I would love to share with you my journey, and how that has led me to discovering my passion for Hypnobirthing and helping women to rediscover their innate core self. Hi, I’m Carly, and I’m so excited that you are here.
The birth of my first daughter in 2004, did not quite turn out as I thought it would. It wasn’t like the movies and I didn’t quite feel the euphoria I thought I would. I had an induction which began the cascade of intervention, resulting in a (what I felt at the time was an unnecessary) caesarean. I felt like I was taken on an unnerving ride where every decision was made FOR me instead of me being included and even ASKED what my preferences were. This led to a lot of research around childbirth, especially as I prepared for the birth of my second child not quite 2 years later. Whilst that also resulted in a caesarean, it was a totally different experience where I felt more in control, making decisions which worked for ME and my baby, not what was convenient for my caregiver. I WISH there was a program like Hypnobirthing Australia around at that time. What I discovered during my research was that the topics of pregnancy and childbirth lit a fire inside of me, I felt myself come alive. I loved everything I learned, and the more I learned, the more I WANTED to learn, it became a vicious yet beautiful cycle which resulted in me applying for entry into university to complete a Bachelor of Midwifery. It is a very demanding degree, taking up A LOT of personal time. My husband at the time was very supportive and helped where he could, but I realised during all this that we had grown apart and we eventually divorced.
I worked as a Registered Midwife in one of the main tertiary hospitals in Adelaide for almost 9 years, rotating through many different areas of the hospital. The biggest thing I noticed in that time was, the parents who had researched, were educated and prepared for the birth, with a positive mindset, flourished and thrived during labour and in the postnatal period. Whereas those who entered the process with fear and focused on negativity due to stories and beliefs ingrained from friends, relatives and society, often struggled with labour and coping with the newborn baby.
Not long after I began my career as a newly qualified midwife, I began a relationship which was initially lovely (love bombing in hindsight) but he turned to mentally, emotionally, spiritually, verbally abusing and controlling me. I found the strength to end it just over 2 years later. Those who have been in that situation, understand how hard that can be. Thankfully I can now reflect on that and see how much I have grown as a person since then and hence I am grateful for the experience and lessons I learned about myself.
It was mid-way through that abusive relationship that I began to notice strange symptoms in one of my eyes which I mentioned to my GP for 3 years before any action was taken. Eventually an MRI discovered that I had a Brain tumour (Right Jugular Foramen Meningioma) the size of a small egg sitting on my brain stem. 5 weeks later in Feb 2017, I was on the operating table for a 14 hour surgery to remove it. 3 days in ICU and another 7 on the ward before I was able to leave, then had to live with mum and dad for a few weeks as I was still unable to care for myself for various reasons.
I spent the next 2 years off work as I healed through the many physical, mental and emotional aspects of what I had experienced. During this time I began to awaken to a different way of living. I journeyed through what some call “The dark night of the soul”. I questioned my existence, my purpose, the reason for life itself. I reconnected with my own soul and spirituality and began to make life choices based on what I, myself wanted, and not what “Society” dictated what I was supposed to do and what I’d been “programmed” to do. I began researching and learning a lot about alternative ways of healing and how (and why) ancient healing techniques had changed over the years into what we are recommended by mainstream healthcare now.
I returned to work for a year and then Covid hit. Towards the end of 2021 I stepped away from the hospital environment as it was no longer in alignment with my personal values and beliefs. I spent months of annual and long service leave trying to determine what my new path in life was going to be. I took an office job for 18 months and during this time I began diving into the world of self-development. As I began to strip away the programming, healing my inner child and shining light on my shadows, I felt a new me slowly emerging, free from the shackles and chains of what I had perceived everyone else expected of me.
The more I stepped into this new empowered version of me, I began to feel the authenticity and freedom to be my true self. My spirituality grew and through mediation, breath-work, self-development and plant medicine ceremonies, I was reconnected to my authentic desire of being “with woman”, or in modern language “A Midwife”. I felt the call of all the little souls out there, waiting to come to this earth. I suddenly had a passion and desire to create a beautiful, high vibrational environment to welcome these new special souls who are wanting to be born at this time of evolution into our world. I wanted to show the birthing mother how to reconnect with herself and her baby, allowing them both to work together for the positive birth outcome they desire, to create the calm empowered birth of their dreams. The desire grew to help them to remember the sacred lineage of birth, that women have experienced through the ages, to remember just how powerful we women are. We are literally a portal, a bridge, for which souls travel from heaven to earth!
I also felt a new found desire to connect with other women, to empower other women, to help them become the greatest version of themselves, just as I was experiencing. The more this desire to connect and empower others grew, the more I began to realise I had to create those spaces to bring women together, to connect, and to share everything I had learned; Hence Portal 2 Life was born.
Carly Noble is an experienced midwife and Hypnobirthing Educator based in Adelaide.
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