The one million dollar question we get asked every day since the COVID -19 restrictions came into place is, “When will Calmbirth be resuming face to face antenatal classes?” I wish the answer was that simple that we could give you a definite answer. Even with ‘talk’ of some restrictions being eased off, we still have to practice social distancing within a classroom environment. Here is the latest recommendations and guidelines from The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, that face to face antenatal courses are not recommended. So, don’t delay booking your Calmbirth ZOOM course and empowering yourself with knowledge and confidence to prepare for your birth because it looks like ZOOM will be here to stay for a while.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, that face to face antenatal courses are NOT recommended :
Changes to routine pregnancy care, that have been suggested, but are not limited to, include:
Reducing, postponing and/or increasing the interval between antenatal visits
Limiting time of all antenatal visits to less than 15 minutes
Using telehealth consultations in Australia or New Zealand as a replacement, or in addition to, routine visits
Cancelling face to face antenatal classes
Limiting visitors (partner only) while in hospital
Considering early discharge from hospital
Minimise risk of neonatal complications by avoiding early planned birth unless clearly clinically indicated
Here are a few testimonials from Calmbirth couples who have participated in our Calmbirth ZOOM course during COVID-19.
My partner and I were not sure about doing the Calmbirth course through Zoom, but we weren’t disappointed one bit! Karen was absolutely amazing and we feel she covered everything possible that will help us prepare for and during our birth & afterwards. She was so welcoming and made us feel as if we were in the room with everyone. We are so excited to incorporate everything we have learnt into our birth, and feel soo much more confident, especially my partner he feels better knowing his role and how he can really help me through it. There is nothing we would have wanted to change with the course, it absolutely exceeded our expectations. Thankyou so, so much Karen, we can’t wait to announce the arrival of our little one.
Laura & Grant.
“This past weekend Ryan and I got to participate in the Calmbirth course via the zoom platform. This course was so empowering and informative that we now have this huge tool box of knowledge to head into our next part of this pregnancy excitedly. Doing this from the comfort of our own lounge room was actually amazing and definitely do not feel we missed out on anything, in fact we both agree that there were many positives to this. We were in our own space, we were able to interact with each other affectionately and get that oxytocin going (your best friend in labour), but also we were able to interact with the other couples and beautiful educator, Karen, who is a passionate midwife. I have had many moments in the past few months of fear and anxiety around our baby’s birth. These stemmed from not knowing what to expect, preconceived expectations, beliefs, social conditioning etc. This course is also great for your support partner. It provides them with tools and knowledge to assist during labour, birth, and afterwards. I’d happily recommend this course to anyone, especially any couple who is expecting during covid-19.
“We both left feeling like we understand what is ahead of us now, but we are also very much looking forward to our baby’s birth.”
Peta & Ryan”
“Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, insights, experience and above all for your positive approach to birth. We thoroughly enjoyed the Calmbirth zoom course and will recommend it to all our pregnant friends. Being first time parents we wanted to gain an understanding of the birthing process and how to best prepare. We can honestly say we are walking away armed with a toolkit and feeling prepared to tackle the birthing journey with confidence. We were a bit hesitant about using Zoom, however this worked much better than we expected and allowed us to have a class room feel in the comfort of our home.
“Thank you for your warm approach Karen, we also really valued the factual data shared throughout the course, we feel confident and at ease to bring our little one into the world. “
Jess and Luis
“We Want to Thank you for such an amazing Calmbirth course. I have to admit we were a bit hesitant about completing the course online, as we feared we would miss out on the interactive experience that a face to face course allows, but you exceeded our expectations. The Calmbirth ZOOM course was absolutely brilliant and your ability to keep us all engaged and motivated from the comfort of our own homes was fantastic.
“Karen, you are a wonderful presenter and I love how committed you were to all the sound effects including moans, groans and possible words that may present in labour. I hope you know how much we enjoyed your Calmbirth course and how much knowledge we gained form it. We have been and will continue to recommend this course to everyone. “
Teneille & Brenton
“It was at the Calmbirth course that I learnt that I needed to be my own advocate so if anything didn’t feel right to speak up. I can’t thank Jen enough – with all of the worse case scenarios that played out during labour and birth, I didn’t feel stressed in the moment — I felt fully focused on the job at hand! That empowerment and strength came from the techniques learned at Calmbirth”.
“The Calmbirth course was excellent. There was no way I would have had the birth experience I did without it. The meditations – I listened to them daily and listened to one as I transitioned and birthed my baby – she was born as the track ended. Thank YOU Calmbirth.”
“Our Calmbirth experience was extremely positive and the knowledge gained has given us the confidence we hoped for. We have a more educated awareness around how to prepare for the birth of our baby, how to make informed decisions, and more of an idea as to what to expect in the process of labour, birth and thereafter. We were unsure if we would be disadvantaged completing the course via an online platform, however, after doing so, we felt it was extremely effective and in no way limiting – we were grateful to be able to do it in the comfort and convenience of our own home!”
“Our Calmbirth educator was Emmy Rega -Sutherland Hospital. She did an excellent job at keeping everyone engaged and explaining all concepts via an online platform. I didn’t feel like we missed out due to not being able to complete the course in person. We learnt so much and both feel so much more empowered and prepared. Would highly recommend this course to anyone. Thank you so much!!!”
“Susan was so welcoming and accommodating, even if we had to do our classes via Zoom. James and I thoroughly enjoyed the course and learnt so much on how when it comes to the birth not to have fear and just remain calm – both mum and dad. We loved the relaxation exercises and how to utilise them not just in birth but our every day lives as well. James and I both feel calm and prepared to do this journey in the next couple of weeks! Thank you!”
“I was incredibly sceptical of completing the Calmbirth course via Zoom with the potential for technological glitches and a lack of personal face to face connection but I really feel Lucy our Calmbirth Facilitator nailed it. The software worked perfectly and I don’t feel we lost too much through the use of Zoom if anything at all. In fact, in talking to my husband Nick I think we actually preferred it as we felt more comfortable being in our own space especially for the likes of the meditation sessions – and because it’s near impossible to keep Nick sitting still at the best of times! So to be able to move about freely when needed was a blessing. The course content was so practical and informative, and Lucy’s initiative to invite other Industry Professionals on the call at various points allowed us direct access to other points of view as well as the ability to ask questions with first hand responses specific to the individuals training, experience and skill sets. We would highly recommend both Lucy and the Calmbirth Program to help couples navigate what could be an extra anxious period without education such as this to ease our concerns and to provide us with the techniques and information which will hopefully see us have a positive birthing experience in a few weeks’ time. “
Karen’s next available Calmbirth courses are on the:
30th & 31st May 6th & 7th June 13th & 14th june
Book any Calmbirth course before the 31st May to receive your 30% discount.
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