The Birth Lounge

In Episode 22 of "The Birth Lounge" we go beyond birth and learn from a truly passionate individual, sharing her wisdom in the MUST have's of all things parenting. Truly insightful......

About Genevieve

Obstetric Social Worker and Parent Educator at the Mater hospital in Sydney, Tuning into Kids & Circle of Security International facilitator for numerous organisations, and also a mother to four beautiful boys Genevieve is passionate about helping families in Sydney and beyond adapt to the modern parenting world and all its challenges and not only survive but thrive.

Genevieve also works privately with clients worldwide, and has just launched an online course ‘AndThen There Were Two’ – Helping parents navigate the transition from one child to two.

 Instagram: @connectedparentingau

Website: https://www.connectedparenting.com.au/

Join the Connected Parenting Private Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/234379127616907

Sign up to get monthly parenting gems into your inbox: https://connected-parenting-e34f.mykajabi.com/contact and join Connected community. 

Meet the amazing Kelli Johnson. We had such a wonderful opportunity to learn who she is and her inspired vision and mission for birthing women.

Let's introduce this incredible heart centred birth professional -

Kelli is labor delivery nurse and strong patient advocate in Kansas who has a passion for helping laboring mothers get the most out of their birth experience. Having had two different hospital birth experiences herself (one hands on and one hands off/patient driven), Kelli wants mothers to know they can have a positive birth experience as well as have 100% control in their birth. Kelli also works hard to help implement change in the hospital setting.  She hopes to one day help drive down the c-section rate as well as educate as many people as possible on how position changes during labor can help decrease cascade of interventions. When not working Kelli enjoys spending her free time with her husband and children.

Want to connect with Kelli?

Find her on instagram @ kellithelabornurse

https://instagram.com/kellithelabornurse?igshid=17xj8ize7igel

Meet the amazing Lauretta Hamilton on Episode 20 of "The Birth Lounge"
www.ibirthprofessionals.com/the-birth-lounge

Hello Lovely ones,
Thank you for coming here - I’m Lauretta and I have trouble writing things without making it an essay!

I’ve got a lot to say and share, and a whole heap of passion for birth preparation and supporting women & families!I’m a mum, a midwife and lover of connecting with people!
I’ll start by sharing a little of my own story and what led me here….
I love being a midwife, I put my heart into caring for the women and families I meet and I enjoy working in all areas of antenatal care, labour ward and postnatal. But I also felt frustrated at times because although I know the impact & benefits of a supportive, knowledgeable midwife, there is a limit to how much education and preparation we can do when we meet women on birth suite already in labour.

So I knew I wanted to do something to create more of an impact BEFORE I met women on their B day, so I began researching how I could do that!

And that’s how I discovered Calmbirth, I attended the course while I was pregnant with my first daughter.

Being a midwife and going into my own birth…

I knew I had a lot of ‘stuff’ or baggage that I was carrying around with me, experiences from what I’d witnessed as well as my own beliefs around my body and what it could do.

I had a lot to work on, a difficult pregnancy and health issues meant I didn’t have a lot of belief in myself and what my body COULD do.

I knew about the physiology of what happens in labour – but there’s only so much you can fit into a degree and I needed to go deeper, to look at ways I could prepare myself and my part midwife husband for our birth.

Doing the Calmbirth course helped me to work through my fears, add to my knowledge of mindset and practical tools so I could work WITH my body, and have confidence I could do it.

It’s SO important to understand these facets and its why birth preparation needs to be more than just the mechanics of the process.

“Our bodies know how to birth and our babies know how to be born, sometimes it’s our minds that get in the way…”

My mindset overcame the initial beliefs and doubts I had, I let go of the fear and embraced the power.And WOW, power is one of the words I would use to describe both of my births! The others would be challenging, intense but SO freaking empowering!

I now have two beautiful little girls (makes me smile just thinking about that..) and honestly the experience’s I’ve had have helped me overcome many challenges knowing that I did that!

I would love to connect and share all that I have learnt & experienced with you, I want ALL women to feel empowered by their births, to go into parenting in the most positive way, for their own and their family’s wellbeing.

My other passion is helping you prepare for postpartum – the important but often forgotten about fourth trimester. This stage is crucial and there is so much we can do to plan and prepare to that it can be a time of rest, nourishment and recovery. That’s why I created the ‘Beyond the Birth’ class. You can read more about that on the services page.

