Tanya Mchale – Doula & Childbirth Educator

I highly recommend Tanya. She was exactly what I needed for my birth. First we took her Hypnosis in Childbirth class and then hired her as our monitrice (doula who is also a nurse). My plan was to try for a VBAC and labor at home as long as possible. The fact that Tanya has labor and delivery nursing experience meant that she could tell me when to go to the hospital. AND she would be able to practice the hypnosis with me the whole time. The other benefit was that she also explained things that happened during the birth, much like a nurse or doctor would do. She stayed with me the whole time, thru 20 hours of labor and then surgery, and helped me get breastfeeding going.
We also had 2 prenatal visits and 2 postnatal visits. She was very caring and made sure every question was answered and any concerns were addressed. And after my cesarean, she made sure we talked thru it and I didn’t have any bad feelings about it.
As a childbirth instructor, she is invaluable. It is not just a hypnosis class. Her knowledge is extensive. She is incredibly thorough and took her time going thru all the information with visual aids and handouts. She was also easily accessible outside of class and has a portal for students to access the information.
She also offers placenta encapsulation, which I did. So, she really offers a full range of services and it was nice to do all of that with one person.

If you are interested in using hypnosis as a tool for childbirth and pregnancy, Tanya is the best! You know that if hospitals are hosting her classes, she’s the real deal. She is a certified hypnotherapist, doula, monitrice, and nurse with years of experience. I’ve taken Hypnobirthing (the method) as well as her class, and her class is far more comprehensive and full of tools that you can actually bring home to condition with. Her class leaves you feeling empowered, informed, prepared and inspired. Tanya’s unique and in depth curriculum has helped so many women achieve the birth that they are proud of. Thanks for all that you do! The Chicago community is lucky to have you.

For as stressful as pregnancy can be when working with providers to help you on this journey you really need to choose qualified professionals with a solid set of skills and ethics. This is not Tanya.
I can only speak to Tanya’s supposed hypnotherapy skill, not to her work as a doula (though her total lack of confidence and inspiration is a skill that was essential in my wonderful doula). Please beware, you can find a better person, both professionally, personally, and ethically, with which to work on hypnotherapy. I contacted Tanya for hypnotherapy and in asking about her process she could not even remember the name of the person that she «trained» under. Still I decided to meet with her. We met in her Oak Park location which I got the sense was not her own space as she was completely ill at ease in the space (then again so was I given it smelled stale, was freezing, and was cramped) and mentioned «I thought they used to have a blanket on the couch» when she asked me to lay down and apologized for how cold it was. Neither she nor the environment was conducive to hypnotherapy. In addition to being disorganized, she lacks time management as our 1.5 hour session somehow wasn’t enough for her to actually start the hypnotherapy on time and so we had a rushed session through the actual hypnotherapy at the end of which I felt very little impact from our session.
I do believe in the process, just not in Tanya. While she is a nice person, albeit disorganized and flighty, I really question Tanya’s training in this area. I have since found someone in the area who is also familiar with the book that Tanya bases her «knowledge» off of but who has real accreditation and skill in hypnotherapy, and is a wonderful person.
The one useful thing that came out of meeting Tanya is the book she recommended (authored by the person she supposedly trained under) called Mind-​Body Fertility. I recommend the book and a good hypnotherapist, which Tanya is not.

Tanya was amazing. She is professional, knowledgeable, caring, and extremely helpful when you need her most. When she arrived at the hospital, it was like the cavalry! She swept in during the middle of the night and started speaking words of truth over the birth. Her calming words, confident demeanor, and expertise made all the difference in the world. What an amazing thing to know you are in the company of someone who has seen it all and knows exactly what each situation requires.
We found Tanya through her Hypnosis for Childbirth class which was very informative and encouraging. It equipped us with the knowledge we needed to make wise decisions through each step of the childbirth process. We decided to hire her as a Monitrice as well, and we are extremely glad we did. It was a wise investment. We wanted a natural birth, and with Tanya’s help and guidance, we were able to have just that, even though it was an induction! Our daughter had some health issues immediately after she was born, and Tanya was incredibly calm, caring, and supportive as we walked through that. She not only helped us through the birth itself, but gave us advice and ideas along the way for getting baby in the ideal position, staying healthy, and being in the right frame of mind. She went above and beyond, and her passion for her craft shines through.
THANK YOU, TANYA!

