Vicki Hobbs in Perth, Western Australia | Alternative & holistic health service

Vicki Hobbs

Locality: Perth, Western Australia

Phone: +61 8 9303 9111

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• Medical and health
• Alternative & holistic health service
• Pregnancy care centre

24.01.2022 If you've been thinking of joining Julia - Newborn Mothers postpartum doula training then registrations are now open. You can check out the website via my affiliate link and see if this is something that resonates with you. https://newbornmothers.com/training

24.01.2022 We have our doula training practice day on Monday 14th September and if you are 38 weeks or more and would be able to donate your time to helping out with doula practice that would be great. You would need to be willing to spend 2 and a half hours having a combination of massage, acupressure, a variety of doula skills including working with a rebozo, pelvic pathways positioning / stretching and receiving labour and birth information. We need 8 women for the morning session from 9:30am till 12pm, then another 8 women for the afternoon session from 2pm till 4:30pm (we cannot change these times so you must be available these times). Please email me at [email protected]

22.01.2022 ‘At least your baby is alive’ is the most bullshit phrase ever uttered. ‘At least your baby is alive’ suggests that a baby and woman who are alive represent the... top rung of the ladder when it comes to birth outcomes. I’ve got news for you, it’s the BOTTOM one! A live woman and baby is the minimum expectation of maternity care, the bottom rung! Not the top rung! The ultimate expectation of maternity care is that the woman and her family are completely blissed out and satisfied with their birth experience, they are blown away with joy and elation at what they just did and they feel autonomous and respected. A joyful birth is the standard, a live woman and baby is simply and expectation. #birthtraumaawarenessweek #birthtrauma #transformativebirthwork See more

22.01.2022 If you have any kind of risk factor when you arrive at hospital during labour, usually step one is to put a cardiotograph (CTG) on you. This machine is strapp...ed on with two receivers and waist straps and displays your babies heart rate and your contraction patterns on a print out. The thought is that it would provide a first sign of a developing problem and allow prompt intervention to get your baby out quickly. Problem is that this idea has not proven effective. Weve know for a long time that when continuous CTG is used on low-risk women, the caesarean section rate goes up without improving outcomes for babies and now we know from current research by Small et. al in 2020 that using this machine on higher risk women doesnt work to improve outcomes either. The link to the study is in my bio, or below for Facebook folk https://www.womenandbirth.org//S1871-5192(19)308/fulltext This is a literature review which looked at 38 different research papers including 11 randomised controlled trials, found that current research evidence does not demonstrate improvements in perinatal outcome for infants born to women at risk of poor perinatal outcome when intrapartum CTG monitoring is used. So, its time to ask ourselves, if it doesnt work for low risk labour and birth and it doesnt work for high risk labour and birth, why are we using it at all? Birth unit culture? Litigious coverage?... its certainly not for the benefit of women or their babies #ctg #obstetrics #obstetrician #birth @birthsmalltalk

21.01.2022 Due to a cancellation, I now have one spot left for a couple in my Hypnobirthing Australia Positive Birth program on Tuesday evenings in October being held in Maylands. My next Positive Birth Program by Hypnobirthing Australia is being held over four Tuesday evenings starting on Tuesday 6th October 2020 in Maylands. This program is designed to teach you about the mind and body and what is happening during those contractions (surges), what your muscles are doing, why oxygen ...is really important during labour (just like a marathon runner), why fear can inhibit your labour and birth hormones, what natural methods of pain relief you can use (in addition to information about the medical pain relief available), your breathing techniques and preparing you for a positive birth experience whether that is a home birth, hospital birth, birthing centre, natural birth or caesarean. It is so important that you are prepared for your birth and studies show that the best way to do this is through independent childbirth classes and to prepare your mind, your body and your emotions to create that confidence and positive energy all around you - the perfect way for your baby to be born no matter how they are born. Don't miss out on being prepared and confident about your birth. Check out the event link below to find out more. Email me today at [email protected] for more information or registration form. Vicki https://www.facebook.com/events/3120590491311322/

