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
“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 tell me when they’re preparing for their next birth or VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) – they want a more positive experience this time.
But here’s the thing: your first birth really matters. It often shapes how your next births will look. If your first birth involves unnecessary intervention or a caesarean, you may find yourself having to fight harder for your choices, or needing to spend the next pregnancy researching and preparing for a VBAC, which brings a whole lot of different challenges and emotions.
That’s why childbirth education isn’t just for women who’ve had a previous birth and now they want to do it all differently. It’s absolutely vital for first-time mothers. When you invest in learning, preparing, and understanding your options from the very start, you lay the foundation for more positive birth experiences, not just the first time, but every time.
What blows my mind is how much time, money, energy, and head space people put into organising events like a wedding.
Couples in Australia spend on average, around $40,000 and between 200 – 300 hours planning their perfect day.
Yet many don’t invest even a fraction of that time or money into researching and preparing for their birth – something that has far greater impact than a wedding, a holiday, or even buying a house or a car.
So the question is: what are you willing to invest in education, preparation, and resources to have a better birth, with as little unnecessary intervention as possible, so your baby is born alert, calm, and responsive?
You have created a human being.
Just pause on that for a moment.
A part of you, a part of your partner. What could be more sacred, more important, or more worthy of your time and preparation than understanding the process of bringing that little human into the world?
You’ve nurtured and sustained your baby for about 40 weeks while they grow. Everything you feel is also experienced by them.
Throughout pregnancy you’ve been mindful – avoiding certain foods like soft cheeses and salami, steering clear of alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes, protecting yourself and your baby from harm.
Birth, too, is primal and instinctive – but it also demands knowledge. You need to know what to expect, and also to expect the unexpected. With the right preparation, you’ll feel more confident asking questions and making decisions if your path veers away from the plan, or if things turn difficult.
So, you get to about 38 weeks pregnant – then what?
Do you know why your obstetrician or midwife might offer you a “stretch and sweep”?
Do you even know what that is – and how the procedure is done?
It’s often made to sound so routine, so normal, just another part of being pregnant. You might think, “that’s just how it is” because that is what your friend or neighbour told you about their birth experience.
But do you actually understand what labour is?
We hear it’s “normal” for women to be in labour – but beyond what you’ve seen in movies or on TV, do you know what’s really happening in your body?
Do you know why you feel a contraction – and what that contraction is actually doing?
Do you know why your breathing matters, and how oxygen fuels your muscles during labour?
Do you know when the right time is to head to hospital or call your midwife?
Do you know the difference between pre-labour (which can go on for days, even weeks) and active labour?
Do you know why birthing on your back most times is one of the worst positions you can be forced to birth in?
And do you know what’s worth packing in your hospital bag – not just for the baby, but for your comfort too?
I believe that once you truly understand the mechanics of birth, you’ll see labour in a whole new light – and face it with far more confidence.
Think of birth as a marathon: you are the athlete, and your baby is the finish line. So ask yourself – what can you do to sustain your energy, maintain good positioning, stay focused, and keep your motivation strong all the way through?
Yes, you can choose an epidural or other drugs – and in fact, they’re often offered before you even ask.
But if you knew how to release fear, reduce tension (which creates pain), and work with your body’s hormones, wouldn’t you want to try that first? That way you’re not disrupting the natural physiology of birth before you’ve even had the chance to see what your body can do.
Wouldn’t you rather use tools and techniques that enhance your birthing hormones and environment – helping your baby arrive in calm and quiet – before reaching for interventions that may carry risks for both you and your baby?
Wouldn’t you prefer to move freely without being confined to machines and wires – walking, swaying, rocking on a fitball, or resting in the bath or shower – instead of being confined to a bed?
And at the end, wouldn’t you want both you and your baby to be alert and calm, so you can be fully present in those first precious moments together, rather than feeling completely drained and foggy?
Here’s the reality: once you agree to medical interventions, continuous monitoring usually becomes part of the deal.
That’s hospital policy.
Yes, you’ll see women in forums say, “you don’t have to consent, just refuse.” And in many circumstances, I would agree – if you’re low risk and you haven’t had drugs or an epidural, continuous monitoring is often unnecessary, and you can (and should) negotiate this with your care provider.
But once drugs are used to “help things along,” everything changes. Care providers know that introducing medications and deviating from physiology increases risks for both mother and baby – so of course they want to keep a closer eye on what’s happening. But then ….. that heightened sense of risk means anything outside the “normal” range quickly becomes a cause for concern.
And what does that lead to?
More interventions.
More caesareans.
Suddenly there’s urgency: “we need to get this baby out” – because the intervention has created the very problem they’re now responding to.
So yes, once interventions begin, continuous monitoring becomes part of the “package deal.” And just like those late-night infomercials, it comes with your free set of steak knives. But it’s important to know the difference between when monitoring is a safeguard – and when it’s simply fuelling the cascade of intervention.
The irony is that research shows continuous monitoring does not actually improve outcomes for mothers or babies. Retired obstetrician Dr Kirsten Small has done extensive research on this, highlighting how continuous monitoring is linked to higher rates of unnecessary interventions and caesareans, without improving safety and outcomes.