She’s no good. She made me stay home when I was ready to go to the hospital. As a third time mum I know when I’m ready to go to the hospital. I was so disappointed and in tears at her adamantly saying that I wasn’t ready. She checked me and said I was not dilated enough except mother knows best and sure enough I almost delivered at home with a mad rush to the hospital and Tanya screaming «Don’t push!» at me as I literally got into the car and couldn’t help bearing down. The point is — you have to still advocate for yourself as it is your body. Don’t let anyone influence what you want to do. The problem is that if you are listening to her coach you through hypnobirthing then you are predisposed to defer to her when she ‘advises’ you on anything… and a woman in labor is in a very suggestive and easily manipulated state. I don’t think I could have advocated any more clearly. I said I wanted to go and her body language was like… we are not going anywhere. With contractions distracting me. I did not have the energy or clarity of mind to tell myself how stupid it was to listen to a person who is not in labor on when I should go into the hospital. It’s my body and I know best. Tanya is certainly NOT someone who empowers the woman. She can help you relax through hypnosis but that’s it.

I would highly recommended Tanya Mchale as your doula/​monitrice. She was my monitrice for my two babies in 2011 & 2013 and she was there when I needed her most. I had a very difficult labor with my first baby since I had to be induced with pitocin at 42 weeks. Tanya’s partner Emily was there with me when it got difficult and I felt I needed her support. She was amazing and helped me get through without an epidural since I wanted to keep it as natural as possible. I also took her childbirth hypnobirthing classes which provided a wealth of information. I learned so much from Tanya that I am forever grateful. Her classes and care are evidence-​based and she collaborates closely with the midwives at West Surburban Midwife Associates.

My husband and I took Hypnobirthing classes at Masonic with Tanya before our birth. Her classes were some of the best things we did before we had our beautiful baby boy on January 19^th, 2013. In her classes you learn about the nature behind giving birth and how your body is equipped to handle delivery without interventions. She thoroughly addressees the progress of labor every step of the way. If you’re in for understanding the chemistry and body awareness behind natural birth then this is definitely a class for you. It put us at ease regarding the impending pain and unknowns that come with birth.
I was on the fence about hiring a doula for birth support but a few things happened leading up to the final month of my pregnancy and we decided we needed that extra support on the day of delivery. I called Tanya to get recommendations and discuss my thoughts for hiring a doula this late in my pregnancy. She, as always, listened and gave her feedback. She also told me that she was available and after talking to my husband about it that night we decided to hire her immediately. We knew her from the classes so we were extremely ecstatic and put at ease knowing that she was going to be with us every step of the way leading up to the birth.
I can honestly say that while going to Tanya’s classes was a great decision, making that final decision to hire her as our monitrice before our delivery may have been the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. Her support, encouragement, hypnobirthing techniques and relaxation methods are the only thing that allowed me to have a natural birth– what I wanted more than anything. The hospital we delivered at is pretty heavy on meds and interventions and it was all we could do to have a natural birth with no interventions. Tanya was a great voice for us as well as great at assuring us everything was a-​okay!
She is an expert in her field and very professional. I trusted her with my life and the life of my son and I would recommend her to anyone and everyone. She without a doubt made my birth experience so beautiful, supported and exactly what I wanted. Nothing was going to get in the way of that once we made the decision to hire Tanya and it was true. She is a very strong, and very professional advocate for women who want to experience the true nature of a natural and intervention-​free birth.
I can’t say enough how grateful, appreciative and honored we were to have Tanya there for the birth of our baby boy. Thank you, Tanya. You made bringing my son into this world a joyful, honest, natural and truly supported experience.

