September 12, 2025 • 15 mins
From fear to empowerment: how hypnobirthing reshaped Maud’s journey into motherhood.
When Maud became a mother, she was terrified of giving birth. That fear led her to discover hypnobirthing — a practice that not only transformed her experience of childbirth, but reshaped the course of her life.
In this episode, Maud opens up about how motherhood pushed her to release a former identity, grieve the loss of a business she once poured everything into, and slowly rebuild from a place of self-trust. Today, she’s the founder of Bliss in Birth, where she helps women feel calm, confident, and powerful during pregnancy, birth, postpartum — and even in moments of birth anxiety or fear of childbirth.
Together, we explore what it means to choose yourself in motherhood, how to turn fear into fuel, and why postpartum is a process to be lived, not a problem to fix. If you’ve ever felt anxious about birth or uncertain about who you’re becoming as a mom, Maud’s story will remind you that you’re not alone.
Episode Chapters-
Introduction & Early Motherhood — identity shifts and toddler lessons
-
From Fear to Hypnobirthing — transforming birth anxiety into calm
-
Beyond Birth — using tools for stress and parenting challenges
-
Letting Go & Finding Balance — motherhood’s lesson in surrender
-
Redefining Life & Motherhood — leaving a business, facing lockdown, and embracing growth
🌐 Website: blissinbirth.com 📸 Instagram: @blissinbirth
🎥 Also available to watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NWLf1KUmEDs
👉 Don’t forget to follow the podcast for more unfiltered motherhood stories.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
On this episode, we would like to address how motherhood shapes our identities and our passions,
and navigating the changes that it brings. We have here today Maude, who is the founder of Placing
Birth in a certified educator in hypno birthing and also recently a Pilates teacher. So just a
fun little question at the moment. What is one thing that your toddler has taught you that
(00:31):
hypno birthing couldn't even have prepared you for? So this is a really hard question because
toddlers, they are like, um, condensate version of adults, of people, and
they have this roller coaster emotions. Um, they are discovering their emotions. Yeah, yeah. So it's
like one minute they are screaming and crying and the minute later they are laughing. And
(00:58):
it made me realize even more that nothing is forever. Everything passes. So whether you're
sad or even happy or joyful. Like it's not forever. Seize the moment
or let it pass. Because, yeah, it's just a moment. Let them, you know, go through
(01:18):
you and feel what you have to feel. Like I would never, like, tell my kids. Stop
crying. This is so intense. Like. Of course. Like, if you have to cry, cry, cry. Let it out. Cry it out
and then you will feel better. What were you doing before this? Before you became a mom? Before I
became mom. So initially, I'm a journalist for radio and television. And I also started clothing
(01:44):
brand in China. Wow, that's so cool. Is it still in existence? No. I stopped when I arrived in
Singapore because it was because of my daughter, actually. And because we when we moved to
Singapore, I wanted to invest more in myself than in a production. And
so that's what I did. And I think, like what has changed me, maybe how motherhood has changed me
(02:09):
is that I feel the need to invest more in myself, to take care of myself than
I did before. Becoming a mom made me prioritize myself. That's. I know that sounds super
weird, like, because usually people say, like, when you have a kid, then your priority is your child.
Of course she's my priority. But then if I have to take care of her, well, I have to take care of
(02:34):
myself. At which point do you realize this? When I was pregnant, I was really terrorized. Like by
giving birth. And that's how I found out about hypno birthing. I was looking for ways to relax
myself, but I was maybe, like, um, six months pregnant already. Did you say you were terrorized?
As in, you really felt really scared? I. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I thought I was going to die giving birth.
