Hello!

I’m Anna Demetriou, proud founder of This Mother Can.

I’m a mother, a teacher, a hypnobirthing instructor and a passionate advocate for positive birth – however the specifics unfold. I love being active, exploring Philly with my family (it’s such a great city in which to have small kids) and harbor a very guilty pleasure for Hallmark Holiday Movies - please don’t judge me!

I grew up in the UK, but moved from London to Philadelphia in 2014 when my husband was offered a great job opportunity here. We fell in love with the city, two years quickly became five, and in that time we’ve had two Philly-born daughters who have turned our world upside down!

My interest in birth began when I was pregnant with our first daughter in 2015. I practiced prenatal yoga, researched low-intervention birth options and found a wonderful doula who, along with my husband, supported me to have the unmedicated vaginal birth I had hoped for. But when I knew I was expecting again two years later, I felt surprisingly anxious. The outcome of my first birth was great, and I felt secure in my body’s ability to birth, but there were large chunks of the labor that I didn’t feel present for, that I couldn’t remember, and where I felt I had lost control. I wanted something more for my second birth.

Glowing reports from a number of British friends about hypnobirthing led me to find an online course with The Calm Birth School, and it was a real revelation. The foundations underpinning hypnobirthing were completely rooted in science (which was particularly reassuring for my sceptical husband), the delivery was very down-to earth and accessible, and having the focus of daily preparation through practicing breathing techniques, affirmations and guided visualizations gave me space to focus on the new baby whilst my time was otherwise consumed by an active toddler!

The work paid off, and I had a wonderfully calm birth experience, where I felt capable, confident and in control every step of the way. Being the first person to lay hands on our second daughter (she slipped past the midwife, who thankfully had the presence of mind to encourage me to be the first person to reach down and pick her up!) was an immense privilege and I felt total joy and pride in us both as I pulled her up to my chest. A moment to cherish forever!

The more parents I have met since becoming a mother myself, the more I have come to realize that unfortunately my experiences of birth are not necessarily the norm; but my second birth in particular was so transformational that I feel really passionate about spreading the word. This secret is too good to keep to myself! The philosophy of hypnobirthing that I subscribe to isn’t about the type of birth you have or the means of getting there; it’s about giving women the confidence to trust their body’s incredible natural abilities and empowering them to feel in control of their birth, no matter what twists and turns it may take.

And from that, This Mother Can was born!

I am thrilled to be bringing the Calm Birth Method of hypnobirthing to Philly, to have the opportunity to shout from the rooftops about positive birth and to support women and their birth partners in this wonderful way of preparing for birth. I look forward to meeting you and supporting you to grow both your confidence and community as you embark on the fantastically chaotic journey of parenthood!