I hired Tanya to assist with the birth of my third baby who was born healthy and naturally 7 minutes after I arrived at the hospital. My other two babies were epidural vaginal but I was determined to handle the ‘discomfort’ of childbirth with breathing and relaxation techniques this time round.
Pros
1. She’s can help you deal with labor pain with relaxation techniques
2. If you don’t have ample support, it’s great to have another cheerleader in the room
3. It’s nice to have someone to rub your back, stroke your hair or give you a hug while in labor
4. Teaches a great childbirth prep class
Cons
1. She tends to be overconfident with her suggestions
2. Has an agenda to keep you at home for labor but is determined to get you to the hospital to deliver which is can be a conflicting goal (see explanation below)
3. Pressures potential clients to make a decision to hire her citing other business prospects. I went with the cheapest package
4. Minimal experience with true «hypnobirthing’ mothers
I give her only an OK because she failed to read me properly when doing the internal exam and was overly confident and opinionated in suggesting that I was not ready to go to the hospital even when I myself felt like it was time. which ended up with me exiting my warm house during the polar vortex of Chicago i.e. -15 °F into a freezing car and being unable to sit down because I was already literally pushing the baby out and my husband driving like a crazy person and Tanya admitting afterward that she almost slammed into the back of our car with her car enroute to hospital because the road was so icy.
Since this was my third baby I definitely know when it’s time to go the hospital and that is usually 3 – 4 hours before I deliver, I called Tanya around this time when I start finding it difficult to deal with the pain and I’m thinking it is time to go to the hospital. While she was driving to my house I called her again to say I really wanted to go into the hospital but she told me she was just 15 minutes away so I decided to wait for her at home and we all go together.
She arrived at my house soon after, checked me and declared that I wasn’t far enough along and that it was good I had called her first. I started crying out of total disbelief and disappointment, I was almost sure she was wrong…
3 hours passed at home and sure enough I felt like pushing. At that point Tanya took charge and told us it was time to go to the hospital and thought that saying «don’t push» to me while I was getting into the car was a great hypnotic command to help me keep the baby in until I got to the hospital.
Firstly, I think she has an agenda to allow you to labor at home as long as possible. Secondly, she doesn’t want to get on the midwives’ bad side by having you accidentally deliver at home to the point where in my case, she was willing to risk me delivering in the car in sub zero temperatures. Telling a woman to walk out of her warm home to get into a freezing car when the baby is literally coming out of her is probably not the kind of assistance I had in mind when hiring my doula. I was in such a suggestive state that I just did what I was told. I should have had the mind to say NO, the baby is coming and I should not move out of my safe warm house.
Just bear in mind that when hiring a doula, don’t lean on her too much or give her the power to influence your gut feelings or opinions. No one is an expert on your body more than you are during your own labor.
She did many great things like help me relax between surges, rub my back, position the pillows, give tea etc. I also took her Hypnobirthing class which was very good and educational. I was able to focus better during labor and managed my discomfort well with her help. In these things she was very helpful.
However her over confidence, ‘I’m an expert’ attitude, while great as a teacher during classes, tends to carry over to her role as doula during labor. It is all to easy for a woman in labor to throw her own opinions out the window in the presence of a seemingly all knowing expert who is making ‘suggestions’ in a very confident manner.
After the fact, I discussed with Tanya how I wished she had allowed me to go to the hospital sooner. She defended herself and said I gave no clear indication that I was about to deliver. WHAT? She claims to be a hypnobirthing instructor, however I don’t think she has ever truly encountered a woman having as calm and as focused a labor as I did (watch a hynobirthing video on you tube and this was what I was aiming for and what I achieved)
She suggested that the birth had been traumatic for me and that I needed a therapist. I thought that was kind of an offensive thing to say. She has some great qualifications but the fact is, dealing with women who labor like me, not a screamer, not overly emotional, with good ability to focus and remain calm even while pushing the baby out, is not what she is used to.

