetable proteins?

Listed below are the vegetables that contain the most proteins. As a comparison with an animal protein, parmesan cheese contains 33g of protein per 100.

LEGUMES: legumes are the richest plant source of proteins in nature. Just eat them in association with cereals to get all the amino acids missing in comparison to meat. Some examples per 100g include:

Chickpeas 19g
Beans 12g
Beans 20g
Soy 37g
Peas 22g
Lentils 23g

CEREALS: These include spelt, wheat (bread and pasta), and soy flour, which contain an average of 10 grams of protein for every 100g. By combining cereals with legumes, we get all the necessary amino acids for our body.

SEEDS: chia, hemp, pumpkin and sunflower seeds are rich in proteins.

ALGAE: An excellent source of protein with 6 grams of protein for every 100 grams of dried seaweed. Spirulina is a good example and can be found in most organic shops.

TOFU, TEMPEH AND SEITAN: Are products derived from soy beans, and wheat. They are rich in vegetable protein with 8 to 10g per 100g.

DRIED FRUIT: dried fruit is an incredibly rich source of plant proteins, especially pine nuts, here are the values per 100g of product:

Pine nuts 31g
Peanuts 29g
Almonds 22g
Pistachios 18g
Cashew nuts 15g
Hazelnuts 13g

QUINOA: quinoa is a food that looks like a grain but is derived from a plant of the spinach family which can be cooked like millet or couscous. It is very high in vegetable proteins, with 14g in every 100g.

VEGETABLES: Among the vegetables, the most protein-rich are broccoli, artichokes, cabbage, spinach, red peppers, asparagus, and potatoes.

VEGETABLE MILK AND YOGURT : dairy-free milk and yogurt can also provide proteins, the highest being soy milk and yogurt.

In order to avoid a protein deficiency when following a diet that is primarily plant-based, combining foods is essential. Choosing foods from the different groups mentioned above at each meal will help you to meet your protein requirements.

Mauro Maza

Naturopathic Practitioner at Naturopathe.lu

Calm

So, I started on what I call my ‘mindfulness journey’ some weeks ago now. The intention was to slow down, ‘smell the roses’ kind of thing and so the challenge began. I say ‘challenge’ because I am a girl of pace… always zooming to the next item on my agenda and not forcefully either. My energy supports it so I feel ‘why should I slow down’? The answer was not one that could be conjured up. I had to live it and experience it for myself. So, one day while out walking my dogs I decided to listen, breath, connect to the earth through my feet. It was amazing! Hearing the leaves rustling under my shoes, birds chirping in the trees, which in itself for December in Luxembourg was a rare treat. It was literally music to my ears! I smiled and meandered on.

Days passed and I continued on my journey, ensuring I made a conscious effort to slow down, breath & take in all the sights and sounds that nature has to offer.

I took it a step further and decided to make the most of my down time. Instead of aimlessly scrolling through Facebook and Pinterest; creating boards I’ll probably never really look at again, I decided to pick up a book. Yes, an actual book. Not my iPad or Kindle – an actual book.

Within days, my mood became lighter. I could actually feel the anxiousness leaving my body. I sleep more soundly. I’m journaling. Picking up old cookbooks and exploring new recipes. I’m connected to MYSELF and it ROCKS!

So in case you’re looking for something new to do, I encourage you to slow down. Breath. Be Present. Connect with your inner self and simply smile at the beauty that surrounds us. The miracle of life and the opportunity to be here today and enjoy it to it’s fullest.
Stop rushing. Where’s better than here – right now.

Sabrina – HealthyLux

Bach remedies – restore the balance between body and mind

A short interview to Lynsey Baxter for HealthyLux to get to know the Bach remedies and learn how to use them to restore the balance between body and mind.

HL: What are Bach remedies?

LB: Back in the 1920’s, Dr Bach discovered a way to take the healing vibrations or energy from flowers and plants and transfer them to water. This water was then used as a tool to help people by targeting specific feelings or personality types. Most people have heard of or used the Rescue Remedy, but there are actually many more. There are 38 remedies and each one has a property that is directed at a particular characteristic or emotional state.

