Today we’d like to introduce you to Cliodhna Griffin, HBCE, APPAC.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Cliodhna. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started Born Free Birthing with the goal to help pregnant/expectant families navigate their pregnancies and prepare for their upcoming births and postpartum months.
Having had 2 birthing experiences myself, I knew how a great birth can leave a woman feeling and I knew how a not so great birth can leaving her feeling too and I believe every woman and their baby deserve to enjoy the pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum process. Becoming a parent is such a special time and such a sacred time, women should be respected and honored yet sadly this isn’t the case for so many.
I set up my business knowing if more women and their partners were well educated on pregnancy and childbirth, more families would have the opportunity to birth with calm and joy and when this happens, very often we see babies are born healthier, relationships and bonds are stronger and cases of postpartum issues are fewer.
If a mother can simply birth her baby in whatever environment she desires (birthing center/home or hospital) and feels valued she may very well have a better frame of mind going into her postpartum and heal faster and easier whilst forming a strong bond with her newborn and experiencing a more comfortable breastfeeding journey than most.
In 2015 I decided to become a certified HypnoBirthing® Practitioner as HypnoBirthing® had given me the tools I needed to enjoy the birth of my 2nd child and I knew this particular method of childbirth preparation would change the lives of the women I would have the honor to teach as it had mine. I flew to Florida and trained under the wonderful Kim Young and Marie F Mongan, the founder of the HypnoBirthing® Institute. As well as offering private one on one classes, I teach my group classes in 3 locations, Houston, in the Rice Village/Montrose area, Kingwood and The Woodlands.
In 2016 I knew I wanted to take my business to the next level and offer postpartum services in the lines of Placenta Encapsulation. I became professionally trained and certified with APPA, the Association of Placenta Preparation Arts. Through placenta encapsulation, my clients go on to have an easier transition into their postpartum. In my opinion, between a great childbirth preparation class such as HypnoBirthing® and Placenta Encapsulation, a mother is setting herself up for a wonderful birthing and postpartum experience, which in turn benefits not only her, but all those around her.
Has it been a smooth road?
Is setting up your own business from scratch ever easy? As everyone knows, the first two years of starting your own business is always going to be difficult and a lot of those 2 years will be nothing but trial and error. Luckily I come from a long line of businesswomen who run their own businesses and knew what to expect and knew that it would take a lot of late nights, time away from my family and sacrifice, a massive thanks must go to my husband for his constant support and encouragement every step of the way. Building my business taught me that in order to do so effectively, I would need to have the support from my family and friends, and in that area, I couldn’t be more fortunate.
As regards the everyday logistics of the business set up I happened to find that easy, I’m a very organized and business orientated person by nature, the social media side, proved to be a bit trickier. Launching my business in the era of social media was daunting. I am not a fan of being stuck on Facebook and I didn’t know the first thing about Instagram. But with some great mentorship and guidance, I definitely learned a lot and in a short space of time, I am now far more tech savvy than I was 3 years ago!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Born Free Birthing story. Tell us more about the business.
I am the owner of Born Free Birthing, I am a certified HypnoBirthing® Practitioner as well as a professionally trained Placenta Encapsulation Specialist serving the greater Houston area.
I am proud of how steady and fast my business has grown but honestly, I am most proud of the families I work with. They seek the best childbirth education through my HypnoBirthing® classes and go on to have beautiful postpartum recoveries through the professional placenta services I offer. Their drive and wisdom to seek more knowledge leading up to their births are admirable and frankly, I wish I had been as intuitive and smart in preparing for my first birth! For me, it’s all about the parents and the baby/babies involved, they are mine why!
What sets me apart?
I am honored to be among the best of the best birth workers Houston has to offer. My passion speaks for itself and every parent that takes a seat in my class gets great comfort knowing they will leave fully armed with the most up to date, evidence-based and comprehensive childbirth education on offer, taught by a dedicated and invested practitioner. As regards the 2nd side of my business, my placenta services, every client knows when they book me, they will receive a highly professional and discreet service conducted under the strictest of safety and sanitation protocols with a prompt turnaround time. My clients know their placenta is being processed by a thoroughly educated and experienced specialist who strives to maintain incredibly high standards.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Houston is seeing a lot of newer midwives come into the industry, as well as doulas and childbirth educators. This can only be a good thing for our birthing families as it gives them more of an option to choose their birthing team and prepare themselves for the birth they want, how they want, regardless of their geographical location.
It’s exciting to see more and more first time parents, in particular, choosing a birth facility based on education and actually interviewing care providers and seeking the best care for the mother and baby. Postpartum services are becoming more readily available also, postpartum doula’s, belly binding services, placenta encapsulation services and so on are now becoming the norm for many new families as are support groups for once baby has arrived. These are all such fabulous, much-needed additions to the birthing industry and will only thrive and expand as the year’s pass.
Pricing:
- Private one on one HypnoBirthing® Classes $595
- Placenta Services start at $250 for full pick-up and drop off services
- group HypnoBirthing classes $300
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bornfreebirthing.com
- Phone: 281-217-9294
- Email: bornfreebirthing@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bornfreebirthing
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bornfreebirthing
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/born-free-birthing-kingwood
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