I want to prefix this with the fact I have never given a negative Unilocal review in my life but the situation I experienced with Tanya was so stressful for me that I want to share only in the hopes others can avoid it. I also experienced similar issues as the reviewer mentions in the 3÷21÷13 review.
I reached out to Tanya to inquire about doula services and after talking with her on the phone, I was impressed and we set up an initial meeting where everything went well. She indicated another couple had contacted her but she would honor taking me as a client and give me the right of first refusal since I had contacted her first (standard business practice I would say). I told her we wanted to do a bit more research on our end (contact some of her former clients from the list she had just given us) and would get back to her as soon as we could (especially since my due date was ~6 weeks away at this point as well).
The very next day, I reached out to some of her past clients to get feedback and was waiting to hear back from them. In the meantime, I also emailed her about a couple questions my husband and I had. First, she was up in the air on whether she was taking a trip to France in December. No big deal at all, but she was very vague on the probability of this happening and we wanted to clarify. Second, Tanya charges significantly more for her services, as she should, based on her background and experience since she is technically a monitrice (meaning she has a medical background which is only distinction from being a doula). Given her tentative travel plans, and the high likelihood we might have to use the backup doula she would have in place for our delivery, we were curious if we would still have to pay the full price ($ 1800) if the services we in fact received were from a doula with no medical training. Again, standard questions given her uncertainty around travel.
We exchanged a couple emails and she sent me one on a Friday that ended with the following. In my previous email, I acknowleged I knew she had other interested parties and was trying to make a decision quickly (but hadn’t heard back, to be honest, from any of the individuals on her contact list she gave me so I was hoping to talk to at least one of them any day to confirm and then accept with Tanya):
«Let me know what you and Erik decide. Yes, I now have been contacted by two other couples who would like to contract with me for monitrice care around the same time you are due. I hate to pressure you, as that is not my normal style at all, but under these circumstances I am going to need to give the others an answer by Monday. I am simply trying to be fair to all, and if you return a contract on Monday we only have one month to your due date which is a small amount of time given what we are trying to cover in getting ready for your birth.»
Again, she sent this email to me on Friday. My husband and I discussed over the weekend and decided to move forward given the short time from our delivery date even though we hadn’t yet talked to anyone who had personal experience with Tanya. As such, I emailed her on Sunday night telling her we wanted to move forward. Imagine my surprise then when I received the following from her on Monday morning:
«I have some difficult news… Unfortunately I will not be able to work with you as your monitrice for the birth of your baby. I am so sorry about this Courtney. When I didn’t hear back from you at all over the weekend I wasn’t sure whether you wanted to go forward with care. I had another couple who had been contacting me almost daily to see what my status was pertaining to my availability. I thought I had made clear about the urgency of making a decision in my email that I sent on Friday, along with previous correspondence. I know I did say by Monday, but without a response at all for two days I wasn’t sure that you wanted to go forward. I also assumed that you had some reservations about my services in the way that my back-​up care is structured.»
I will let this email speak for itself. I didn’t realize I needed to email her Friday to tell her we would get back to her by Monday. The plain and simple fact of the matter is that she does not honor deadlines and is not true to her word. If I had not let her know by Monday, this would have been completely justified. But to go back against one’s word, especially to someone who is 35 weeks pregnant at this point, is incomprehensible to me. I tried to reach out to her to understand her perspective better but the bottom line is she thinks she did nothing wrong in this situation and her justifications were ridiculous. Completely unprofessional.
Again, I am not trying to bash Tanya as I do think she is a quality health provider, but this situation is completely unprofessional and anyone considering using her should know. Unfortunately, after the fact, I have learned of several other similar situations so I think everything happens for a reason.

I had my first baby at Prentice with pitocin and an epidural. It all worked out well and I was one of the «lucky» ones to escape with a vaginal delivery.
After my first birth I chose a more holistic approach to mothering and medicine. While pregnant with #2 my husband and I decided to try to have a natural birth. The more we researched the topic the the more we realized a homebirth was our answer. A friend referred me to Tanya McHale and her hypno birthing class.
I hired Tanya thinking she would teach me self hypnosis and be a support during birth. After meeting with Tanya we chose her monitrice package that gave us 10 prenatal sessions, her hypno birth class and some hours after the birth. (Here’s the part where I get mushy). Tanya was nothing short of AMAZING! I think every woman needs a Tanya. It was so refreshing to have someone as passionate about being a part of my birth as I was.
Why you NEED Tanya:
+ She was a labor a delivery nurse for many years
(I found it comforting knowing that if I ended up in the hospital she would be with me and understand the logistics due to her experience.)
+ She’s a certified hypnotherapist
(Like many, I feared the pain and wanted anything in my toolbox that would help.)
+ She’s a healer
(Her Quantum Touch sessions were powerful. Can’t imagine going through pregnancy without them.)
+ Her knowledge of pregnant women
(She was more in tune with my body and baby than any doctor ever could be.)
I must say that the sessions leading up to the birth were invaluable. After meeting with Tanya once a week for 10 weeks I was beyond comfortable with her. I was so confident in her that throughout the pregnancy if anything felt scary or stressful her knowledge and intuitions put me at ease. I loved the constant positive reinforced she provided. She trusted my body and my baby.
Regarding the «tired» comment posted by the other woman, I did not have that experience. Even after attending a 36 hour labor Tanya showed up for my appointment and I felt that she was totally present. Also, the postpartum time I received was WONDERFUL! I had 4 visits where she came to my house ran energy, provided great insight on breastfeeding, made me lunch and gave me a massage. Doesn’t get better than that ;o) She would have done my laundry if I needed her to. So nice.
I would hire Tanya again in a second. If you are looking for a transformative birth experience Tanya will help you. I had an incredible homebirth and felt like my team members were rock stars.

