The seeds that were sewn many a moon ago…

Our paths crossed in 2015 here in Switzerland when we were serving on the board of the European Doula Network together. We instantly hit it off and felt a deep connection and both sensed that some day we would join forces!

Traveling, hiking, biking, gardening, cooking and reading are just a few of the passions we share. But it is our love for all things birth related, that we always circle back to…admittedly…in sort of an obsessive way!

Serving young couples as they bring their little ones into the world is a privilege that we embrace with mighty devotion - Mary as a DONA certified doula and Awital as a NGH Hypnotherapist and both as Hypnobirthing Practitioners.

Fascinated by the interconnected world we live in today and knowing how it feels to be an “expat”, our client base organically seems to be quite international. One common thread among the folks we work with is a desire for community. Both of us have birthed outside of our homelands so we relate intimately.

If we couldn’t find the resources we needed in the countries we birthed in, we created them ourselves. Networking, community building and connecting people comes second nature to both of us and so it happened that over a cup of tea, chocolate and conversation…

The Birth Retreat was born!

Whether Switzerland is your homeland or your home away from home, navigating pregnancy and birthing options during such a profoundly vulnerable and transformational time of your life can be daunting. We are absolutely thrilled to say that we have created a space where you can, not only be empowered to define a journey that is right for you, but do so as you connect deeply with yourself, your partner and others in a similar transitional chapter in their lives.

This is a dream come true for us and we are committed to enhancing the birth experience for all, one baby, one mother and one family at a time and now we get to do it in community with you!

Mary’s journey into birth work

Life sometimes takes us on unexpected paths. I have found that when I surrender to the flow of it all, these paths have led me to places that I never would have discovered had I not been open.

Having spent a year in Brazil as an exchange student right after high school, I knew that my roots would be expansive and my branches would reach far and wide. Little did I know then, in what way that would unfold. That exchange year inspired me to study political science and I ultimately got a Bachelor Degree in International Studies. 

I was then invited to teach English in Prague, which is where I met my husband, who was there working for the Swiss foreign service. Thomas’ work took us galavanting around the globe and here we are, 30 years later, in the grand metropolis of Herzogenbuchsee delighting in the joys and perils of teenage parenthood among so many other extraordinary…and ordinary…endeavors.

My plans of working for the UN or in some other international capacity faded and a new passion emerged. Interested in all things holistic, I decided that I would study massage therapy. I could do this wherever I landed, for my hands and heart would follow me everywhere. Shortly after my studies began, it was clear to me that I would specialize my practice in pregnancy and birth.

It was in New York City in 1997, after attending a friend’s birth, when I discovered my life’s calling. I work towards and became a certified doula the following year. The combination of birth work and massage therapy was magic! How could it ever get any better than this? 

But it did!

I had attended enough births to understand that if both mind and body weren’t balanced, one or the other…or both…could hinder the process. The desire to learn more about this led me first to Spinning Babies, where through their gentle approach, the birthing woman’s body can find balance and then to Hypnobirthing, where she can achieve emotional confidence. Later, discovering the extraordinary, safe and effective ways essential oils could support both of these modalities, I was in heaven!

Empowering young families to define their own birth stories and create for themselves a positive, profound and pleasurable experience has been a passion that I’ve had the privilege of pursuing in many hospitals, birth centers and homes in New York, Sweden and now all over Switzerland. As a Nurturing Birth Mentor, it is a privilege to inspire other doulas on their paths to do the same.

I have found work that fills my heart and soul and enriches my life like nothing else could. Serendipity you might call it. Whatever it is, I wake each day in gentle gratitude for the events that have led me to this place. It is deeply satisfying and far more rewarding than I could have ever dreamed! And I feel like the journey has only just begun!

 Why I do what I do

It has been 12 glorious years since I began working with young families. I’m the founder of MyGentleBorn and a certified Hypnotherapist, a Hypnobirthing Practitioner and postpartum doula. As a mother myself, I fully understand what it means to want the very best for your child right from the beginning.

I first discovered Hypnobirthing in 2006 when I was working in the US. I was pregnant for the first time and was quite shocked to discover how medicated birth was there. Fewer than 2% of mothers gave birth at home. One-in-three babies were born by cesarean and it was rare for a midwife to be present. This seemed extraordinary to me. With a background in dance and exercise science, I had a strong belief in a positive connection between mind, body and soul. I was convinced that there were better alternatives. I wanted a different birth – a birth which felt positive and nurturing – I truly believed it was possible. 

My quest led me to discover the concept of Hypnobirthing. At first it sounded strange – as a teenager I had suffered from anxiety and I worried that I would feel out of control. But I discovered that Hypnobirthing was empowering and quite inspirational – exactly what I needed. It enabled me to be emotionally relaxed and understand childbirth with all it’s many physical and psychological facets. To a certain extent, it gave me “control” over my own births and taught me the importance of letting go.

Motherhood has changed me – it has taught me a lot about who I am, about life, about forgiving and of course LOVE. It has given me self-confidence and a profound belief in myself. I’ve given birth to four children in three different countries – two of them at home, one at a birth center and one in hospital. Four different experiences - raw, intense and emotionally calm. Each time mental preparation was at the heart of how I labored and birthed and I was open to whatever turn my birthing took, remaining confident, relaxed and empowered throughout. The choices I made in how I birthed has had a massive influence on how I parent.

I don’t see myself as an especially strong woman who is able to bear more than others. Quite the opposite actually. I’m a bit of a wimp. I’m an ordinary woman who has learned to connect with her body and to discover that it is possible to give birth as nature intended. You can too. You have the resources and the birthing wisdom within. You just need to unlock it.