Five tips to prepare for parenthood…

by |

Are you expecting a baby and feeling unprepared for birth and parenthood? You aren’t alone.

For many women growing up in Western culture, childbirth has been removed from our lives. The medicalisation of birth, unnecessary interventions, and breastfeeding not being valued, has often left women feeling unsupported. Too often in our society the physical component of birth is the sole focus, and the shift needs to be on the mind- body connection, and the social, emotional and spiritual aspects. Birth and parenting will often flow with ease when more than just the physical process is considered.

So how can you prepare and have a positive experience?

Here’s 5 tips for birth, and a smoother birth and transition into parenthood.

5 natural pain relief options for labour…

by |

Would you expect to feel your body working hard if you ran a marathon? For sure!

And more than likely you would educate yourself, and be physically and mentally prepared on how to manage.

It would be hard and probably impossible to just rock up and run 42km with no education or preparation and have a positive experience?? You could argue that labour and birth are no different!

Just as you can expect to feel the ‘normal’ physiological pain from running, you can expect with the uterine contractions of labour functional, physiological pain. So if you are well prepared you can definitely have a positive (and drug-free if you wish) labour and birth journey.

As a Midwife caring for labouring women for many years and teaching couples the Calmbirth® Childbirth Education program let me share my top 5 natural pain relief alternatives that can help you during labour.

Chiara’s Positive Birth

by |

I was recommended the Calmbirth course by quite a few of my friends. The best testimony I received was from a male colleague of mine who found the course super helpful in supporting his wife during her labour. I was pregnant with my daughter in 2020 and due to the pandemic all the regular birth classes were no longer available but I still wanted hubby and I to feel prepared and ready for labour and birth.

Like most people I was really anxious about giving birth because I heard a lot of stories from well meaning friends of when things didn’t go so well during their labour.

Empowered, Listened to & Respected – The Birth of Naomi Ruth

by |

My whole labour and birth experience was the most amazing experience I could have ever imagined. I was so empowered, listened to and respected. I am not hesitating at all to recommend to anyone to do the calmbirth course.

I first heard about Calmbirth when my sister in law and her husband did it in the lead up to having their first child in February this year, when I was pregnant with my second. They were saying how good it was, and my thoughts were yeah ok, let’s see if you still say that after bub is born, very pessimistic, I know. Fast forward to her enduring a 3-day labour and giving birth to their beautiful son, and her declaring that the Calmbirth techniques were what helped her through it with minimal pain relief.

Getting to know Calmbirth Educator Natalie Grinbergs

by |

We are so excited to announce and introduce our fabulously talented Midwife and Calmbirth Educator, Natalie Grinbergs, who will be teaching for us at Southern Highlands Calmbirth and joining Director Karen McClay and Jenna Troy. Natalie Grinbergs is a Registered Midwife (RM), Child and Family Health Nurse, and Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), and has worked with women and their families for over 15 years.Despite already being a midwife, Natalie and her partner also did the Calmbirth program to help prepare her for her own birth and found Calmbirth an invaluable learning experience. She says, “the Calmbirth® knowledge and skills, in particular learning how the mind-body connection affects birth, increased my trust in my body, and enhanced my partner’s ability to support me throughout labour and birth. Welcoming our child into the world was such a calm and joyful adventure, and it is my wish that every couple could experience this kind of empowering birth.”

Book Now