HL: How do they work?

LB: They help to restore the balance between body and mind. Negative emotions are unsettling for the physical body just as much as they are for the soul. Bach remedies aid the release of these emotions in order to restore equilibrium and inner peace.

HL: Who can use them?

LB: The remedies are safe for the whole family and even pets have been shown to respond favourably to their use. It is worth noting that they are preserved in grape brandy so if you need to avoid alcohol for any reason then you should exercise caution. When used correctly, the amounts of alcohol ingested are minute, and if the drops are put in a hot drink, this will evaporate the alcohol or they can be applied to the pulse points externally. But it is important to use your own discretion in this.

HL: How do you find a remedy?

LB: I spend time speaking to my clients to gain a deep understanding of where they are emotionally. I then meditate over each flower until I narrow down the ones that I feel would be most useful for the client at this time in their life. Once you have an understanding of how to choose a remedy and prepare a dosage bottle, you can easily learn how to do this for yourself.

Lynsey Baxter for HealthyLux

Check the here next workshop about Bach remedies coming up !

Our Unique Wonderful Gut Microbiota!

We are all wonderful, unique and beautiful beings with very different needs! What works for one person doesn’t have to work for another! This is why diets don’t work!

One of the reasons, I think, why we all need very different diets and lifestyles is due to our gut microbiota. We all have a different unique composition of bacteria residing in our gut. As unique as our fingerprints! Isn’t that amazing? Factors like lifestyle, food and what we surround ourselves with influence our gut microbiota!

Some of the benefits provided by our gut bacteria are listed below:

Our intestinal system is where most of our nutrients are absorbed and enters the blood stream. Our gut bacteria help us make sure that only what is meant to enter the blood streams actually enters. It is very important that big harmful compounds do not enter the blood stream as the body will see it as foreign and attack itself.
The gut bacteria help us break down some of the foods that we cannot break down ourselves. For instance, they break down most fibers that we cannot break down ourselves providing us with vital nutrients.
They provide us with some vitamins that we cannot produce ourselves. Vitamins B and K, for instance.
They communicate with our immune system by producing certain cytokines that brings messages to cells inside the body.

The gut bacteria have so many additional functions and are useful in so many ways. It’s all quite fascinating and we are learning more and more about our microscopic friends. Every hour a new paper on our gut bacteria is published!

I hope by now that you can see the importance in taking good care of our gut bacteria, as they can be really important to our health.

So how do we take care of them?

Well, it’s really quite simple!

The good gut bacteria like to eat vegetables and fruit. They don’t like processed foods or sugar. Therefore, by eating real food, food that our ancestors would recognize as food, will feed our good gut bacteria and they will thrive. However, feed the bad kind with processed foods and sugar, and the effect can be quite harmful. They can signal wrong messages to the immune system, they can allow harmful substances to enter the bloodstream and they can deprive us from some really important nutrients. All factors that can result in lifestyle related disease, like obesity, auto immune reactions, allergies, asthma and food sensitivities.

So be good to your gut bacteria and eat your veggies!!

Anne Louise Littlejohn

Owner at GetReal.lu

How to make kombucha

Not your typical ‘cuppa’ but a delicious blend of black or green fermented tea none-the-less and something that has become part of my daily routine..

I suppose my curiosity peaked some months ago when I had been reading more and more about this wonder drink on the internet and all its touted health benefits, coupled with a close friend of mine sharing her own experiences on Facebook (thanks Erika!) which got me into sharing my thoughts with the Hubby and before I knew it – welcome the arrival of our new SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria & yeast)!

Admittedly, my nerves were on edge the moment the starter kit arrived and I realised what I had actually signed myself up for – pH strips, thermometer strips, glucose, loose tea.. The kitchen perfectionist that I am panicked big time.. and so the kit sat there and sat there some more until one day the Hubby couldn’t take it anymore and decided to take matters into his own hands. Together, we brewed some tea, added all the necessary ingredients and just let it ‘do it’s thing’. Putting all fears aside (the worst of it was over right?) it suddenly turned into a daily obsession, seeing if the temperature was right, had the fermentation process started, do we taste it or don’t we, OMG is it DEAD… haha. The saga went on for some time until eventually all nerves were calmed and we’ve literally lost count of the number of batches we’ve prepared.