(02:58):
Yeah. I had all these really strong and terrible images of giving birth. Like, I
think it is scary. Yeah. In their mind, because of movies, because of
stories you've heard from friends, from family. And. Yeah, I had all this in my mind. I was like,
(03:18):
there's no way I'm going to go to the hospital on the day I give birth thinking
I'm not going to come back, you know, and my husband is going to come back on his own with our
baby. And but there's such a real fear. It really wasn't a strong fear. And so when I
discovered hypno birthing and I had never really been interested in relaxation
(03:42):
hypnosis before, I didn't know what it was. It was definitely the hardest thing I've ever done in my
life giving birth. I'm not saying it's easy when you do hypno birthing. It's so empowering. Like
it's a feeling like no other. So it gave you a sense of achievement, like, you know, and you
birthed a human. I did you too. Yes. For those who are not familiar, what exactly is
(04:09):
hypno building in your own words? Basically, uh, hypnosis is, um, deep
relaxation, so everyone would experience it in a different manner. Breathing. But yeah. So
it's deep, deep, deep relaxation. So I get people in that super relaxed state and then what we want to
(04:29):
achieve because it's always related to, uh, childbirth. Um, we replace negative
images, uh, negative thoughts, fears, anxieties. And so
once I guided them in their peaceful place, we replaced with positive, uh, images,
(04:49):
positive thoughts. Us. Then there is a session. Once they've learned to really
deepen the relaxation. What? Hypnosis. Then we release fears. And so hypnosis has
two advantages. Like I said, it's a deep relaxation. And so when you are in a
(05:09):
relaxed state, it's been proven that you produce endorphins. And they are natural
painkillers. Super helpful for childbirth, but also very it's also a feel good
hormone. So it makes you feel good when you're pregnant too. So when you practice over your
pregnancy, it helps you arrive on the day you give birth in pretty good state. I find it
(05:35):
very impressive that because you share that you were terrorized or in your own words, and you were
able to adopt this into your own practice to arrive at a place of relaxation
and calmness for yourself in your own birthing journey? Yes, because the second thing that
does that hypnosis does is access the subconscious mind. And so that's why it goes
(06:01):
beyond what usual childbirth preparation do. It's because thanks to this
deeply relaxed state, this hypnotic state, you can access subconscious mind. And usually that's where
all your fears, anxieties, like really are deeply imprinted in your mind.
And when you are in a hypnotic state, you can bypass your conscious
(06:27):
mind and access your subconscious and really spheres. Putting myself in your shoes, I'm not sure
if I know how to release and swap all these images to positive ones in that moment, because I
remember how scary it was. No you don't. That's why it's a learning process. I mean, very few people
are able to do that naturally. For most people, it's really hard to access. So it's a learning
(06:50):
process and that's why it has to be done like over like five weeks usually. So
first I teach the relaxation progressively. People understand how to go deeper in that
state. And then once they have practiced we can really access the subconscious. And that's when we
release fears. And the other thing that I teach is education, how the body works. So all the
(07:16):
classes really have this side of education. And that's also good for partners. I'm very
interested though, going back to where you felt so scared and then you ran through this Morgan
method in hypno building. Were you ever ready? Yeah, I did feel
wow ready. But ready for motherhood is a bit different. So I felt ready for childbirth and I
(07:42):
think I was, but yeah, then ready for what's coming next is a total different thing. Those
methods continue to help you. Yeah, it does like it can help anybody throughout life
and stress and anxiety. And I use it like because I, I'm afraid of flying. I use it in the plane. I
use it sometimes with my daughter. So it's when she gets on my nerves and, you know, I have to calm
(08:07):
down. Like for bedtime. Sometimes I'm in a rush. You know, it's like, yeah, I was like, okay.
And I think she feels it. And also like, if the stress lowers down, she can. And every day you
learn something new and you have to adapt to your kid because your kid is changing all the time.
