Karen was absolutely wonderful delivering our antenatal intensive class, it was highly informative, relaxed and lots of laughs along the way. Thank you so much Karen, we are extremeky grateful

My husband and I attended Karen’s birthing class last weekend and found it very helpful for soon to be first time parents. Her warming personality made us feel comfortable . It certainly was worth the hours drive for !

  I attended hypnobirthing classes run by Karen Scanlen with my wife Alissa. I found the classes beneficial as they covered both the traditional antenatal material and hypnobirthing techniques. This course helped me to prepare my wife for birth and helped relieve her anxiety about the process. I felt ready when the time came!

It is my absolute pleasure to provide the following review for Karen who acted as our Doula in Jan-March 2018 in the final stages of our fourth pregnancy. I decided very early on that I would look to engage a Doula to provide emotional support for myself and husband for the birth of our baby. From past experiences, and the long term emotional effects of giving birth in the hospital setting, I was sure that from my experience and research that having a Doula would be an invaluable asset for our team. Enter Karen Scanlan... Experienced midwife with extensive knowledge of the birth process and hospital system, a caring, gentle soul and a passionate women who brought a smile to my face the first time we spoke by phone. Many phone calls, text messages and coffee catch ups to debrief doctors appointments later, Karen provided us with balanced information to allow us to make decisions that were in our best interests. Karen was consistent with her advice, and her reassurance and encouragement was always respectful. On those days when it all seemed too hard, Karen was only a call away. Or a text message. She always reminded me that I could reach her any time of the day or night. I specifically engaged Karen to help us through a VBAC (vaginal birth after Caesarian). As it turned out, in the final week of pregnancy we opted for a c-section. This was a really tough decision to make, one which I was able to come to terms with having spoken to Karen at length about, having considered my circumstances, preferences and needs of my whole family. I was really looking forward to meeting Karen at the doors of the hospital late at night, wheelchair ready, and proceeding to the birthing unit. I had played that out in my mind many times. Although that wasn’t to be, I did get to see her again after the birth of our baby, when recovering in my room. It was fantastic to see her smiling face and feel her reassuring hand again on my arm as we debriefed the Caesarian birth. Having met Karen, and had the benefit of her support and care during pregnancy, has allowed me to feel satisfied with my final birth and to sit calmly and write this review, breastfeeding our daughter and juggling the phone as I nurse her. Doula support is invaluable. Well beyond the birth, the emotional support and encouragement will keep you in good stead for what follows in the journey of motherhood. Thank you Karen. I hope our paths cross again some day soon. Kasie, Matthew, Thomas, Elizabeth, Hannah and Amelia.

My partner and I found Karen's class to be very informative and after her class are feeling more confident about what we need to do pre, during and post birth 🙂

My husband and I attended a private hypnobirth class with Karen on the weekend and it was so informative, inspiring and has us both looking forward to the birth day of our baby. Thanks Karen for sharing your wisdom- we're so happy that we picked you for a doula- looking forward to having your support through the rest of our pregnancy!

Karen had very useful information delivered in a positive atmosphere. She encourage my partner and I to ask questions and had open communication in all areas. She is very patient and I would recommend her to any new parents with any questions or concerns.

  We decided from an early stage in the pregnancy (DD August 2018) this was our first baby and my husband and I knew we wanted to engage a doula for practical and emotional support. After doing some research we locked in Karen. Some of the reasons why we decided to do so... -We had a natural connection with Karen and felt calm/relaxed even from the first ph call. -Experienced midwife - extensive knowledge about the birth process and hospital system and hypno birthing - passionate - genuine and welcoming We were given balanced information and questions to consider to allow us to make decisions that were in our best interests and truly what we wanted for our journey and the birth of our baby girl. We could not fault the support, care and assistance we’ve received from Karen and we thankfully were able to experience the calm birth that we wished for and so much more. Both my husband and I would highly recommend the support of Karen at Embracing Birth.

Karen is fabulous! After hearing about Embracing Birth from a friend, my husband and I decided it sounded like something which would be beneficial to us in preparation for the birth of our second child. Karen helped me pinpoint exactly what I was feeling anxious about and gave both of us practical tools to help relax me and prepare us both for a calm, gentle birth. Karen provided great support and follow up after our class, and definitely contributed to my calmer and happier mindset throughout birth and with our newborn. Highly recommend!