Sarah and Aidan’s Birth
Next cab off the rank – Abigail (Abbie) Howes!
Born 28/12/25 (39w 4d), 9:35pm, 2.8kg, at Royal North Shore.
Our baby girl Sunday had entered the world (on Saturday) – I am in awe of the act of birth
Labour and birth went pretty much how Abbey had hoped (just a little bit faster). At the end of it all, I turned to the midwife and said, “That’s pretty textbook, yeah?” (However textbook birth can be). She laughed and said, “Even better – it doesn’t happen that fast in the textbook.” Of course, it had its fears, tears, and everything birth brings… just on an express timeline. Abbey’s ideal plan was to go naturally, only having induction or epidural if needed. After a few anxious trips to the Hospital throughout the week – including a perfectly timed chance-encounter with Calmbirth Karen – we settled on an induction date Tuesday the 22nd. But little did we know Sunny and Abbey had other plans.
The Calmbirth Weekend Experience In The Southern Highlands For Parents-to-Be
Calmbirth® in the Southern Highlands carries a proud family legacy, providing couples a transformative weekend program that blends practical tools, mindfulness, and the science of birth to empower every birthing journey.
Natural birth is culturally not acceptable but physiologically normal
The recent passing of Michel Odent has got me thinking about the legacy he has left behind; just how visionary, progressive, woman and midwifery centred he was. How passionate he was about physiological birth, for respecting and creating that safe and undisturbed space for the birthing woman and her partner. He is known for introducing water & birthing pools for labour and birth into hospitals and encouraging breastfeeding & skin to skin in the first 24 hours and he was the first to label oxytocin the hormone of love.
Dr Michel Odent reminded us that birth is not a medical process to be controlled, but a primal rhythm to be respected.
Leilia’s Birth Story – What birth taught me…
After a very positive and uneventful pregnancy, I was surprised to experience early labour symptoms for 3 weeks before our son’s arrival. The extensive early labour period was extremely mentally challenging and draining. However, I felt confident using the techniques I had learnt at Calmbirth to cope with the discomfort.