Giving birth can feel daunting even when you know exactly how the maternity system works. Add an unfamiliar healthcare system, different expectations and conversations happening in a language that is not your own and pregnancy can suddenly feel much more complicated.

For the founder of Born in Trust, Titia Kesteloot, that experience became the beginning of something life changing.

Her first daughter was born at home in the Netherlands, within a maternity system built around continuity of care and informed choice. She entered birth feeling prepared, supported and confident in her understanding of how the body works, partly due to the hypnobirthing course taken during pregnancy.

A few years later, she was pregnant again. This time, she was living in Spain.

Although her belief in birth had not changed, almost everything surrounding it had.

Titia needed to understand a different healthcare system, discover what choices were available and learn how to express her preferences in a language that was not her own. It showed her that preparing to give birth abroad involves far more than practising breathing techniques or writing a birth plan.

For English-speaking families living in Spain, preparation can also mean learning how an unfamiliar maternity system operates, understanding their rights and finding the confidence to ask questions.

“That experience made me realise that for many English-speaking expat parents, birth preparation is about far more than learning breathing techniques or creating a birth plan. It’s also about understanding the healthcare system they are entering, knowing what questions to ask, understanding their rights and feeling confident making informed decisions.”

That realisation led her to create Born in Trust, offering birth education and HypnoBirthing® courses specifically for English-speaking parents living in Spain and navigating a new maternity system.

From fearing birth to looking forward to it

Titia’s interest in birth education began long before her move to Spain.

During her first pregnancy, Titia’s expectations of labour had been heavily influenced by dramatic stories and television portrayals. Birth appeared frightening, painful and largely outside her control. Discovering hypnobirthing changed that.

For the first time, she began to understand what was actually happening during labour. She learned about birth physiology, the relationship between the mind and body and the decisions parents may be able to make throughout their care.

Fear gradually gave way to curiosity and confidence.

“Instead of dreading labour, I genuinely looked forward to meeting my daughter,” she recalls.

Her positive experience was not based on the belief that every detail would unfold exactly as expected. Instead, it came from feeling informed enough to respond to whatever happened on that journey.

“That experience didn’t just give me a positive birth; it changed my perspective. I realised that confidence doesn’t come from being told everything will go to plan. It comes from understanding what’s happening, knowing your options and trusting yourself to make informed decisions.”

That belief remains at the centre of her work today.

Born in Trust is not about telling parents what type of birth they should have. It is not about presenting one route as the right route or suggesting that a positive experience must look a particular way.It is about helping people understand their choices well enough to decide what matters to them, in a system that feels alien at times.

“I don’t believe parents need someone to make decisions for them. I believe they deserve clear, evidence-based information so they can make the decisions that are right for their own family. For me, that’s what this work is really about: helping parents replace fear and uncertainty with knowledge, confidence and trust – in the birth process, in their own instincts and in their ability to welcome their baby in a way that feels right for them.” says Titia.

Preparing for birth within an unfamiliar system

Moving to Spain gave Tita a new layer of understanding.

She already trusted her body and understood the birth process. What she did not yet understand was the system around her.

She needed to learn how maternity care worked in Spain, what her options were and how to communicate effectively with the people caring for her. It brought home just how vulnerable even a well-prepared parent can feel when the structures surrounding pregnancy are unfamiliar.

Many people who move abroad expect to encounter differences in language, food, culture and everyday life. They may be less prepared for the differences they discover when accessing maternity care, presuming that their home country’s attitudes and processes might be universally accepted.

Questions that might once have felt straightforward can suddenly become harder to answer. Who will provide their care? What normally happens during appointments? Which choices are routinely offered? How can they raise a concern or explain what is important to them?

Reliable information in English can be difficult to find, particularly information that reflects how maternity care actually works in Spain.

Titia’s unique idea was for Born in Trust to help bridge that gap.

Her Birth Preparation & HypnoBirthing® course combines evidence-based antenatal education with practical techniques designed to help parents approach birth with greater calm and confidence. The course also draws on Titia’s first-hand experience of pregnancy and birth in Spain, helping families feel more prepared for the system they will be entering.

