Doula
I am so fortunate and honoured to have met and learnt from Ginny Phang-Davey from iBirth Professionals, who shares her knowledge and experience with us on how to use the basic OMP PROTOCOLS during pregnancy, labour and birth for a better birth experience. The great thing about Ginny is she is so authentic about these...
I just wanted to put down some words to share my experience, love and respect for Vicki, Doula Extraordinaire. What would be the day my son was born all began in the early hours of a Sunday morning. My wife woke me to tell me to go and turn the heater on in our front...
I’ve been waiting for this incredible vaginal breech birth after caesarean story as I was so privileged to be a part of this birth as a doula, which meant being a part of the preparation, the fears, the tears, the excitement and the unknown as even though I have supported many VBAC births, I had...
My hypnobirthing journey is so special because within 18 months I birthed two absolutely beautiful little boys. Each birth was completely unique, but both were guided by the hypnobirthing philosophies so here is my journey. It really began a good 6 years before I even became pregnant; whilst I was watching the show ‘One Born...
Introduction by Vicki…. I have waited a year to get this birth story from a woman I admire so much, and when I read this it brought tears to my eyes yet warmed my heart. Yes, it’s a long birth story but it is one that needed to be written that helped a woman heal...
The cervix (from the Latin cervix uteri, meaning “neck of the womb”) is the lower, narrow part of the uterus where it joins with the top end of the vagina. The cervix is cylindrical in shape and during most of your pregnancy your cervix is long and thick and is generally between 2cm and 4cm...
Are you a doula, midwife, childbirth educator, body worker or other health care professional that would like to learn more practical and evidence based tools and techniques to teach or prepare women during their pregnancy for an easier labour and birth? Spinning Babies integrates the art and science of giving birth to give the mother...
There are so many things to consider when you are planning your vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) and these are just the ones I wanted to put together quickly to get you started, but you have to do your own mind-mapping to work out where you need more information, where you feel strong and confident...
Your Pelvis One of the important physical aspects of the body during pregnancy is the pelvis. Your pelvis is not one fixed bone; it is made up of 4 separate bones: sacrum; coccyx two iliac bones, one on the left and one on the right, which are joined to the sacrum at the back at...
What are the “absolute” risks of stillbirth? Many healthcare providers create fear in women when they say, “the risk of stillbirth doubles by the end of 42 weeks.” This is the “relative” risk of stillbirth. It is important that you obtain the “absolute” risk before making any decisions. The “absolute” risk means how often does...
No two women are the same; therefore, no two births will be the same even with your own subsequent pregnancies. There is no text book that can tell you when you will go into labour, what you will experience and what the outcome will be. Independent childbirth education is about preparing you for your labour...
Introducing our little man Lennox Jack Brodie, born at home Friday 28th July 2017. The birth of Lennox was completely different to that of our little girl Jorja, who graced us with her presence at 35 weeks. The private hospital pressured me into an induction with my FIFO partner only just making it home in...
Are you having trouble convincing your partner on the benefits of having a Doula at your birth? One of the main reasons a couple may not hire a Doula is because the partner thinks the Doula may take over their role, but it important to know that the Doula will be very inclusive of the...
Our son Elijah was born in a public hospital in Perth on the 11/12/16 at 9:46pm. Actually, Elijah was born in the carpark at the front entrance to the hospital on the front seat of Vicki Hobbs’ car and I am so grateful for everything that she taught my husband and I in her hypnobirthing...
The best advice I can give you for your labour and birth is to enjoy it. You are only going to get the opportunity to birth this baby once. How you prepare and educate yourself and practice your knowledge will make a world of difference to the way you birth – regardless of how your...
“I wish I had done some classes or prepared myself for what to expect when I went into labour, and maybe my birth would have been very different.” This is what so many women say to me when they are trying to have a more positive experience with their next birth or VBAC (vaginal birth...
I went into labour at 4am on 25th Of March 2016. I was in bed fast asleep and suddenly felt like I was peeing myself so I tried to hold it in, which just didn’t work. I slowly moved out of bed and it trickled down my legs. I was too embarrassed to wake my partner Adam at this...
My husband Stewart and I were encouraged to learn hypnobirthing by my mum who has a background in nursing and is currently a counsellor who uses hypnosis in her practice. My sister also had two successful natural births using relaxation and self-hypnosis techniques. I decided to post on Facebook asking friends for recommendations of local...
So you have just tested positive for Gestational Diabetes. What now? Well first of all you need to find out as much as you can about this condition and how it affects you and your baby and your birth preferences. But where do you start? What is going to be helpful and what is going...
I just have to share my beautiful birth experience with you all! I took hypnobirthing classes with Vicki and these classes totally changed my perception around birthing! Not only did they educate me and my partner, but they gave me so much confidence and empowered me to trust my instincts and to trust that my...
I am so happy that I found and hired Vicki to be my Doula. My husband was unable to attend, making it very important that I had the support of someone, who I felt confident in, to help me through labour. Vicki was amazing, calming, confident and supportive throughout the whole journey of pregnancy, labour...
Greetings fellow hypnobirthing virgins. I am offering you my thoughts via Vicki on the classes that you may be about to attend. Firstly, a little on myself – I am halfway between a sceptic and a believer in processes that may fall under the umbrella of new age. A sceptic, for I do not like...
There are many natural induction methods that may help to trigger the start of labour, but these too can also create stress and frustration when they don’t work. It is also important to remember that you’re not designed to be pregnant forever, so you can trust your body to do what it is meant to...