It’s fair to say that by now we’re hooked, with Hubby having mastered the technique of experimenting from green to black to even rooibos varieties of tea and every type of sugar you can think of (in fact – the darker the sugar we’re finding the richer and sweeter the batch) while I have become the family ‘guinea pig’. Like anything, making your own is that much more meaningful and flavorful and so we’ve recently learned very rewarding and giving. Our ‘mother’ SCOBY has been thriving and with much delight we’ve been able to share out three SCOBY ‘babies’ to like minded people looking for a new venture of experimentation in their lives – ‘AWESOME’ I SAY! :))

So, if by now, your curiosity has peaked I say ‘give it a go’! Ask around… reach out to your friends and see if someone near you has a SCOBY ‘baby’ and let the adventure begin – you won’t regret it!

To get you started, see the below link for an easy ‘How to’ video and recipe.

http://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/kombucha/how-to-make-kombucha/

Happy brewing!

Sabrina – HealthyLux

Cecilie’s approach to a healthy lifestyle

Give a short description of what you do.
I am a Norwegian woman, mother of two and a wife who is very passionate about life! I love inspiring people to take better care of themselves through healthy food, exercise, better self-esteem and being present. I am a former nurse and today I work as a personal trainer and wellness coach. Through my job I can help people lose weight, get back to their workout routine and take better care of themselves, inside and out. I call myself Lifestyle Optimiser and that’s what life is all about, optimising our life based on every individual’s capacity and ambitions. I would like everyone to become the best version of themselves!

Why, in your opinion, should people give up the food and activities they like to live healthier?
We only live once and we only have one body to live in. Sometimes life doesn’t give second chances. I wouldn’t dare gambling on my health. Through my former job as a trained nurse, I have seen the downside of people not taking care of themselves. I love life, my family and friends too much to ignore my health. With all the information we have today about health and the access to food and the things that we can do to improve it, this has become so much easier. It’s not hard to replace certain ingredients to make breakfast, lunch or dinner so much healthier. We all have time to exercise if it’s important enough for us. You just need to think small first. We live in a very stressful society, but who creates the stress and the pressure? We do! The reward of making some small and better changes to your health is so big. Of course, we will never have a guarantee, but I want to know that I did what I could! I would hate to live with a regret and say, “Why haven’t I?” Use the professionals around you, we are here to support, inspire and help you!

Why and how did you accept to live healthy?
Growing up, I watched my grandfather and father ignoring their health and they lived a very unhealthy life! Both of them got a heart condition when they were 44 and they both had a bypass surgery when they were 48! I l also watched other family members and my friends’ family getting sick and I realised it was because of their lifestyle. I understood early that we can make a huge impact on our health through some simple changes.
After having two beautiful boys my “why” became even bigger! I can make a big impact on their relationship to food, health and exercise. But I can’t only tell them about it, I have to show the way. It’s all about finding a balance that works for you. When you find yourself always having lots of energy and never being sick, you know you are doing something right! When my children are grabbing an apple or a banana instead of cookies, I feel, yes, they have learned something! For me, it’s about balance! Of course I enjoy a piece of cake when it’s someone’s birthday, I enjoy a glass of wine, I love a piece of chocolate from time to time, but not every day and in small quantities!

Is it challenging, expensive and time-consuming?
It takes a bit of energy and time in the beginning to change habits, but once it’s done, it’s not complicated anymore! We just need to know what to do! That’s why I love my job! There is nothing more rewarding than seeing people change their lives for the better thinking about their health and well-being!
Start to replace the ingredients in your cupboard with healthier things. It’s easy to cook and eat healthy, you just need to know what to use. When you have found an activity that you really like, you would like to do more because it makes you feel awesome!
I have chosen to eat only organic, yes, that is more expensive, but then I’d rather eat less! Never buy pre- processed food, it’s full of additives that can cause a lot of harm to your body. Home made food tastes so much better. Always make double portions that you can eat the day after or put in the freezer and save for busy days.
I always say, eating, living and staying healthy isn’t expensive, hard and time-consuming.
But being sick is tough, expensive and time-consuming! You can’t work, nothing is more energy-draining and the medical bills keep adding up… Where do you prefer to put your time, money and energy in? In living healthy or being sick?