21.01.2022 Trust... We put our trust in so many things outside our own control, yet as women sometimes we dont put our trust in ourselves and what we can do...what we are born to do. . . .... #Backtobasicsbirthing #vickihobbs #youruniquebirth #hypnobirthingcentrewa #hypnobirthingaustralia #vbaceducator #perthdoulas #doulas #doula #hypnobirthing #hypnobirthingperth #perthhypnobirthing #perthhypnobirthingdoula See more

20.01.2022 For those with those dirty, grubby, stinky baby / child car seats....I know Hire for Baby does an incredible job getting them clean and hygienic again. Ewwww thank goodness I am long past this stage in my life.

20.01.2022 Reflection worth noting

20.01.2022 I’ve always had this philosophy! We all have a responsibility when it comes to social justice and when something brings hurt or harm to someone else, even if we are not directly involved. I will not back down on that, and nor should you. That is one of the biggest factors behind being a birth advocate, because women have a right to consent, not consent and withdraw consent at any time. That is the law and if you try and take those choices away by saying it’s our policy then you are denying a woman her rights.

19.01.2022 I want to show you my vagina. Trust me...this is not a porn show.

19.01.2022 Last year, a review published in the British Medical Journal showed that universal antenatal screening for the group B strep bacteria may cause more harm than g...ood. The reviewers found that universal screening for group B strep "would have led to overtreatment of 138 583 (99.75%) women in labour." Given that the treatment is giving intravenous (by drip) antibiotics during labour, which have side effects and mean that movement and options are limited, this is an important finding. If you’d like to know more about group B strep and your options, take a look at www.sarawickham.com/gbse That page has details of my book on this topic which helps parents, professionals and others to understand the issues and the evidence relating to the screening and prophylactic measures offered in the hope of preventing early-onset group B strep (EOGBS) disease and it also contains a link to my information hub, where you can read about this study and many others. #midwife #midwifery #doula #birthdoula #pregnant #birth #childbirth #duein2020 #drsarawickham #positivebirth #childbirtheducation #childbirtheducator #whatsrightforme #gbs #gbsexplained #birthoptions #getthefacts #youdoyou See more

19.01.2022 Bulk billed postnatal midwifery care in your home for up to 6 to 7 weeks after your birth, for families in the Mandurah area...message or call for details Lou

18.01.2022 Shared from Maternity Choices Australia There are over 300,000 births in Australia annually. 33% report trauma and 75% of that group reported it came from their care provider. This is one of the reasons why I do what I do. So women know their rights and choices and can make their own informed choices. There are some very good care providers out there, but in contrast there are some really poor ones so its important for women to ask the hard questions and decide what they are not willing to put up with. https://www.abc.net.au//birth-trauma-ptsd-feminis/11649116

17.01.2022 Whenever you're offered a medical test, take a moment to consider what will happen with the information gained from it. Is this something you're happy with? ... Could a particular result limit your options in any way? (If a screening test shows that you are carrying group B strep bacteria, have gestational diabetes or have a higher-than-average BMI, for instance, you might be told that you can't birth where you wanted to.) What are the alternatives? (There are always alternatives, including declining the test.) Always remember it's your decision. You can say 'yes' or 'no' or 'I need time to think about this.' If you'd like to know more, or to better understand some of the wider issues around making decisions in pregnancy and childbirth, take a look at my book, "What's Right For Me?" It's written to help women, parents and families to better understand how modern maternity care works and how you can make the decisions that are right for you. More information at www.sarawickham.com/wfrm #midwife #midwifery #doula #birthdoula #pregnant #birth #childbirth #duein2020 #duein2021 #drsarawickham #positivebirth #childbirtheducation #childbirtheducator #whatsrightforme See more

16.01.2022 Choosing a care provider for your birth can be a daunting task. Many women feel they are going to get a better birth by going with a private Obstetrician, but statistics show that women are more likely to have inductions, interventions or end up with a caesarean by going private, so it is important for you to have a list of questions to ask potential Obstetricians to notice any red flags or areas where your potential care provider may not be the right choice for you. https://vickihobbs.com/choosing-a-care-provider-for-your-b/

