When planning a VBAC with gestational diabetes feels like swimming upstream If you’re planning a VBAC with gestational diabetes and feeling unheard, dismissed, or worn down by repeated pushback, you’re not imagining it, and you’re certainly not alone. Many of you are quietly nodding along as you read this. You’ve done your homework. Your gestational...
Induction myths: what women are being told and why awareness matters In maternity care today, the push for induction has become so normalised that many women assume it is simply part of the standard birth process. For some pregnancies, induction is absolutely appropriate and can be lifesaving, no one disputes that. But that is very...
Over the past few days, the discourse around freebirth and the role of doulas has been clouded by miscommunication, misplaced blame, and blatant misogyny. Recent statements from Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) and Australian College of Midwives (ACM) have sparked what feels like a targeted witch-hunt of doulas; one...
Wait for white: why optimal cord clamping matters for your baby In the moments after birth, there’s often a flurry of activity: checking the baby, cleaning, measuring and of course, cutting the cord. But before that clamp clicks shut, there’s a critical opportunity to support your baby’s transition in a simple yet powerful way: by...
Perineal massage: Is it really a massage? As you approach the final weeks of pregnancy, you may be exploring different ways to prepare your body for birth – and one practice that often comes up is perineal massage. This technique involves manually stretching and massaging the perineal tissue (the area between the vaginal opening and...
VBAC or repeat caesarean: navigating the “what ifs” at the end of pregnancy As women approach the final weeks of pregnancy, even the most confident and well-researched birth plan can begin to feel uncertain. For those planning a Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC), it’s not uncommon to feel a strong pull in another direction –...
Navigating ‘Foetal Distress’ During Labour: Empowering Your VBAC Journey One of the most emotionally challenging moments during labour is when a care provider tells you, “Your baby is in distress.” It’s a phrase that can feel frightening and disempowering, and for many women planning a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean), it’s a scenario they dread,...
Your Guide to VBAC in Australia – Be Prepared and Confident For many Australian women, the decision to pursue a Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC) is both deeply personal and transformative. With the right support, accurate information, and a trusting birth environment, VBAC can be a healing experience after a previous caesarean. This guide brings...
Using a TENS machine during labour: how it works and why timing matters When it comes to natural pain relief during labour, a TENS machine is one of the most underrated tools in the birth bag. TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, and although it may sound a little clinical, it’s actually a simple,...
The “big baby” threat: why induction for a suspected large baby is often unnecessary and unsupported by evidence If you would like to listen to our podcast instead of reading: CLICK HERE BIG BABY – It’s something I hear from women far too often: “My doctor said my baby is measuring big, so they want...
When is the right time to go to hospital during labour (including VBAC)? One of the most common questions women ask as they approach the end of pregnancy is: When should I go to hospital? It sounds like a simple question, but the answer isn’t. That’s because labour is not linear. There is no set...
When VBAC doesn’t go to plan – it’s not failure “Failed VBAC” — it’s a phrase that gets tossed around far too commonly in medical records, hospital corridors and social media groups, yet it carries a heavy emotional weight for the women it refers to. For many women who have planned a vaginal birth after...
Why “maternal alignment” matters more than foetal positioning When we hear the term Optimal Foetal Positioning (OFP), the focus is often on encouraging the baby into the ideal position for birth, usually anterior, head-down, and slightly to the left, which is written in birth text and has become gospel. While this makes sense in theory,...
Investing in your birth: why childbirth education matters According to the Australian Bridal Industry Academy (ABIA), the average wedding in Australia costs approximately $41,400, with couples spending over 250 hours planning every detail of that one special day. It’s a meaningful celebration – but it’s just one day. Now consider this: childbirth is not only...
April is Caesarean Awareness Month: Highlighting Australia’s Caesarean Section Trends April is Caesarean Awareness Month – a time to reflect on how this major abdominal surgery has evolved and what it means for birthing women today, especially here in Australia where caesarean rates are among the highest in the developed world. It’s a moment to...
When it comes to choosing an obstetrician for your pregnancy and birth, you’re not just choosing a care provider – you’re choosing someone who will influence one of the most vulnerable, raw, and powerful experiences of your life. And while there are many excellent obstetricians who genuinely care about supporting women and providing evidence-based care,...
Preparing for childbirth is a deeply personal journey, and the support you receive can have a profound impact on your birth experience. While traditional hospital-based childbirth education classes focus on medical procedures and hospital protocols, independent childbirth education offers a more holistic approach. These classes often integrate essential tools such as massage, acupressure, the use...
I feel it is important to share birth stories of when things don’t go to plan, because even though you may be preparing yourself for a physiological birth, in my classes I discuss also being prepared for “any” birth, because birth is unpredictable. We discuss the deviation to the ideal plan, and how it is...
Fat vaginas can’t give birth! Being a childbirth educator, I get to hear the best and the worst from my clients of our maternity care system. This seems to be the new thing with obstetricians telling women with higher BMI’s that they can’t give birth vaginally because their vagina is too fat, and babies will...
When I found out I was pregnant I immediately felt partial to having a home birth. I was born at home myself in the early 90s, as were many of my cousins and my brother four years later (which my mum encouraged a very excited me to be present for – my interest in pregnancy...
During the Middle Ages women continued to use natural medicines and holistic care for the wellbeing of their families and pregnant women, while men attended university to become physicians, which then started the restrictions on natural healers who were considered “witches” if they were performing healing without formal accreditation. The Church declared that anyone using...
I originally wrote this blog back in 2018, but with the chatter (propaganda) the last few days, I decided this was a good one to update. Once again, the crusade to replace actual midwifery care with flashing lights, beeping monitors, and glossy brochures continues – this time with a shiny new device hailed by WA...
Updated 22/11/2025 We’re incredibly fortunate here in Western Australia to have a growing number of exceptional Privately Practising Midwives (PPM’s) offering personalised, woman-centred maternity care. When I first created this directory, only a handful of midwives were working privately, and now the list continues to grow, which is such a positive shift for women across...
A ground-breaking Australian study on effective childbirth education was recently released by Dr. Kate Levett and Dr. Hannah Dahlen (who were also key-note speakers at our annual conference). This study highlighted how important it was to not only participate in independent childbirth education classes but to also find a program that included complementary therapies to...