Calmbirth® Courses on the Central Coast

 

Practical skills and knowledge for a calm, confident and empowered birth.

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Calmbirth®

Calmbirth® is a comprehensive pre-natal course combining evidence-based information about the birth process, care practices and practical strategies to work with your birth however this may unfold.

Gaining this deeper appreciation of the birth process enables many couples to shift from fear or anxiety to confidence and excited anticipation.

 

Your mind controls your body.

Your mindset has a powerful influence on the birth process, altering hormones and muscles depending on whether it is in a state of relaxation or tension. The practical strategies taught in your Calmbirth® course will support you in accessing deeper levels of relaxation and releasing fear to help you during pregnancy, birth and parenthood. Other methods to support the mind-body connection include breath work and visualisation.

Your partner or support person will leave with a toolkit of techniques to support you physically and emotionally, including massage, acupressure, positioning, advocating for you, and assisting you to remain focused and calm in your mind and body.

 

Preparing for all possibilities

Sometimes, despite the best preparation, medical intervention may be necessary. Knowledge of different care practices and strategies for informed decision-making is vital in addition to mind-body strategies. In fact, in these moments, maintaining relaxation and a focused mindset can become even more necessary for you and your baby.

Calmbirth® Childbirth Class Overview

The Calmbirth course involves information and practical skills. 

Gain a deeper appreciation of the birthing process, including how the body prepares for birth and how the muscles and hormones work. 

Discover the power of your mind and body during birth and how stress and relaxation impact the process.  

Prepare on a deep emotional level with guided meditations that will help you to release fear and anxieties and enable you to access deeper levels of relaxation. 

Assemble a toolkit of practical skills to use during  pregnancy, labour and beyond including; relaxation, visualisation, breathing techniques, massage, and acupressure.

Feel physically and emotionally supported by your partner during the birth as they use techniques to assist you to stay calm and focused and relieve tension or discomfort.

Develop knowledge of different medical interventions or care practices such as induction of labour, caesarean, pain relief options, fetal monitoring and vaginal examination to be able to make informed decisions about your care.   

Learn about the first hours after birth, including the first breastfeed and ways to support this time of transition for you and your baby.

Understand the benefits of gentle and responsive parenting practices to support your baby’s long term emotional development. 

Central Coast Calmbirth Class Schedule

Calmbirth® workshops are moving to Physiozest, Erina, from November 2024

Group Calmbirth Courses 2024- 2025

NOVEMBER        30th & 1st DECEMBER 9.00 am – 5.00 pm    3 SPACES LEFT

DECEMBER        14th & 15th, 9.00 am – 5.00 pm

JANUARY          11th & 12th 9.00 am – 5.00 pm

When you book a Calmbirth® course with us, you’ll also receive ongoing 1:1 phone or email support from Kate if needed, ensuring you have the guidance you need even after the course.

The cost of the group course is $ 550 per couple.

You can book via the link below, or if you prefer to pay a deposit with the balance due 2 weeks before your course, please send us an email.

Our courses are often booked out; please book early to avoid disappointment.

View our Cancellation Policy

Waiting List

Please email us if you would like to be notified of any last-minute availability.

 

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Private Calmbirth Courses
NOVEMBER 
  • Evenings sessions BOOKED OUT
  • Weekend sessions BOOKED OUT

DECEMBER 

  • Friday 20/12/24 from 4.30 pm
  • Weekend sessions BOOKED OUT

JANUARY 2025

  • Friday 3/1/ from 4.30 pm
  • Saturday 4/1 from 2.30 pm
  • Wednesday 8/1 from 4.30 pm
  • Friday 17/1 from 4.30 pm

 

About our Private Calmbirth Sessions

Private Calmbirth sessions are held in the comfort of your own home. They cover the same content as a group course but with the ability to have more in-depth discussions relating to your individual needs.

Evening sessions are run as four three-hour sessions. You can select weekly sessions or multiple sessions per week. This option is all about providing flexibility that fits your schedule.

If you would like a private Calmbirth course, please get in touch with me via email or phone to discuss possible dates.

The cost per couple is $ 850. To book your session, you may pay in full or secure your space with a deposit of $ 200; the balance is due two weeks before your course.

One-on-one sessions are limited to 1-2 couples per month and are often booked out in advance, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

 

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Testimonials

I couldn’t recommend The Calmbirth Course with Kate more highly! She is an incredible educator. She creates a beautiful and safe space to learn. My partner and I had no idea what to expect from the course but left feeling incredibly empowered and excited about the birth of our baby! Lee-Ann (Google Review)

Kate’s facilitation of the Calm Birth course was exceptional. Her style is warm, inclusive and empowering. Both my husband and I walked away from the course well-equipped with knowledge and excited for the journey ahead. Highly recommend! Tommi Gurl (Google Review)

Kate was an extraordinary facilitator of the calm birth course. This course far exceeded my expectations, and I recommend it to everyone preparing for birth. I feel confident, empowered, and informed about my upcoming birth, and I no longer feel worried and anxious, thanks to Kate. Crystal (Calmbirth Survey)

Kate was amazing! I was very nervous about the birth process, and Kate left me feeling like I could do this. I feel so much more informed about what we are about to go through. I highly recommend this course with Kate for all soon-to-be mums! It provides you with so many tools to get you as prepared as you can be. Marie (Calmbirth Survey)

Kate was wonderful and she gave me the skills and knowledge to feel empowered and in control of my birth. I can not recommend this course enough, Kate was lovely enough to stay back and answer our additional questions after the course. (Calmbirth Survey)

“We both got a lot out of this course. Kate was so helpful and supportive. My partner was apprehensive about attending; however got as much, if not more, out of it than me. I feel empowered to approach labour with a positive mindset rather than filled with anxiety.” (Calmbirth Survey)

We are now heading into birth feeling as prepared as we can be, armed with a lot of useful practical knowledge and with the confidence to ask for our birth experience to be the best experience for us. I would highly recommend this course. Kate was a wonderful presenter who made us feel wholly supported.