I can’t say enough about how wonderful Tanya and her services were! My husband and I took Tanya’s class in Oak Park, and also used her monitrice services for labor.
We both really enjoyed the classes, and I would definitely recommend this class instead of a hospital class if you are planning on delivering naturally (or just want to learn more about the entire birth process, natural pain relief, etc). I wasn’t sure about the hypnosis part prior to attending the classes, but soon learned that it is pretty easy and beneficial to get yourself deeply relaxed. It turned out to be very helpful during the labor process, and Tanya is a wonderful hypnotherapist.
One huge benefit to working with Tanya through her class or as a monitrice is that you have access to all of her years of knowledge when it comes to anything pregnancy or childbirth related. This was so valuable, which I realized soon after we had booked her class, when I had a question about something related to my prenatal care. I emailed Tanya, not sure of who else to ask, and she wrote back a long, detailed response that made me feel so much better. She has a way of explaining things using evidence based research, which I really admire, while at the same time using her experience and insight to give you unbiased professional advice. She is such a calm, non-​judgemental person, which is very much appreciated to a first time mother! She makes a point of telling everyone who attends her class that they can call or email at any time with questions, which I think is a huge value in itself.
Having Tanya as our monitrice for labor really made all the difference in the world. I delivered our first child one month ago, and each time I have told the story of our labor and delivery, I find myself mentioning Tanya’s name more than anything else. She was so wonderful, and I really can’t imagine going through the experience without her. My labor went on for a few days on and off, and Tanya spent a lot of time at our home over those days. Once I was at the hospital, she did not leave my side until our baby was born. Looking back, I am sure she could have used a break at some point, but instead made sure that my husband had breaks! Everyone at the hospital was amazed by the effect that her coaching and hypnosis had on me… the midwife who was delivering had even told all the staff to stay out of the room at one point, once she realized what a great effect Tanya was having on me during the most difficult parts of labor.
Her wonderful service didn’t end at the delivery. At that point, she was helping to get the baby latched on, making sure we were comfortable, even grabbing our camera to get some pictures of my husband and I with our little one right after the birth. Tanya was the one who made sure I had something to eat after the delivery, even feeding me fruit from a fork while I held my baby! I did not want her to leave, but was glad to see her again for our post-​partum visit, where again she was extremely helpful with newborn and breastfeeding questions.
I hope to have Tanya again at the births of our future children, and am so happy that we met this wonderful woman and were able to take advantage of her class and services. I am happy to answer any questions about the class or monitrice services, just send me a message!

