Getting To Know Calmbirth Educator Denise Round

Denise Round is a midwife, Calmbirth Educator and so much more. Her passion about pregnancy, birth and beyond, has led her to having a career that has spanned across all fields of Midwifery, Child & Family Health, Lactation Consultancy, Education; as well as working with and supporting new families as they transition and grow into their role as parents.

Denise says, “I believe that when a baby is born, so is a mother; and that this incredible transformation unfolds throughout birth .

“When women and their partners are given the knowledge and understanding of how the mind and body are connected; and how they can access and work with their inner recourses, they approach birth free from fear, no matter how it unfolds. They can then work together physically, spiritually and emotionally to meet their baby ,and travel together through their right of passage into parenting with love  and joy.”

My name…My name is Denise Round.

I work…at Hawkesbury Community Health and hold a variety of roles such as Child & Family Health Nurse, Young Parent Nurse, Antenatal Educator and from time to time work on the mIdwifery at Home Program.

I have had my own Calmbirth Practice ( Blue Mountains Calmbirth) since 2009 and am also the Educator at Nepean Hospital for Calmbirth.

I was the original Educator for Calmbirth at the Royal Hospital For Women at Randwick (which was the first hospital in Australia that took the program on), and was honoured to have been given such a privilege to teach there until 2019.

I also am the Founder and Director of Parenting for Life, which is a parenting program that I teach at the Royal Hospital for Women at Randwick, as well as in the Blue Mountains.

My life in five words…fulfilled, purposeful, happy, interesting, adventurous.

The best thing about where I live...being able to really enjoy the change in the seasons, the serenity and the incredible scenery of the Blue Mountains.

What I do to relax when I’m not working...I love to immerse myself in a good book, gardening and going for walks.

I can’t live without…chocolate !!!

The person or traits I most admire is…empathy, compassion, and loyalty.

What I love most about being a Calmbirth educator...seeing the growth, connection and empowerment of couples as they go through the course.

The 3 essential things you need to take with you into labour are…trust in your body and your baby that both of you know how to do this.The inner resources that you learned about in the Calmbirth course and consequently rehearsed over and over, so that they become the library book that your mind will tap into during labour and birth confidence and trust in your partner/ support person who is invested in you and your baby, and will be the best advocate for the three of you

My most memorable moment as Calmbirth® educator…My most memorable moment as a Calmbirth Educator was when I was contacted by a couple after one of my classes at RHW Randwick. I was on the train travelling back to the Blue Mountains when I received a text message saying that she had just birthed their baby 45 minutes after finishing the course!  She said that she didn’t even know that she was in labour until her membranes ruptured when they were in the carpark ready to go home. When they went upstairs to the birthing suite and was assessed, the Midwife asked her how long she had been pushing!

A favourite quote is…May your choices reflect your hopes and not your fears (Nelson Mandela).

If I had to describe how seeing a baby being born makes me feel…I feel extremely emotional at being given the honour to be present with a couple during their sacred moment when they welcome a new life into their world.

You can follow me at…@bluemountainscalmbirth

My next Calmbirth courses for the Southern Highlands are on the:
3rd & 4th September

My next Calmbirth courses for the Nepean Hospital are on the:
20th & 21st August
17th & 18th September
29th & 30th October
19th & 20th November
17th & 18th December

And she also teaches in the Blue Mountains:
13th & 14th August
10th & 11th September
15th & 16th October
12th & 13th November
3rd & 4th December