Exactly. And you like the best thing to do and to learn. And I think hypno breathing is
(08:34):
very helpful in that way, is to learn to let go, because, you know, having a child, you're not going
to be able to control. It's an independent person. Although you've carried this baby and you think
it's yours forever. There are another person and they have their own character, their own ways. And
so yeah, sometimes I'm finding that out myself. Yeah. How you would do things and how you would
(08:59):
want things to go. But, um, and starting from childbirth. Yeah. Learning to let go is
absolutely, uh, key to being a parent. So, ladies and gentlemen,
learn to let go. Come to a human within course and learn to be okay. So I love how you
(09:20):
took your terror. And you turned it into empowerment, into strength,
into something that you now are using to help other moms. I say it in the most
beautiful way. It's like, yeah, you can choose your like. Of course there are things
that are happening and but you know, there are those that you can open and only you can open
(09:47):
them, but you just have to open your eyes and see them. And so that's how you know, you make your own
path. Before you became a mom, you were running a business in clothing. What was that turning point
for you? Why did you give that up? It was coming in Singapore. And, um, having been through a
really rigorous lockdown in Shanghai, not being able to sell my products was like,
(10:12):
okay, if anything like this ever happens again. Plus, I had put so much energy, time
and money in it, and then it was such a big frustration not being able to do it. And
I had to refocus on my family first. And then because I had such a strong
(10:32):
experience thanks to hypno birthing. So, um, very powerful, very empowering childbirth. I thought,
like, why not try to pass it on to others and invest in skills
I can take with me everywhere? So if we spend like two years in Singapore or ten years, it doesn't
(10:53):
matter. I would still have the skills with me. Yeah. Making clothes, um, finding, uh,
suppliers, finding clients, building a community around your brand. You're not going to be able
to bring it with you if you travel a lot. So you were saying you were in lockdown in Shanghai? Was
Covid the lockdown? No. In Shanghai, the lockdown was in 2022. Oh, yeah. So
(11:19):
initially in when Covid started in China, yes. The only city that was locked down was, was Han.
Okay. But the rest of China was like, we're not lockdown. What they did is close all the borders
and we were living in this bubble without any Covid, so I didn't know
anyone in Shanghai who got Covid until they reopened the border and decided to stop the
(11:45):
zero-Covid policy, but before that, we were like moving around freely in China. Then they started
to impose like more strict measures and to manage our people. And it became like really, really
complicated. And so they started to be, um, Covid cases even in China. And that's when they
decided to impose, like the super, super strict lockdown. So we couldn't get out of our apartment
(12:08):
for three months. Oh, boy. And were you pregnant at that time? No, I had just given birth and you
couldn't leave the apartment, which is okay with the newborn, to be fair. So it was not that that
bad, I thought I was. I would become insane, but with her, I mean, for her, it was the best. She had
her two parents with her there 24 over seven, you know. And that's all a newborn needs. I was a Covid
(12:34):
mama and I had to go through lockdown. Basically, the moment we are leaving the hospital, they will
like put on your mask, you know, and and sign here and right here and sign in. And I was like, what's
going on? Something's happening in the world. And I missed that opportunity for the rest of the
family to meet my little ones. You know, who would have predicted that the world would stop? Nobody.
(12:58):
So to a mum who is listening now, who is feeling anxious, who is feeling like they're doubting
themselves, whether they will ever be ready for childbirth or for motherhood. What is one thing
you feel like you want them to hear? It's really hard. I want to tell them so many things. Tell them
everything. You know, everybody has a different path, of course, but use this feeling,
(13:23):
this anxiety and turn it into a power. We are superhuman being. Oh. Uh, no. But
it's like it's the power of the mind. And that's what you unlocked through your learnings, right?
Yes, through hypno birthing babies when they are born. Exactly. They are active participants. Choose
carefully who's going to be there for your birth. Like this is not like a random day. This is
(13:48):
the day your baby is born. Who do you want for that day? Who will you
trust? Like what kind of doctor? What kind of relationship do you want to have with this person?
Is this person going to be able to respect your choices? That's so important. Yeah.
And there is a medical reason for an intervention. Will this person be able to explain it
(14:15):
to you? Why they do this, why they choose this option and why it is necessary for you?