But the aim is never to promise a perfect birth.

“My aim is to help families feel calm, informed and confident – not because everything will go according to plan, but because they understand their options and feel prepared for whatever direction their birth might take.”

The moment parents begin to trust themselves

Titia watches as one of the most meaningful parts of the work happens gradually over the course.

Parents often arrive feeling overwhelmed. Some are unsure which questions they should be asking. Others are frightened of making the wrong choice or quietly hope that somebody else will tell them what to do.

As they learn more, something begins to shift. They start to understand not only what may happen during birth, but how they can participate in decisions about their own care. They become more comfortable speaking to their healthcare providers and more able to recognise what kind of support matters to them.

“My favourite part of this job is seeing the shift in confidence,” Titia says.

Sometimes, parents decide they want to have a more detailed conversation with their care provider. Some reconsider the hospital or midwife they have chosen. Others simply feel more comfortable asking questions they might previously have kept to themselves.

The goal is never to push them towards a particular decision. It is to help them recognise that decisions exist.

“I love hearing couples say, ‘We feel ready now.’ Not because I’ve told them what choices to make, but because they understand their options and feel confident making decisions that are right for their family,” smiles Titia.

That confidence can remain valuable even when birth takes an unexpected turn.

Some of the most rewarding messages arrive after a baby has been born. Parents describe feeling calm and involved in what was happening, even when the birth itself looked different from the one they had originally imagined.

An unexpected shared language

There has also been an unexpected part of teaching these courses for Titia.

Although antenatal education naturally focuses on pregnancy and labour, she frequently sees couples become closer as they prepare. When both parents learn the same information, they gain a shared language for talking about birth. Conversations become easier and decisions begin to feel more collaborative.

This can be especially important for birth partners who are unsure what their role will be at the start of the preparations. Born In Trust courses change that.

Rather than standing at the side of the room unsure how to help, they begin to understand how they can provide practical and emotional support. They learn techniques alongside the pregnant parent and become active participants in the preparation process.

“The birth partner – who is so often the father – stops feeling like a bystander and starts feeling like an active, valued part of the birth.” says Titia.

Born In Trust courses are not only helping couples think about labour, but they are helping them to practise communication, teamwork and decision-making as they approach parenthood.

“By the end of the course, many couples tell me they feel much more connected and prepared, not just for the birth itself, but for welcoming their baby together.”

A wider support network for families in Spain

The vision for Born in Trust extends beyond the antenatal course. Titia hopes to make reliable, high-quality birth education more accessible to English-speaking families throughout Spain, including those who may not have suitable classes or support available locally.

She is working towards creating a self-study version of the Birth Preparation & HypnoBirthing® course, supported by live online sessions where parents can ask questions and meet other expectant families. This will further support English speakers living in Spain, whatever region they find themselves in.

She also hopes to build a network of trusted professionals across Spain, bringing together midwives, doulas, osteopaths, chiropractors, pelvic health specialists and other practitioners who share a respectful and evidence-based approach.

For parents living abroad, finding the right support can require hours of research, recommendations and hopeful internet searches. A trusted and recommended network could make that process far easier.

Finally there is an even bigger dream waiting in the wings:

“I’d love to one day host birth preparation retreats here in Spain – a place where expectant parents can slow down, connect with each other, prepare for birth and leave feeling informed, confident and excited about welcoming their baby.”

It is an idea that brings the story neatly back to where it began. Born in Trust grew from the contrast between two pregnancies, two countries and two very different maternity systems. It began with one mother realising that knowing how birth works is only part of feeling prepared. Parents also need to understand the environment in which they will give birth and feel able to make their voice heard within it, regardless of the language spoken.

For English-speaking parents preparing to welcome a baby in Spain, that knowledge can turn an unfamiliar system into something they feel ready to navigate. And that’s not because every uncertainty will suddenly disappear through taking the Born In Trust course, but because it helps people feel they no longer have to face it all alone.