16.01.2022 At least your baby is alive is the most bullshit phrase ever uttered. At least your baby is alive suggests that a baby and woman who are alive represent the... top rung of the ladder when it comes to birth outcomes. Ive got news for you, its the BOTTOM one! A live woman and baby is the minimum expectation of maternity care, the bottom rung! Not the top rung! The ultimate expectation of maternity care is that the woman and her family are completely blissed out and satisfied with their birth experience, they are blown away with joy and elation at what they just did and they feel autonomous and respected. A joyful birth is the standard, a live woman and baby is simply and expectation. #birthtraumaawarenessweek #birthtrauma #transformativebirthwork See more

16.01.2022 This week was meant to be a week off for me after an intensive two weeks of doula training, but in true Vicki fashion I had to clear all my emails, mark off doula assessments, run a private Hypnobirthing session as well as catch up on my own OMP (Optimal Maternal Positioning) Educator Training that I committed to at the final hour the day before doula training started - FOMO at its finest. At least I have a great view from all sides from my office windows.

15.01.2022 Another really good breech informational blog by Jackie at Jacqueline O’Neill - Live Love and Birth

14.01.2022 For anyone thinking of having babies.... This is such an important documentary to go to. Buy yourself a ticket, your friend, your daughters, your sons, their partners and....simply just everyone. Maternity care needs to change for women - we need to be that change. We need to find out voice and demand a change. Our maternity system is broken - we need to fix it but we need to raise awareness. https://au.demand.film/birth-time-documentary/

14.01.2022 Having a bit of a breather after moving furniture all day out of my place ready for new flooring going in tomorrow, finally. Massive decluttering was the positive side and I gave away so much to those in need...even my dining table and chairs as I figured they wouldn’t match the new floor - hubby wasn’t happy with eating dinner from our laps last night Now I’ve got my hot coffee in my Ember cup I got for Christmas (keeps my coffee constantly hot and controlled by an App on my phone) and my More Than A Healthy Baby book written by the amazing Dr Erin Bowe that literally just got delivered.

14.01.2022 Why are doulas becoming so popular in Australia? I believe that this could be because maternity care has changed and become more medicalised hospital maternity care. This is not an attack on midwives, but on our broken maternity care system and the shift to become obstetric-led care. Since the movement from home birth to hospital birth, the role of the midwife is changing in many hospitals across our country from being with woman to one that has become more clinically focu...ssed with charting, documenting and performing clinical observations and this is where doulas are being hired by women to give them that non-medical support and continuity of care. Women are choosing doulas because they want more. https://anchor.fm//Episode-24---Why-Are-Doulas-Becoming-So

12.01.2022 Getting ready for another private Back to Basics Birthing class. This is a fantastic one day workshop covering the mind, the body, the emotions and of course the best part is my hands on demonstrations for comfort during labour for a more calm, positive birth. Know more - do better. Taking the fear out of birth. . . . .... #doula #doulatraining #doulasupport #australiandoulas #studentdoula #Backtobasicsbirthing #vickihobbs #hypnobirthing #hypnobirthingaustralia #birthoptions #birthwithoutfear #birthcoach #optimalmaternalpositioning #birthoptions #birth #pregnantinperth #perthmums #consciousmumsperth #mumsperth #perthmums See more

12.01.2022 How beautiful is this....

12.01.2022 Too early for pumpkin pics? I hope not! Dating pregnancy is not an exact science and there is considerable variation between women. It is normal that some ...women naturally have longer pregnancies than others. The idea that something terrible will happen if a woman remains pregnant for a moment longer than 42 weeks just isnt true. The baby doesnt turn into a pumpkin at midnight. Its so important that women have full information and are able to look at the pros and cons of different courses of action before making the decisions that are right for them. Part of that is sorting the myths from the facts. This quote is from my book, Inducing Labour: making informed decisions." You can find out more about that and my other books and explore birth-related information and decision making at www.sarawickham.com/iol #midwife #midwifery #doula #childbirth #childbirtheducation #pregnancy #informedchoice #informedbirth #positiveinduction #childbirtheducator #duein2020 #nopumpkins #women #birthinformation #writersofinstagram #drsarawickham #nopumpkins See more