Does it really work?
YES YES YES, no doubt about it! Being a nurse, this might sound a bit strange, but I don’t believe in medication. I believe in healthy food. You can eat yourself sick and you can eat yourself healthy! Saying that, we are all individuals and I think that food creates chemical reactions in our bodies. Something that is good for me, doesn’t have to be good for you. But our body is amazing, it will let us know.
Our health is a relationship between ourselves and our body. Nourish it with love, healthy food and exercise.
You will love the way it makes you feel, life will seem easier and the long-term positive side effects are amazing!
If it feels overwhelming, you don’t need to see the whole journey and do all the changes today. It starts with one step, one at a time!

What was the key factor that lead you to start a new healthier life?
It broke my heart when I was working as a nurse and saw all the young people dying of cancer and other diseases. Life is so precious and we are so vulnerable. Living healthy isn’t difficult and the reward is so high!
Make a decision today to start to take care of your body! Trust me, it will be a decision you will never regret!

Cecilie Rigneus

Owner at Lifestyle Optimiser

TO MEAT or NOT TO MEAT…?

How often we notice that people have a different approach when it comes to eat meat!
We have interviewed Lynsey Baxter and here we are to share the answer to some common doubts.

Lynsey Baxter uses a unique approach together with all of her skills, knowledge and a wide range of tools to help you achieve your wellness goal, whether that is weight loss, to live a healthier, more vibrant life or to reduce stress. Lynsey is the only native English speaking hypnobirthing instructor in Luxembourg.
1. Do you think we should eat meat?
Yes I do. I believe that the building blocks of our bodies (amino acids) are most easily obtained from animal products. I do think that we should eat LESS meat and more vegetables though. I also think that we should eat different parts of the animal and not just the muscle meat of the same 3 or 4 animals.

2. There are so many articles saying meat is bad for us though?
True but big announcements make big headlines. These stories are usually based on very limited and often poorly conducted experiments.
For example, do they consider the provenance of the meats? Whether they are bio/organic? A little known fact is that when animals eat grass, their meats are higher in good omega 3 fats (these reduce inflammation in our bodies when we eat them). Animals that eat grains, which is not their natural diet, have meats higher in omega 6 fats which promote inflammation in our bodies.

3. So you don’t agree with vegan diets?
I think that vegan diets work well for some people – everyone is different though, what is right for one person may not work for another. Many people feel better after switching to a vegan diet simply because they become more conscious about the kinds of foods they are eating and they clean up their diet considerably. It is very hard to find any references to fully vegan societies now or in the past though and that speaks volumes to me.

4. How should we eat then?
I believe that we should follow a Paleo style, whole food diet that includes eating from nose to tail. There are nutrients found in muscle meats that in moderation are good, but too much (as with anything) means that we get a build up of certain elements in our bodies. We can balance this by eating other parts like the skin, organs and bone broth.

5. But the thought of eating offal makes me feel sick!
There are different things you can do to make offal more palatable. Liver pate is one thing that many people can easily eat. You can mince up liver and add it to meatballs with lots of herbs and spices and sweet and sticky sauce. Chopping up the organs into really small pieces and adding them to slow cooked stews and casseroles can help too. Whenever I roast a chicken, I fry off the skin and the kids fight over it I then put the bones into my slow cooker and use the broth to make soup or in place of water to cook rice and quinoa through absorption. Most importantly of all though, make sure you add lots of vegetables to whatever you are cooking!

Get to know more about Lynsey Baxter and her activities here.

Some very interesting workshops are coming up soon!

“I felt in control, I was calm and my partner so supportive in helping our child into the world…”

Lynsey Baxter is the only native English speaking hypnobirthing instructor in Luxembourg. She provides an in-depth antenatal training programme using the KG Hypnobirthing method.

What is Hypnobirthing ?