I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through the birth of my son in September 2011 without Tanya and her partners /​other monitrices (similar to a doula in terms of support during labor, but with the medical background to help women navigate all aspects of labor and delivery). After taking four years to conceive my son (which was finally successful using IVF), I decided that I wanted to have a natural childbirth, avoiding all drugs if possible. I knew that I would need the right support to make it happen, and came upon Tanya’s website one night while looking for someone locally. As soon as I met her and the other monitrices, I knew that I had made the right decision. I took Tanya’s very informative hypnobirthing class to learn more about that method, and she also met with me several times to talk through any possible barriers to my having the birth experience I wanted. I was planning to birth in one of the more rigid hospitals in the Chicago area and without the knowledge she gave me ahead of time to get myself ready for their incredibly strict protocols (most of which were not in line with my preferred birth experience) I would’ve gone in blindly with no ability to navigate ‘the system’ and advocate for the experience I wanted.
Tanya and another monitrice Lynne Wycoff were at the hospital to support me during labor (Tanya came first and then Lynne took over), and while I ended up having the exact opposite birth that I wanted — including an epidural and an emergency c-​section — the knowledge and expertise they provided me beforehand and during my 17 hour labor before the sudden c-​section was invaluable. Their support made what could have been a traumatic experience for me so much easier to deal with. They supported both me and my husband, and we know we couldn’t have made it through as well as we did without them.
Also, Lynne helped me start breastfeeding very soon after I gave birth. I had zero support from the hospital unfortunately — btw, this is supposed to be the top hospital in Chicago — and didn’t even get to see their lactation consultant until an hour before I was checking out. Lynne also visited me during my second day at home with the baby to help with some of my continued breastfeeding challenges, and she helped me fix them within half an hour. Without her help, guidance and support, I’m positive I would’ve given up out of frustration. Instead, I now have a happy, healthy nine week old who is a breastfeeding champ and growing perfectly! I owe it to these women and them being accessible, supportive and ‘on my side’ when I needed it.
EVERYONE who gives birth should have these women as part of their support team. If I have a second child, I will be calling them again in a heartbeat.

My husband and I worked with Tanya for the 2005 birth of our only child. After taking her courses and meeting with her privately for a few sessions, we felt confident and ready for the big day, and very relaxed, a feeling that many of my friends who had prepared in other ways did not share. The hypnosis practice she introduced to us not only prepared us for birth, but drew us closer during the pregnancy, and helped us to help each other feel calm and ready for what was ahead.
When our daughter was born, Tanya was an amazing advocate, comfort, and team member both at home and at the hospital. Working within a very rigid hospital system, Tanya really helped us to navigate the terrain and ask for what we needed.
Unfortunately, the birth of our daughter was a traumatic one, and resulted in a c-​section. Without Tanya, I don’t know how we would have managed the fear that was associated with that experience. Thankfully, our daughter was born healthy and happy.
Four years later, because of the unresolved trauma, I was diagnosed with post-​traumatic stress disorder. I had attempted, since the birth, to forget about the experience — to ignore the feelings — and unfortunately, this led me to feel depressed, angry, and generally unwell. The first person I called when I received this diagnosis was Tanya, and she immediately let me know that a) I am not alone — this is an experience that happens to many women, b) she could verify that, yes, the birth was a trauma, and she was a witness to it, and best yet, c) she could help me feel better.
What has happened in the past month, as Tanya and I have met to talk about the birth, and she has used her training to help me access (safely) the memories of that day in July 2005, is nothing short of miraculous. For the first time in four years, I am feeling better, happier, less fearful and anxious and generally stressed. She helped me to unlock a door that I had barricaded shut in my mind, and although I have a lot of work left to do to heal, I am feeling a sense of peace and understanding that I haven’t felt in years.
Tanya is, in short, a blessing. She is wonderful before birth, amazing during birth, and incredible after birth. I would recommend her, without hesitation, to any family seeking the best birth experience possible. As my story testifies, even in a suboptimal situation, Tanya is able to care for mothers in a way that is unparalleled.

