Childbirth and Parenting Education Sessions

Babies bring much joy, love and wonder, but becoming a parent also means some big life changes and new challenges for couples to navigate.

This session includes:

• Realistic expectations of parenthood.
• Planting seeds that support coping and growing as individuals and as a couple.
• Equipping participants with knowledge and skills that support parents’ and babies’ mental, emotional and relationship wellbeing and whole family bonding.
• Providing awareness for both parents to external support resources.

This program is facilitated by an experienced and appropriately trained Midwife and is delivered over two evenings from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. These two evenings are attended online.

This session is ideally attended by all couples who are expecting a baby and is only available as part of our Having Your Baby program.

Please go to the "Having Your Baby & Becoming Us - Nest Building" section below to enrol in this program.
 

The Having Your Baby program is a comprehensive labour, birth and parenting program facilitated by a registered midwife. The Becoming Us sessions complement this program by focusing on the transition into parenthood. Babies bring much joy, love and wonder, but becoming a parent also means some big life changes and new challenges for couples to navigate. This program helps give couples the tools to manage the challenges that come with parenthood.

This program is available as an evening program over seven consecutive weeks from 6:30pm to 8:30pm with a combination of face to face and virtual sessions.

Or, as a weekend program over two consecutive Saturdays 9:30am to 3:30pm face to face with two evenings for Becoming Us at 6:30pm to 8:30pm via a virtual platform.

The Having your Baby sessions include information on:

• Keeping Well in the Pregnancy
• Labour and birth
• Self help measures in labour
• Pain relief in labour 
• Preparations for other journeys in birth 
• Postnatal changes
• Early newborn care
• Breastfeeding
• Sleep and settling 
• Postnatal depression
• Community resources

The Becoming Us sessions include information on:

• Realistic expectations of parenthood.
• Planting seeds that support coping and growing as individuals and as a couple.
• Equipping participants with knowledge and skills that support parents’ and babies’ mental, emotional and relationship wellbeing and whole family bonding.
• Providing awareness for both parents to external support resources.

Ideally this session should be commenced between 26-30 weeks gestation.

Please note: This combined session commences January 2023

Active Birth is a stand alone program that aims to support and help empower women to achieve a normal birth using active birth techniques. This is a 3 hour session run by an experienced midwife in the evening from 6:00pm to 9:00pm or on a Saturday from 9:30 am to 12:30pm.

This session includes:

• The normal process of labour and birth
• Self help measures to cope with labour and birth
• Ways in which your birthing partner can support you
• Good positions and handy hints for various stages of labour
• Recognising the role of hormones in labour
• Techniques to stay calm and relaxed

This session is ideally attended between 28-34 weeks gestation and complements our Active Birth program.

The breastfeeding session is held to encourage and support mothers who wish to breastfeed their baby. This session can also be of great use to women who have had previous difficulties breastfeeding. This is a two and a half hour session run by a lactation consultant in the evening from 6:30pm to 9:00pm. This session is offered either as a face to face or virtually interactive session.

This session includes :

• The first breastfeed after birth
• Breast changes during the first few weeks
• The role of rooming in and baby-led feeding assisting in the establishment of breastfeeding
• How partners can support breastfeeding
• How to position you and your baby
• How to tell if your baby is getting enough milk
• How to overcome challenges

Ideally this session should be attended after 28 weeks gestation.

Just for Dads is held on a weeknight evening from 6:30pm to 9pm. This program is run by an experienced Registered Midwife.

This is your opportunity to ask questions and gain information in a safe environment with other expectant Dads. 

Topics covered include:
•    What it means to be a Dad
•    Dad’s role in supporting labour and birth
•    Infant communication and bonding, caring for your baby
•    How you can support your partner to breastfeed
•    Changing relationships and roles

This program is open to all expectant fathers supporting women throughout their labour & birth and the early parenting period. 

This one-day program focuses on meeting your new baby and the first few days and weeks with your newborn.  This program is facilitated by an experienced, Registered Midwife and runs on a Saturday from 9:30am to 3:30pm.

Topics covered include:

• Postnatal recovery for both mother and baby
• Infant communication
• Early Days with your newborn and normal newborn behaviour
• Sleep & Settling
• Breastfeeding
• Where to find help in the Community

This program is ideally attended by 'Active Birth' participants and is best completed between 28- 36 weeks gestation.

When you first bring your newborn baby home from hospital, it is both an exciting and daunting time. Being prepared and confident in your ability to provide first aid for your child is an important skill to learn. This first aid information session is for families with newborns to children 8 years of age and is run by an experienced facilitator.

This program includes:
•    CPR (hands on practice)
•    Choking
•    Burns
•    Poisons
•    Head Injury
•    Common childhood illnesses including but not limited to fevers and febrile convulsions
•    Breathing illnesses and allergies
This is a stand alone  3 hour information session from 9:30am to 12:30pm.