Hypnobirthing is designed to release fear and build confidence during the birth of your baby, this can help you to achieve a more comfortable birth experience.
It is also a way of allowing Dads to take an active role in helping their child into the world by understanding what happens when, and how they can help.
Lynsey Baxter is the only native English speaking hypnobirthing instructor in Luxembourg. She provides an in-depth antenatal training programme using the KG Hypnobirthing method.
Classes are available for private couples or small groups of couples and can take place in your own home or at a centre in Strassen.
Classes can start at any time during your pregnancy, but early on in the second trimester is recommended as the sooner you begin, the better it will be for you.

Read some of the most recent testimonial below or check here more info on Hypnobirthing services.

For more details contact us contact@healthylux.com

Next dates:

click here to check the next dates

Wednesdays:

-> Stay at Home Mums from 10 to 12

-> Couples from 19 to 21

Private sessions – time and location to be agreed.

Testimonials:

NM: Hi Lynsey, when I will have some computer time, I will write you in detail about the birth – but right now I have to say it was the BEST birth experience, exactly what I had hoped for! and I know the classes helped a lot (although I had no time to use the recordings, it took about 15-20 minutes from when I entered the birth room until the baby was in my arms but I did use the breathing techniques and the strokes on my back were a bliss! )

KD: The breathing and relaxation techniques were important, breathing especially!

MP: It was amazing in fact, me and my husband had one of the best days of our lives! After lots of natural inducing (ehm) we were so relaxed and in such a good mood. I started having the first contractions at 8 am but at that point i was already 5-6 cm dialated. The up breathing visualisations helped immensely too! And they (the midwives) did tell me afterwards that it was amazing to see how calm and focused i was when a contraction came! I have to say i was quite proud ???? Suddenly the contractions i felt were very different, less painful, just lots of pressure. And then three downbreathing pushes later, Max was there the doctor didn’t even have time to arrive. So what I meant to say was, thank you Lynsey, for helping us towards this incredible experience through your guidance. I do admit that there were moments when I doubted this would work out as I felt I was surely not practising as much as a proper hypnobirthing mum would. But then i though, it is still nice and relaxing so even just a little bit will be better than nothing. Plus, with a toddler in the house, it is so easy to almost forget you are pregnant! The fact that thanks to practising hypnobirthing i was making it a point to “spend time” with my second baby was very valuable on its own.

AR and ER: Dear Lynsey, A note to let you know that we really appreciate taking the hypnobirthing course with you. Thank you again! We do believe that it has helped us immensely and wanted to share with you our experiences.

Mum : My experience this time was so positive and far removed from the situation 3 years ago. I felt in control, was calm (relatively) and not fearful. We checked in the hospital at 1730 (after spending some time having a leisurely lunch, doing a bit of shopping in between my early ‘surges’ ) and our daughter arrived at 2000. E was so supportive, helping me to relax and encouraging me to breathe up/down and taking charge (e.g. talking to the midwife etc) so I could just focus on my breathing. Unlike my previous experience (where I was unable to hold my son nor appreciate his presence many hours after he arrived via emergency C-Section), I was able to hold and enjoy my daughter as soon as she arrived. What a gift. Before doing the course with you, I was dreading the delivery – wishing for a speedy C-Section to just get it over with (believing that history would repeat itself and I would find myself in trouble/not be able to give birth naturally). My confidence however grew with each session and after reading the course material and listening to the recordings, making me believe it was possible to have a smooth and easy natural delivery. I admit, I’m far from a model student and did the course relatively late at 35 weeks – yet still, I I gained a lot from our sessions with you. Thank you.

Dad: At first, I was a little bit skeptical regarding the hypnobirthing idea, but through out the sessions and practice, I could really see how A was becoming more relaxed and comfortable with the idea of a natural birth, which had a positive influence in the last weeks of pregnancy. It was also very good to understand the different scenarios and possibilities we had, so by taking decisions beforehand, we could really concentrate and go seamlessly through the birthing experience. As a husband, I would really recommend this course.

Check here for more info on Lynsey Baxter’s services or contact us contact@healthylux.com