Not all birth classes are created equal. If you’re looking for real, evidence-based birth education on the Central Coast—this is what to know before you book.

Not sure what to pack for birth in Australia? After 350+ births, I’ve built the hospital bag checklist that actually works—broken into three practical bags for labour, your partner, and recovery.

When we talk about preparing for birth, we often focus on the physical stuff: dilation, contractions, perineal massage, pushing techniques. But here’s a truth bomb I wish more people knew:

Your brain is calling the shots in labour.

If you've been told your baby is "measuring big," you're not alone. It's one of the most common reasons given for recommending early induction in pregnancy. But thanks to a brand-new piece of research…

When we hear or think of birth, more often than not we are reminded of TV shows and movies where a pregnant woman is rushed down the hallway – huffing, puffing and screaming through contractions while being told to “push” laying on her back with her legs in stirrups!

Upright positions during birth (sitting, kneeling, squatting, and all fours) have been the topic of much research in recent years, and the results of the research are dramatically in favour, these are the advantages of upright positions.

As a Birth Educator I teach the value of labouring and birthing in an upright position. It is also one of the key Healthy Birth Practices I teach in my Lamaze classes – Healthy Birth Practice #5: Avoid giving birth on your back and follow your body’s urges to push.

Choosing the right birth class is probably one of the most important choices you can make. What you learn about birth will help determine how your birth unfolds – not knowing your options means you have no options to choose from.

Most care professionals seem convinced that they know best, that mother’s do not know how to give birth and that birth is a medical emergency – when most births are not! They skim over information or just expect the mother to be a mind reader or get frustrated when she will not comply, when she will not do what they have told her.

Keep Mother and Baby Together: It's Best for Mother, Baby and Breastfeeding.

Throughout most of human history, mothers and babies have stayed together from the moment of birth. When a newborn is placed skin- to – skin not only is this the first time a mother and her newborn can meet and bond, but it’s helps the natural progression of breastfeeding and hormonal release.