Not because of a protocol. Um, so yeah. Can they be a human
being beyond like being a doctor? I think it's super important, and that's who
(14:35):
I had for my birth. And I think it changed everything. Like if I didn't have the doctor I had,
I know I would have been able to do it, but I'm not sure I would have believed in the moment
that I was able to do it. I didn't believe I was able to do it in the moment. It is normal to have
all these ideas, these doubts, and so, yes, they're going to come up. Of course, at some
(15:01):
point. This episode emphasizes navigating personal challenges through motherhood and using
those experiences to create something new. This conversation follows our journey of how
motherhood can bring awareness to our health and well-being, mentally and
emotionally. I hope you enjoy watching this. Thank you. Okay. Yes.
On this episode, we would like to address how motherhood shapes our identities and our passions,
and navigating the changes that it brings. We have here today Maude, who is the founder of Placing
Birth in a certified educator in hypno birthing and also recently a Pilates teacher. So just a
fun little question at the moment. What is one thing that your toddler has taught you that
(00:31):
hypno birthing couldn't even have prepared you for? So this is a really hard question because
toddlers, they are like, um, condensate version of adults, of people, and
they have this roller coaster emotions. Um, they are discovering their emotions. Yeah, yeah. So it's
like one minute they are screaming and crying and the minute later they are laughing. And
(00:58):
it made me realize even more that nothing is forever. Everything passes. So whether you're
sad or even happy or joyful. Like it's not forever. Seize the moment
or let it pass. Because, yeah, it's just a moment. Let them, you know, go through
(01:18):
you and feel what you have to feel. Like I would never, like, tell my kids. Stop
crying. This is so intense. Like. Of course. Like, if you have to cry, cry, cry. Let it out. Cry it out
and then you will feel better. What were you doing before this? Before you became a mom? Before I
became mom. So initially, I'm a journalist for radio and television. And I also started clothing
(01:44):
brand in China. Wow, that's so cool. Is it still in existence? No. I stopped when I arrived in
Singapore because it was because of my daughter, actually. And because we when we moved to
Singapore, I wanted to invest more in myself than in a production. And
so that's what I did. And I think, like what has changed me, maybe how motherhood has changed me
(02:09):
is that I feel the need to invest more in myself, to take care of myself than
I did before. Becoming a mom made me prioritize myself. That's. I know that sounds super
weird, like, because usually people say, like, when you have a kid, then your priority is your child.
Of course she's my priority. But then if I have to take care of her, well, I have to take care of
(02:34):
myself. At which point do you realize this? When I was pregnant, I was really terrorized. Like by
giving birth. And that's how I found out about hypno birthing. I was looking for ways to relax
myself, but I was maybe, like, um, six months pregnant already. Did you say you were terrorized?
As in, you really felt really scared? I. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I thought I was going to die giving birth.