You might prefer to connect with me 1:1, I love to support those of you who might need to debrief your birth, have someone listen or discuss specifics for your situation, find resources or help you with birth or postpartum planning… whatever you need, please get in touch and I can help you decide which service will fit your needs.
But however you choose to prepare for your birth and postpartum – please invest in yourselves, your birth and your baby’s, I promise it will be so very worth it!

Much love,
Lauretta
OMP Educator, Midwife, Nurse & Calmbirth Educator
www

Welcome to episode 19 of "The Birth Lounge" from ibirthprofessionals

Meet the incredibly REAL and genuine couple, Dale & Amy White from the Sunshine Coast as they open up and share 2 very different birth experiences.

Hear what they have to share and what you are about to discover for yourself by being privvy of this incredible conversation.

"We go into detail on lessons learnt and the tools they used to go from an extremely traumatic first birth to what Amy describes as “the  single best experience” of her life in her second birth.

Amy is now very passionate about helping other mothers avoid the same mistakes she felt she made and hopes her story helps as many mothers as possible have empowering and easy births."

www.optimalmaternalpositioning.com

Optimal Maternal Positioning for parents program ---> Click Here

In episode 18 we meet this warm gentle and nurturing soul....Hui Tze. Let us introduce her below.

Hi, I’m Hui Tze. The two very different postpartum journeys I personally experienced made me realise that having the right support and knowledge is crucial for anyone to have a good postpartum experience. My very own journeys also motivated me to want to help other new parents.  And this led me into the wonderful world of postpartum doula-ing and baby massage! The joy & satisfaction derived from supporting new families has inspired me to delve deeper and I’m currently studying to become an IBCLC.

I also love teaching baby massage to parents.  The IAIM programme is excellent as it promotes love & empathy, communication, one-to-one quality time, nurturing touch, and sense of respect. In addition, it provides relief and stimulation to the baby’s brain and health systems, allowing your baby to grow well.

The parenthood journey can often be overwhelming for first time parents, but just remember that we don’t have to go through the challenges alone! With the right support and information, you will be able to enjoy the time with your baby better!

For more info on my postpartum support:
https://www.fourtrimesters.com/postpartum-doula-services
And what parents say about me:
https://www.ibirthdoulas.com/doula/ong-hui-tze


More information about my baby massage classes:
https://www.fourtrimesters.com/baby-massage
https://forms.gle/4QgBUJeJZUGPJfPu9
https://fb.me/babymassagewithhuitze


With love & respect,
Hui Tze
Certified Postpartum Doula (ibirthprofessionals, DONA)
Certified Infant Massage Instructor (IAIM)

Hi, I am Pip Wynn Owen and I am most proud to call myself is a Certified Childbirth and Early Parenting Educator and a NDC (Neuroprotective Developmental Care) Accredited Health Professional because what I most want to do in my work is help parents have the best possible birth and early parenting experience they can.I am also immensely proud of being a Mum of 4. Not just because they are all awesome but because I have learnt so much from becoming their mum.
I started my career as a registered nurse which I loved (especially as I got to travel and work around Australia and the UK) and thought I would never want to be anything else. But after the birth of my first baby, with an incredible midwife in Porirua New Zealand, I decided I had to be a midwife.

And then it was the birth of my fourth child, my first with an obstetrician in the private system, that propelled me to create an independent childbirth education service.

I have always been committed to being the best educator I can be.  This is why even though I was a registered midwife I did Childbirth Education Training with Birth International in 2004, HypnoBirthing – Mongan Method Training in 2012, Hypnobirthing Australia™ Training in 2013 and NDC Accreditation in 2019.  I have always said it is this extra (and up to date) training that makes me the educator I am today, not my midwifery training.

To be really honest, I am quite horrified at some of the things I was taught to do during my midwifery training, and I do worry about the harm I may have done to women’s birthing and early motherhood experiences and their breastfeeding journeys. However, I often remind myself of the wonderful Maya Angelou quote: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." I  now know better so I am dedicated to doing so much better.

One thing I do so much better now is understanding that although I have done all this training and keep up to date with the latest research, I know I am not the expert on any individual woman’s body, on any individual baby or any particular family. I now know it is my job to share my knowledge on birth, breastfeeding, and babies in general so that individual parents have the confidence to make their own decision in their unique circumstances.

