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Getting To Know Calmbirth Director, Educator and Midwife Karen McClay

Educators

As we have so many new followers I thought I’d re introduce myself especially since we are having a milestone birthday this year and turning 20!

Twenty years of informing, supporting and empowering birthing families across Australia and abroad.

 

I’m Karen McClay and as the Director of Calmbirth and a midwife myself, I am honoured to continue my father’s vision of exchanging the feeling of fear into trust.  We strive to make our Calmbirth program accessible to as many birthing couples and caregivers as possible. One of the ways we achieve this is by offering Calmbirth as part of the antenatal offerings in maternity hospitals, providing couples with a choice in accessing quality & evidence based childbirth education.

We also prioritize educating midwives, caregivers, doulas, and allied health professionals about the importance of language and creating a safe space for birthing couples. Through our Calmbirth Mind-Body-Birth Connection Workshops conducted in hospitals and via Zoom, we empower professionals to support couples on their birthing journey.

At Calmbirth, we believe in collaboration and forming strategic alliances with expert and evidence-based organizations in the birthing and parenting fields. Additionally, we host the Calmbirth Conversation Podcast, which helps pregnant couples make informed decisions for their pregnancy, birth, and parenting journey.

Ultimately, our goal is to rewrite and retell the narrative of birth, empowering women, and their partners worldwide to trust their instincts and create the best birth experiences for themselves and their babies. We emphasise the importance of surrendering to the birth process, regardless of how it unfolds. Through informing, supporting and empowering birthing families in our Calmbirth program  and sharing positive birth stories and experiences, we are actively transforming birth culture.

I work at…I am Owner and Director of the Calmbirth organisation, a Calmbirth Educator and Midwife in my spare time.

 

What I love most about being a Calmbirth Educator…What I love most about being a Calmbirth Educator is seeing the positive effect that our program has, not only on birth outcomes but the lives and relationships of the couples we work with.

 

My life in five words…Crazy busy, yet amazingly fulfilling!!

 

What I love about where I live…The beauty of its seasons and the lifestyle I can have for my family.

 

The three essential things you need to take with you into labour are…Belief in yourself, your body, your baby & your partner. Tools to help with labour not just physically but also emotionally. A partner &/or support team that believes in you and knows how to protect your birth space.

 

What I do to relax when I’m not working is…I am a movie buff. I love being with my family and being by the ocean.

 

If I had to describe my own birth experience in three words I would describe as…Empowering, powerful, fulfilling.

 

My Most memorable moment as a Calmbirth Educator is…I have so so so many!! The stories and feedback that I receive about how our program has helped couples in so many different ways is why I keep doing what I do so passionately.

 

I can’t live without…My family.

 

The person I admire most is…My Dad because without his wisdom and belief in women and their partners, Calmbirth would not exist.

 

The best advice I ever got in my life was…“If you let them – every mother will teach you something” (Michel Odent) and they absolutely do!.

 

You can follow @southernhighlandscalmbirth

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