(02:58):
Yeah. I had all these really strong and terrible images of giving birth. Like, I
think it is scary. Yeah. In their mind, because of movies, because of
stories you've heard from friends, from family. And. Yeah, I had all this in my mind. I was like,
(03:18):
there's no way I'm going to go to the hospital on the day I give birth thinking
I'm not going to come back, you know, and my husband is going to come back on his own with our
baby. And but there's such a real fear. It really wasn't a strong fear. And so when I
discovered hypno birthing and I had never really been interested in relaxation
(03:42):
hypnosis before, I didn't know what it was. It was definitely the hardest thing I've ever done in my
life giving birth. I'm not saying it's easy when you do hypno birthing. It's so empowering. Like
it's a feeling like no other. So it gave you a sense of achievement, like, you know, and you
birthed a human. I did you too. Yes. For those who are not familiar, what exactly is
(04:09):
hypno building in your own words? Basically, uh, hypnosis is, um, deep
relaxation, so everyone would experience it in a different manner. Breathing. But yeah. So
it's deep, deep, deep relaxation. So I get people in that super relaxed state and then what we want to
(04:29):
achieve because it's always related to, uh, childbirth. Um, we replace negative
images, uh, negative thoughts, fears, anxieties. And so
once I guided them in their peaceful place, we replaced with positive, uh, images,
(04:49):
positive thoughts. Us. Then there is a session. Once they've learned to really
deepen the relaxation. What? Hypnosis. Then we release fears. And so hypnosis has
two advantages. Like I said, it's a deep relaxation. And so when you are in a
(05:09):
relaxed state, it's been proven that you produce endorphins. And they are natural
painkillers. Super helpful for childbirth, but also very it's also a feel good
hormone. So it makes you feel good when you're pregnant too. So when you practice over your
pregnancy, it helps you arrive on the day you give birth in pretty good state. I find it
(05:35):
very impressive that because you share that you were terrorized or in your own words, and you were
able to adopt this into your own practice to arrive at a place of relaxation
and calmness for yourself in your own birthing journey? Yes, because the second thing that
does that hypnosis does is access the subconscious mind. And so that's why it goes
(06:01):
beyond what usual childbirth preparation do. It's because thanks to this
deeply relaxed state, this hypnotic state, you can access subconscious mind. And usually that's where
all your fears, anxieties, like really are deeply imprinted in your mind.
And when you are in a hypnotic state, you can bypass your conscious
(06:27):
mind and access your subconscious and really spheres. Putting myself in your shoes, I'm not sure
if I know how to release and swap all these images to positive ones in that moment, because I
remember how scary it was. No you don't. That's why it's a learning process. I mean, very few people
are able to do that naturally. For most people, it's really hard to access. So it's a learning
(06:50):
process and that's why it has to be done like over like five weeks usually. So
first I teach the relaxation progressively. People understand how to go deeper in that
state. And then once they have practiced we can really access the subconscious. And that's when we
release fears. And the other thing that I teach is education, how the body works. So all the
(07:16):
classes really have this side of education. And that's also good for partners. I'm very
interested though, going back to where you felt so scared and then you ran through this Morgan
method in hypno building. Were you ever ready? Yeah, I did feel
wow ready. But ready for motherhood is a bit different. So I felt ready for childbirth and I
(07:42):
think I was, but yeah, then ready for what's coming next is a total different thing. Those
methods continue to help you. Yeah, it does like it can help anybody throughout life
and stress and anxiety. And I use it like because I, I'm afraid of flying. I use it in the plane. I
use it sometimes with my daughter. So it's when she gets on my nerves and, you know, I have to calm
(08:07):
down. Like for bedtime. Sometimes I'm in a rush. You know, it's like, yeah, I was like, okay.
And I think she feels it. And also like, if the stress lowers down, she can. And every day you
learn something new and you have to adapt to your kid because your kid is changing all the time.
Exactly. And you like the best thing to do and to learn. And I think hypno breathing is
(08:34):
very helpful in that way, is to learn to let go, because, you know, having a child, you're not going
to be able to control. It's an independent person. Although you've carried this baby and you think
it's yours forever. There are another person and they have their own character, their own ways. And
so yeah, sometimes I'm finding that out myself. Yeah. How you would do things and how you would
(08:59):
want things to go. But, um, and starting from childbirth. Yeah. Learning to let go is
absolutely, uh, key to being a parent. So, ladies and gentlemen,
learn to let go. Come to a human within course and learn to be okay. So I love how you
(09:20):
took your terror. And you turned it into empowerment, into strength,
into something that you now are using to help other moms. I say it in the most
beautiful way. It's like, yeah, you can choose your like. Of course there are things
that are happening and but you know, there are those that you can open and only you can open
(09:47):
them, but you just have to open your eyes and see them. And so that's how you know, you make your own
path. Before you became a mom, you were running a business in clothing. What was that turning point
for you? Why did you give that up? It was coming in Singapore. And, um, having been through a
really rigorous lockdown in Shanghai, not being able to sell my products was like,
(10:12):
okay, if anything like this ever happens again. Plus, I had put so much energy, time
and money in it, and then it was such a big frustration not being able to do it. And
I had to refocus on my family first. And then because I had such a strong
(10:32):
experience thanks to hypno birthing. So, um, very powerful, very empowering childbirth. I thought,
like, why not try to pass it on to others and invest in skills
I can take with me everywhere? So if we spend like two years in Singapore or ten years, it doesn't
(10:53):
matter. I would still have the skills with me. Yeah. Making clothes, um, finding, uh,
suppliers, finding clients, building a community around your brand. You're not going to be able
to bring it with you if you travel a lot. So you were saying you were in lockdown in Shanghai? Was
Covid the lockdown? No. In Shanghai, the lockdown was in 2022. Oh, yeah. So
(11:19):
initially in when Covid started in China, yes. The only city that was locked down was, was Han.