I also believe in educating and encouraging midwives of the future to do better and as such I am a Guest University Lecturer and Speaker at Study Day’s and Conferences.

And, because I am older and know better (or maybe just thicker skinned), I am now prepared to speak out and call for all birth and early parenting professionals to do better. So, I never shy away when asked to comment on these issues, or make appearances on National Radio and TV, or write opinion pieces for national newspapers. It is not good enough to keep doing what we were taught during our training (especially if that was over 20 years ago). The evidence is clear.  We do know what is better for women, babies, and families now, so it is time we all did better for them.
Want to connect with Pip? Find her at.....
https://www.facebook.com/BirthSavvy
https://birthsavvy.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/PerthHypnobirthing

Dr. Sarah Buckley's Report On the Hormonal Physiology Of Childrearing
Why things hurt: Prof Lorimer Mosley
Matrescence: A new way to think about the transition to motherhood: Alexandra Sacks
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2745875

Meet the wonderful Kit & Shradha.

Based in Singapore, this wonderful couple share the insights and experience of an unplanned home birth. So many wonderful things to learn from their captured story.

www.ibirthprofessionals.com/the-birth-lounge

Meet the AMAZING Jules Brooks in Episode 15 of ibirthprofessionals "The Birth Lounge

Jules Brooks is a Doula, Calmbirth Educator and Birth Counsellor.  She has worked for 20 years supporting hundreds of couples as a Doula and educator.  She does private consultations in person in Melbourne or via Zoom doing birth de-briefing, birth plans, birth options and anything to do with birth.  She is the Mum of 3 young adults who were the inspiration for her work in the birth world.

www.birthworkshops.com.au

www.birthwithjules.com.au

www.aboutbirth.com.au 

Meet the incredible Sophie Jeffries. Sophie is a qualified postpartum doula, pilates instructor, shiatsu therapist, and mother of two young children.

She is passionate about supporting women and their bodies throughout the birthing years and is especially keen on providing nurturing bodywork and restorative movement to help women befriend and restore their body with kindness and respect.

Sophie teaches mother centred pilates in Melbourne and online, and attends women in their home after the birth of their beautiful baby as a postpartum doula and shiatsu therapist.

Join her amazing FREE support for movement for mama's

https://www.facebook.com/groups/PilatesforMothers
OR

Connect with Sophie @

https://bearingwonder.com/

https://www.facebook.com/bearingwonder

https://www.instagram.com/bearingwonder/

Meet the incredible Gemma Wilson. In this episode we tap into her wisdom and passion for serving women to be empowered through a positive birth experience.

Let's get Gemma to introduce herself:

Hi I'm Gemma

As a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator and Birth Doula, I feel that I have a crucial role to play in helping women understand how birth really can be and helping to empower and educate them to have the birth they want.

I am a mum to two beautiful children, they constantly amaze me and not only have they changed my world, but they also led me towards the path of birth. 

The birth of your children are moments that stay with you for the rest of your life. I remember the day when my babies entered the world, I remember being proud, empowered, amazed, in wonder and awe of what I had just done. My body made these tiny humans and I gave birth to them. It’s the most incredible, overwhelming, emotional and inspiring time in a woman’s life.

I am passionate about helping mothers regain their connection to their innate ability to give birth. I want to offer mothers a new way of looking at birth that will lead them from fear to freedom, that will give them knowledge to make informed decisions, help them feel empowered and understand that they have choices and most importantly that they feel confident giving birth.

I’ve learnt a great deal about pregnancy and childbirth from personal experience and from my training to become a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) with Tanya Strusberg of Birthwell Birthright. 

Lamaze International is the most respected, trusted and recognised credential in childbirth education certification worldwide.

Being able to teach childbirth education courses and support expectant women and their partners by helping them build their confidence for what is, without a doubt, the most wondrous and awe-inspiring moment in a their life is something that a truly value.

Gemma Wilson - Birthability Director & Owner
LCCE - Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator & Birth Doula

Lamaze Australia - Markerting Director & Board Of Directors

You can connect with Gemma at

The additional links would just be:

Website: - www.birthability.com.au

Instagram : - https://www.instagram.com/birthability_birth_education/

Facebook : - https://www.facebook.com/BirthabilityLamazeChildbirth

Lamaze website: - www.lamazeaustralia.com