Steph and Scott (Zoom Calmbirth Course) 

Kate was highly knowledgeable of both the calm birth techniques but also the clinical reality of giving birth. Both my partner and myself now feel a lot more confident in bringing our little one into this ever-changing world. We would highly recommend this course!

Emma and Matt (Zoom Calmbirth course) 

We’re so grateful to Kate for making the Calmbirth course available virtually and for her ongoing support. It’s a scary time to be pregnant, but this course has made us feel confident, empowered and excited about our baby’s birth.We highly recommend this course to all couples expecting a baby.

Jane and Phil (Zoom Calmbirth course)

Begin your journey to a calm and empowered birth.

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Your Calmbirth® Questions

I am really nervous about my baby's birth. How can the Calmbirth® course help?
Many parents-to-be arrive at the course with some level of uncertainty or fear about their baby’s birth. As the course unfolds, it is amazing to watch as fear is replaced with confidence and understanding.

You will develop a tool kit of skills to reduce stress and fear during pregnancy and childbirth. The relaxation exercises will also assist you to prepare for birth on a deep emotional level. Find out more about how the Calmbirth program has helped thousands of couples to feel confident and informed about birth here.

Is there any research that has studied the benefits of Calmbirth® during childbirth?
The Calmbirth® program has been the subject of several research studies in recent years. In a private survey of Calmbirth®, 3800, women were surveyed 6-8 weeks after their baby’s birth between January 2008 and June 2013. Women were questioned about their feelings towards birth, the details of their birth, pain relief used and partner support.

The findings showed that couples had a high rate of satisfaction with the Calmbirth® course. 88% of couples rated the course 8 or more out of 10. There was a dramatic change in couples’ confidence levels following the course with 82% of women feeling confident to very confident about birth. In comparison, 50% of women felt anxious, frightened or very frightened before the course. Partners feelings towards birth also improved with 80% of partners feeling confident to very confident.

The types of birth were also explored. 76% of women birthed their babies vaginally, 13% required an emergency caesarean and 4% had a planned caesarean. Women were less likely to need pain relief than women who had not attended Calmbirth®. 46% of women used no pain relief, and 30% used gas only.

The findings revealed couples had a high level of satisfaction with the Calmbirth® program and approached their baby’s birth with feelings of confidence. There was a higher rate of vaginal birth, and a lower caesarean rate than mothers in the NSW Mothers and Babies report 2010. Also, the need for pain relief was lower in the Calmbirth® study compared to the women in the NSW Mothers, and Babies report 2010.

Similar findings have been identified in studies at The Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick and in a research project by the National Institute of Complementary Medicine. For more information, please see the Calmbirth website. 

 Calmbirth website. 

When is the best time to attend?
The ideal time your Calmbirth course is between 22 to 34 weeks of pregnancy. With the COVID situation I highly recommend attending the earlier side of this window to ensure that if you were unwell you could reschedule to a later course rather than missing out.  This also allows plenty of time to review the knowledge and practice the skills taught in your course. However, if there are reasons that prevent you from attending a course in this recommended window, it can still be highly beneficial to attend earlier or later. If you wish to discuss your circumstances with Kate, please contact her here.

Is there any research to support the Calmbirth® teachings?
The Calmbirth® program incorporates research from a variety of disciplines including obstetrics, midwifery, neuroscience and medicine. The program draws on the pioneering work of English obstetrician Grantley Dick-Read. Dr Read recognised a woman’s mindset approaching childbirth could have a powerful effect on how her body functioned during labour. He observed that the women who approached birth calmly and confidently understood the process and were able to relax their bodies. Current research now identifies how profound the mind-body connection is on the uterine muscles and hormones during childbirth.
Does Calmbirth® take the place of other birth classes?
The Calmbirth® program is an intensive course that will provide you with information and practical skills to mentally, practically and emotionally prepare for childbirth. There is some overlap with traditional birth classes such as exploring the stages of labour; however, the focus in Calmbirth® is on developing your skills to work with birth, including if medical assistance is required. These skills include relaxation, breathing techniques, massage and acupressure. There is also an emphasis on helping your partner or support person understand ho they can support you in labour.

If you would like information about caring for your baby in the early weeks and months, The Wonders Within also offers breastfeeding and preparation for parenthood courses. For more information, click here.

Is Calmbirth® only for couples planning a natural birth?
 Calmbirth® is a program that will assist you to feel psychologically, emotionally and physically for birth. It is not a prescription for a particular kind of birth. The skills you learn in your Calmbirth® course will be of great benefit regardless of whether you wish for a natural birth or require medical assistance, including a caesarean.
There are times when medical intervention is required. This is not a failure, and it does not need to be the end of your positive birth experience. In the Calmbirth® program, you will develop knowledge and skills to feel confident communicating with your care providers. You will also learn practical skills such as breathing, relaxation, massage and acupressure techniques that are beneficial even if medical intervention is necessary.
Can I claim a rebate for my Calmbirth class through my private health insurance?
Yes! Health insurance rebates are available with the following insurers depending on your level of cover; NIB, Australian Unity, GMHBA and GU Health.
Still unsure about something? Send Kate an email…