I first met Tanya just over a month ago at the start of her 5-​session Hypnosis for Childbirth and breast feeding class, as I my husband and I had decided from the get go that we wanted to have a natural delivery. Our preliminary research lead us to consider hypnosis as a tool for pain management, and so we registered for this course.
This class exceeded my expectations, as it was incredibly informative and comprehensive in its scope, covering all aspects of the labor process, from months before to during and after. I went in expecting to learn self-​hypnosis for childbirth, and came out not only with tools of hypnosis and a solid practice to gear up for the big day – including hypnosis CDs, massage, breathing, and posture for labor – but also with detailed understanding of the birthing process, from the nitty gritty of hospital protocol, to hormonal shifts and physiological processes occurring during labor, to the depths of trust I can have in my own body to birth a healthy baby with minimal (or hopefully no) medical intervention.
Tanya has a way of presenting dense information in a way that makes it completely digestible to the lay person without ever talking down to her audience. Her technical knowledge of the birthing process is acute, but I must add that she has a special way of grounding even the most abstract concepts of «energy» and trust in the inherent intelligence of ones own body in un-​lofty terms. She exudes a calmness that carries into her speech and sets the tone for a relaxed, personalized class experience.
I’ll note that my husband and I felt so prepared after Tanya’s Hypnosis for Childbirth class that we canceled the childbirth class I had enrolled in through the hospital.
Finally, I must add a word about Tanya as a practitioner of Quantum Touch. At 23 weeks pregnant, I fell down the stairs and sprained my ankle BAD! The baby was okay, thank goodness, but I was confined to resting on the couch with my ankle elevated for weeks. After 6 weeks of elevation and a couple of visits to the orthopedic doctor, my ankle was still completely swollen, I still had a horrible limp, and the pain remained acute. It seemed as though it wasn’t going to heal.
Then one day I limped into Tanya’s Hypnosis for Childbirth class – because darn it, life had to go on and I had to prepare for labor – and she could see my pain and so kindly offered to do a couple of minutes of Quantum Touch energy work with me after class. Wow, how nice of her to offer! I gladly accepted, having never experienced such healing work before, but feeling like I’d be willing to try anything at this point. She spent about 7 minutes on me, and the sharpness of the pain was immediately less intense, permitting me to walk on it with much more ease. She suggested that I see how it went over the next couple of days, but mentioned that she could do a full hour session that same week if I felt like it would be beneficial.
After having experienced some initial relief upon just a few minutes of Quantum Touch, I decided later in the week to go ahead and schedule a full hour session. The relief I experienced during that hour was absolutely mind-​blowing! The sharpness of the pain dissipated entirely, my ability to walk on the ankle without compensating for the pain returned, and my posture became instantly improved. In fact, I walked – as opposed to limped – right out of her office. The swelling, which had been severe and constant for 6 weeks, went down by that same evening within a few hours of the session. I was amazed and so relieved to be walking solidly and steadily on my feet again. Finally I could feel normal.
And I’m happy to report that I’ve been walking limp-​free, pain-​free ever since (that was just over 2 weeks ago), even though I’m carrying an extra 20 lbs. of baby and pregnancy weight (I’m 7 months pregnant now). I was back at the gym the very next day, and have resumed my daily gym routine right next to my husband. I even canceled my next appointment with the orthopedic doctor – which was scheduled for just 4 days after my session with Tanya – as it had become obviously unnecessary.
My husband also couldn’t believe the change, as he watched the swelling vanish in just a matter of hours, after it had been looking like a balloon for 6 weeks. He’s as happy as I am that life is no longer on hold with my injury.
I must say, it was a real surprise for both me and my husband to literally watch the healing from this Quantum Touch happen. As I said, I’ve never experienced this kind of energy work until now and never in a zillion years expected such results.
Tanya has proven to be a woman of many geniuses, from childbirth educator to healer. I have come to respect her deeply, both professionally and personally. I will certainly seek her services in the future.

Tanya was at the birth of both of my children. I took her self-​hypnosis class (twice). I delivered both children au natural at Prentice in Chicago.
Tanya’s expertise was critical in both my preparation for childbirth as well as getting through it. It is worth every penny.
I learned a lot from Tanya about giving birth as well as about breastfeeding. Her classes are enormously helpful and a must-​do if you plan to use self-​hypnosis.
At both of my births, Tanya helped me to negotiate with the nursing staff about the heart monitoring, my positioning, etc etc — all the stuff they want you to do that can get in the way of having a quick labor and birth and of successfully breastfeeding. Because she is an experienced labor and delivery nurse and keeps up with the medical research, she knows what she is talking about and she will speak up on your behalf.
During the birth she also helped me to stay calm and focused, and to use the self-​hypnosis techniques that she had helped me learn.
Practice is key to successful self-​hypnosis during labor and birth. Hiring Tanya helps too, but you have to take responsibility for doing what you can to make the birth experience positive.
Tanya favors natural birth — and she makes that clear — but she will work with you and the medical staff to make the right choices when needed. We broke the water before my second birth — at her suggestion — because I was overdue and my doctor was getting antsy.
One thing to note about Tanya is that she is very, very busy and always seems extremely overtired. She will do her job for you, but don’t expect her to hang around for hours if you don’t need her there. However, you will be hard pressed to find anyone more experienced, knowledgeable, and skilled to help you with your birth.