So, here’s the important question: is continuous monitoring a benefit? Or does it sometimes create the illusion of safety while actually leading to more interventions?
The truth is that the very tools meant to “keep you safe” often create the problems that lead to more intervention in the first place.
Think about it this way… the main reason you need to be monitored is because you’ve agreed to some form of intervention – most often drugs. That means there’s now an “intruder” in your body.
It’s no longer just you and your body working in synergy with your baby. Something external has been introduced, and we can’t always predict how that will affect you or your baby. So of course, monitoring becomes part of the package, to track what’s happening.
When it comes to making choices in birth, it often comes down to one key thing: being informed. That means understanding not just the physiology of birth, but also the biodynamics of the pelvis and how your body and baby work together.
What I absolutely support is women choosing interventions when they are fully informed – when they’ve been given all the information about the benefits, the risks, and the alternatives. That’s why I use the BRAIN acronym with couples:
Benefits
Risks
Alternatives
Intuition
Nothing (what happens if you wait)
This simple tool helps women ask the right questions, gather the right information, and make the decision that feels best for them.
Because here’s the reality: if you don’t know your choices, then you don’t really have any choices.
As a birth coach, doula, and childbirth educator, my role isn’t to “save” a woman from her birth. My role is to educate, to offer perspective, and to support her – whatever she chooses. Her body, her baby, her birth. My job is to stand beside her as she makes the decisions that feel right for her circumstances.
What deeply concerns me, though, is how many women are coerced into interventions as if they’re just a “normal” or “necessary” part of birth. Too often, policies are presented as if they override consent – women are told, “this is our policy” – and left feeling like they have no say.
But hang on: the conversation should always be, “this is our policy, and you have the right to consent, not consent, or withdraw consent at any time.”
That’s what true informed choice looks like.
More about consent CLICK HERE
A woman has the right to choose how she births her baby – she does not need to conform to being a “good patient.” Instead, her caregivers need to practice being patient.
But here’s the question: how can a woman truly choose if she doesn’t know all of her options?
Hospital antenatal classes often focus heavily on medical interventions – how an epidural works, the types of drugs available, what happens in “special circumstances,” and, of course, hospital policies and procedures. This knowledge is still valuable, and I never discourage my clients from attending. But it’s important to understand what these classes don’t always cover: the full range of physiological birth options, comfort measures, positioning, and tools that support the body’s natural process.
It’s also worth remembering that hospital policies are based on guidelines – and guidelines are not always built on the strongest evidence. Many are consensus-based, meaning they reflect what a group of professionals have agreed upon, rather than what the latest research has shown. Women have the legal and ethical right to decline a hospital policy and to say, “I do not consent to that,” with the expectation of being supported by their caregivers and support people.
Even the Australian Medical Association recognises this. The AMA Maternity Decision-Making Guidelines – particularly points 2 and 9 – make it clear: the care provider must support the decision of the woman, whether they personally agree with it or not.
At the end of the day, the decision rests with the woman – and her partner.
Why the partner? Because their role is crucial. When a partner is informed, prepared, and fully supportive, the woman has one less weight to carry. She can focus entirely on working with her body to birth her baby – one of the most incredible, yet demanding, experiences of her life.
And in the back of her mind, she knows: “my partner has my back.” That sense of unwavering support creates one of the most powerful birth environments a woman can have.
This is why I strongly encourage women (and their partners) to invest in independent childbirth education. It gives you the tools to ask the right questions, weigh up your options, and make informed decisions – so that no matter how your baby is born, you know you did everything you could to support a safe, physiological birth if that’s what you want.
Equally, being educated and prepared helps reduce fear and distress if things don’t go to plan. When you understand what’s happening and why, you’re far less likely to feel blindsided – and that sense of control makes all the difference.
Independent classes are taught by educators who have dedicated their own time, energy, and resources to become experts in pregnancy, labour, birth, and postpartum. We cover not only the anatomy and physiology of birth, but also how the mind, body, and emotions work together. This knowledge helps you feel confident in your decisions, whatever direction your birth takes.
And here’s something I see time and time again: once partners complete independent classes, they too feel educated, informed, and far more confident about their role. They often step up in ways they didn’t expect – protecting their partner’s space, supporting her birth preferences, and becoming an active, grounded part of the experience. Many partners walk away feeling proud, capable, and deeply connected – not just observers, but essential guardians of the birth space.
Education also supports healing.
If special circumstances or emergencies arise, women who understand what happened, and why, often process and recover from the experience with greater ease.
I run regular Back to Basics Birthing group classes, private sessions, and an online course for those who can’t attend in person. My goal isn’t “natural birth at all costs.” It’s about helping you feel confident and prepared for every possibility and giving you the tools to navigate your unique birth experience.
Because birth does matter.
If a woman feels bullied, dismissed, or unheard during labour, she may carry grief and trauma into her postpartum experience. But when she feels informed, respected, and supported, her birth – however it unfolds – can be one of the most empowering and transformative experiences of her life.
You only get one chance to birth this baby.
You and your baby deserve to have the best possible start.
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