Contact Vicki
If you have any questions or would just like more information please don't hesitate to get in touch by clicking the button below and filling out the contact form.
Contact Vicki
Why is it so important to choose an independent childbirth educator and attend classes such as hypnobirthing or active birthing classes?
Because over time women have forgotten that birth is a natural and normal physiological event!
Women have become more accepting of medical interventions.
Caesareans are the highest they have ever been, and it is becoming increasingly noticeable that sometimes they are not even necessary. Women accept this because they don’t know any different and are generally with someone they trust, their Obstetrician or even their family members who encourage them to do so because they don’t like seeing their loved ones in “pain.”
Women are also bombarded by the horror births shown on television and social media, or stories from their mums, their sisters, their peers and colleagues and women who have had a traumatic birth who may share their own fearful birth experience.
To all pregnant mums start putting up your “stop sign” to any negative stories.
Ask people to share with you what they loved about their birth; ask them to share with you the one special moment of their birth, what was the best bit – not the worst!
Hospital childbirth education classes do little to eliminate the fear, and in fact can cause increased anxiety and stress to a pregnant woman as she starts to think more on what could go wrong, instead of mentally and physically preparing for a calm, natural birth.
Rather than taking the time to teach about natural alternatives of pain relief, these sessions are about the drugs they offer, the medications and the procedures that will take place based on the hospitals policies.
Be aware that hospital policies are for the staff of that hospital, and you are not bound by those policies. They are “guidelines” and you do not have to give your consent to these guidelines. This is what “informed choice” is all about, and it is quite deceptive of some hospitals not to advise you of this so you will be “good little patients” and do as you are told.
Know your rights in childbirth!
I don’t discourage women and their partners from going to the hospital antenatal classes as it is beneficial to see things from two different perspectives. Both can provide information which you need, and like anything you just choose what resonates with you and what you feel will work best for you. Put all those things into your “birth basket” and discard what you don’t think will serve you well.
However, I do recommend couples do their independent childbirth education classes prior to the hospital antenatal classes so you are already prepared, knowledgeable and will be in a better position to ask more questions.
Here is what one of my clients Rachel had to say about her classes:
“Anyone pregnant or thinking about / trying to have a baby please, please consider hypnobirthing classes! It is not just some weird hippy crap, it’s practical advice on how to manage your pregnancy and labour in the best way for you. The hospital antenatal classes are good (I’ve just done one with a great midwife) but hypnobirthing has prepared me so much more and given my husband and I so much more info about our options, rights and just what the hell is going on! Vicki Hobbs at Hypnobirthing Centre WA is who you need to see! I cannot thank her enough for what she has done for us.” Rachel, Tapping WA
Independent childbirth educators are dedicated in sharing their knowledge, so their enthusiasm and gift for preparing, educating and supporting couples is their main priority – they choose to do this for their livelihood and rest assured they are really good at it and are an amazing source of encouragement and resources.
I became a Childbirth Educator and Birth Doula (Birth Coach) because I wanted to provide all pregnant women and couples with information and education about birth choices, about normal pregnancy, labour and birth, about achieving the best possible outcome, of trusting in your body, about how the muscles and body work together and about choosing the right caregivers for you, but most of all to help take the fear out of having a baby.
It is important for me to teach women and their birth partners that they really do have choices and that there may be special circumstances that changes their birth preferences, but it can still be a positive, calm birth experience.
I believe that we need to go back to basics.
I want to share information with you that is designed to inspire you and take the uncertainty out of childbirth – build up your confidence.
I want to help you gain knowledge and skills about your mind, your body, your labour and your birth.
I want you to have tools and techniques for comfort measures and to help you work through any fears about the birth of your baby.
You only get one chance to birth your baby the way you want to, and it is really important that you have as much knowledge and support as possible to guide you into making the right birth choices for you, your partner and your baby.
I want to help teach your birth partner how to be the most awesome support person that they can possibly be and to know what to do in different circumstances. They will be educated, prepared, confident and hands on.
This training is as important for the partners as it is for the pregnant mum.
I will help women and their partners to understand:
In Australia, the average couple spends around $45,000 and over 200 hours planning their perfect wedding day. It amazes me that so many women spend so much time, money and energy on the preparation of one day, yet many couples don’t consider putting that same time and energy preparing to bring a new life, their baby, into the world.
Many times, mums are really keen on doing the classes and can see how much it will help them, but then their partners are quite negative about it, or don’t think it will be worthwhile or say it costs too much.
Let’s be clear here people, who is the one with the growing baby in her belly that has pushed all the mums’ organs to what limited space is still available, and who is the one that is going to be using the strength, stamina and confidence of a marathon runner to get that baby out?
Birth partners need to know that the classes are not just designed for the pregnant mum. They are designed to prepare and educate both of you, and to help the birth partners be the very best support person, with lots of tools and techniques to use through labour and birth.
These techniques are skills that you will use for the rest of your life – I guarantee it.
Here is what one dad had to say about my Back to Basics Birthing classes:
“To be honest I was not expecting to get anything out of it as I thought it would all be about the mother, and I would just be there as company. I got much more out of the classes than I expected. The information sessions and videos were the most useful for me as I was able to learn and see demonstrated what the birth partner should do or just as importantly not do. I thought the classes were very informative on birthing in general and liked how things were explained about hypnobirthing as well as other possibilities that may occur during birthing. I learnt multiple things in each class as well as relaxation techniques in general, which I have found helpful in everyday life. I would recommend hypnobirthing with Vicki Hobbs because the format of the classes was really good, and it was possible to interact and ask questions at any time without hesitating as it was a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere.”
Anthony, Dianella
A childbirth education course is just a small investment for two people to receive face to face education. You also get hands on demonstrations, resource folder jam packed with cheat sheets, plus additional resources and ideas, as well as relaxation hypnosis tracks to download, videos, birth stories, private support group and plenty of extras that I throw in as well from my own little bag of tricks.
So, the problem is not with birth – it is the lack of preparation and education and the negative information constantly being shared by social media, movies, friends, family and strangers that creates fear.
At Back to Basics Birthing my classes include:
Your mind and your body are your own, you need to feed them, you need to nurture them, and you need to enrich them for the best possible outcomes for you.
“Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is about making mothers – strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength.” (Barbara Katz-Rothman)
If you have any questions or would just like more information please don't hesitate to get in touch by clicking the button below and filling out the contact form.
Contact Vicki