Mums-to-be and their birth partners can benefit from tips and techniques to enrich their birth experience when the highly-acclaimed Calmbirth education program begins at Nepean Hospital at the end of February.

Nepean Hospital is the only hospital in Western Sydney currently offering this well-regarded childbirth education program.

“Calmbirth gives women and caregivers the tools to promote positive birth, decrease stress and empower women by instilling them with confidence during birth,” says Nepean Hospital Clinical Midwifery Consultant, Justine Elliott.

“Midwives highly value the education the program provides women and we believe Calmbirth will be of real bene t to the expectant parents we care for.”

As a girl I grew up exposed to mainstream media in which birthing women on TV or in the movies were always portrayed to be screaming, swearing at their partners, and huffing and puffing whilst squeezing their partner’s hands so tightly, and pushing their babies out so hard that I thought that they would both pass out! Even today, with everything we know about birth, these prevalent stereotypical images become deeply ingrained in us as individuals, and in our culture, influencing our beliefs and perceptions of labour and birth –  planting seeds of fear and doubt around giving birth.

But not all births are like that and nor do they have to be!