Okay. But the rest of China was like, we're not lockdown. What they did is close all the borders
and we were living in this bubble without any Covid, so I didn't know
anyone in Shanghai who got Covid until they reopened the border and decided to stop the
(11:45):
zero-Covid policy, but before that, we were like moving around freely in China. Then they started
to impose like more strict measures and to manage our people. And it became like really, really
complicated. And so they started to be, um, Covid cases even in China. And that's when they
decided to impose, like the super, super strict lockdown. So we couldn't get out of our apartment
(12:08):
for three months. Oh, boy. And were you pregnant at that time? No, I had just given birth and you
couldn't leave the apartment, which is okay with the newborn, to be fair. So it was not that that
bad, I thought I was. I would become insane, but with her, I mean, for her, it was the best. She had
her two parents with her there 24 over seven, you know. And that's all a newborn needs. I was a Covid
(12:34):
mama and I had to go through lockdown. Basically, the moment we are leaving the hospital, they will
like put on your mask, you know, and and sign here and right here and sign in. And I was like, what's
going on? Something's happening in the world. And I missed that opportunity for the rest of the
family to meet my little ones. You know, who would have predicted that the world would stop? Nobody.
(12:58):
So to a mum who is listening now, who is feeling anxious, who is feeling like they're doubting
themselves, whether they will ever be ready for childbirth or for motherhood. What is one thing
you feel like you want them to hear? It's really hard. I want to tell them so many things. Tell them
everything. You know, everybody has a different path, of course, but use this feeling,
(13:23):
this anxiety and turn it into a power. We are superhuman being. Oh. Uh, no. But
it's like it's the power of the mind. And that's what you unlocked through your learnings, right?
Yes, through hypno birthing babies when they are born. Exactly. They are active participants. Choose
carefully who's going to be there for your birth. Like this is not like a random day. This is
(13:48):
the day your baby is born. Who do you want for that day? Who will you
trust? Like what kind of doctor? What kind of relationship do you want to have with this person?
Is this person going to be able to respect your choices? That's so important. Yeah.
And there is a medical reason for an intervention. Will this person be able to explain it
(14:15):
to you? Why they do this, why they choose this option and why it is necessary for you?
Not because of a protocol. Um, so yeah. Can they be a human
being beyond like being a doctor? I think it's super important, and that's who
(14:35):
I had for my birth. And I think it changed everything. Like if I didn't have the doctor I had,
I know I would have been able to do it, but I'm not sure I would have believed in the moment
that I was able to do it. I didn't believe I was able to do it in the moment. It is normal to have
all these ideas, these doubts, and so, yes, they're going to come up. Of course, at some
(15:01):
point. This episode emphasizes navigating personal challenges through motherhood and using
those experiences to create something new. This conversation follows our journey of how
motherhood can bring awareness to our health and well-being, mentally and
emotionally. I hope you enjoy watching this. Thank you. Okay. Yes.
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