Getting To Know Calmbirth Educator Lauren Downie

26/05/2022 Lauren Downie

Lauren Downie is a GP Obstetrician working in Gippsland, currently based out of Warragul and is also a Calmbirth Educator.

She has been working as a doctor in Women’s Health for 10 years, across many different settings, including in General Practice, regional and rural hospitals and large, tertiary hospitals. Lauren is passionate about providing informed, holistic, individual-centred care to each person she looks after during their pregnancy and birthing journey; and she loves being able to then look after her patients postnatally and as they enter into parenting and beyond.

She says, “When pregnant with my own child, I attended a Calmbirth class, and I was so impressed and comforted by the amount of knowledge and practical, non-biased information that I, and my partner, received. I could see my partner’s confidence in attending a birth room was boosted and I could feel my own mindset become more confident and positive.

“Since then, I have always recommended the Calmbirth course to expecting couples, but noticed that there was a gap in availability in Gippsland – which is what spurred me on to become qualified. I am so excited about being able to impart this gentle confidence and calm to couples who are expecting; I want to be able to make a difference to the way couples approach birth and how they feel afterwards, as they welcome their baby to the world, regardless of the path their birth takes.

“I am passionate about providing care to all expecting couples, as I recognise that families are all different – LGBTQI+ families are very welcome”.

My name…Lauren Downie

I work as…Gladstone Street Medical Clinic and Warragul Hospital.

My life in five words…doctor, mum & weekend farmer.

The best thing about where I live…the space and the peace. I love listening to the animals around me as I get ready for work; and always love saying hello to them again as I get home.

What I do to relax when I’m not working…I love to work in my vegetable garden, and look after my animals. And of course, go on adventures with my husband and toddler.

I can’t live without…coffee and a good book.

The person or traits I most admire is…people who are calm and efficient in emergencies – there are so many wonderful role models that I’ve come across during my career; I admire the people who can enter a room and bring a serenity with them.

What I love most about being a Calmbirth educator...being able to provide birthing people with the knowledge that they need to make their own childbirth decisions. And being able to support their decisions by teaching them how to advocate for themselves within the healthcare system so that they feel empowered and powerful during their pregnancies and childbirth.

If I had to describe my own birth experiences in 3 words…transforming, calm, protected.

The 3 essential things you need to take with you into labour are…knowledge, confidence and trust in your birth partner/s.

My most memorable moment as Calmbirth® educator…getting an email from one of my first couples to let me know when they’d had their baby – it’s a thrill to know you’ve made a difference in the way a brand new human gets to enter the world.

If I had to describe how seeing a baby being born makes me feel...it’s completely addictive. Watching a woman bring a new child into the world is always awe-inspiring – it’s what brings us back to work every day.

You can follow me at…@drlaurendownie on instagram.

Check the Calmbirth website for my next Calmbirth classes.