12.01.2022 Wise words of Rachel Reed from Midwife Thinking. . . #Repost @midwifethinking with @make_repost... I've updated my 'top post' on the MidwifeThinking Blog - 'The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth'. . . Read the full blog post and admire the new pictures on MidwifeThinking (link to blog in bio). . . EXCERPT: I am yet to find any evidence that pushing on an unopened cervix will cause damage. I have been told many times that it will, but have never actually seen it happen. Borrelli et al. (2013) found no cervical lacerations, 3rd degree tears, postpartum haemorrhages in the women with an EPU. A recent review of the available research (Tsao 2015) concluded: ‘Pushing with the early urge before full dilation did not seem to increase the risk of cervical edema or any other adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes’. . . #doula #birthdoula #childbirtheducation #childbirth #pregnantperth #pregnantinperth #hypnobirthing #positivebirth #birthwithoutfear #backtobasicsbirthing #vickihobbs See more

11.01.2022 My top 3 tips for pregnant women... https://youtu.be/5EwRFzPNG-M

11.01.2022 Ive been missing in action the last 2 weeks while I run the Doula Training Academy doula training. OMG its been intensely awesome and we have 8 incredible and unique women sharing this journey with me and the amazing speakers we have. I learn so much during training as well, and it ignites all over again the solidarity of birth work and how important doulas are.

11.01.2022 Shared by Dr Sarah Buckley A recommendation from the Choosing Wisely Campaign is to not automatically initiate continuous electronic fetal monitoring during labor for women without risk factors, and consider structured intermittent auscultation first. Another very important recommendation from the Choosing Wisely Campaign is: Dont separate mothers and their newborns at birth unless medically absolutely necessary. Instead, help the mother to place her newborn in skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth and encourage ongoing skin-to-skin contact and always keeping the newborn in her room during the hospitalization after the birth." Good advice from BirthWorks! https://birthworks.org/risks-and-benefits-of-fetal-monitor/

11.01.2022 Making informed choices to suit your set of circumstances for your birth is one of the key messages we promote in the Hypnobirthing Australia Positive Birth Program. Its also important to note that two women can look at the same set of circumstances and make completely different decisions. It doesnt make one right and the other wrong. In this birth story shared by Lauren, who is one of my Hypnobirthing Australia mums, she reflects on how well she laboured, but her baby ju...st wasnt moving down and her bearing down breaths just werent enough to get baby out, which led to her baby being born via caesarean. I still have space in my August Tuesday evening classes so email me at [email protected] to book your place. https://vickihobbs.com/making-informed-choices-to-suit-you/

11.01.2022 I’ve been missing in action the last 2 weeks while I run the Doula Training Academy doula training. OMG it’s been intensely awesome and we have 8 incredible and unique women sharing this journey with me and the amazing speakers we have. I learn so much during training as well, and it ignites all over again the solidarity of birth work and how important doulas are.

11.01.2022 I shouldn’t have to, and I won’t censor my posts and information for fear of offending anyone it is exhausting and to be honest it just doesn’t allow me to be my authentic self. I am always learning, opening myself up to change, looking at things in different ways and rejecting anything that doesn’t sit well with me. If I were to censor everything I may as well just shut down my social media account now. https://vickihobbs.com/stop-taking-offence-to-every-little/

10.01.2022 Recently I finished writing my Bachelor's thesis about the portrayal of Menstruation in media and society - a real taboo topic. So taboo in fact, that the coord...inator of my German university not only refused to help me but actively discouraged me from formulating this topic in a way to find a supervisor. (She told me that I would never find a professor who would approve this topic. To paraphrase what they said in English, there is no scientific bases for this topic and the reason for that: it's a taboo). Now that I've successfully completed my bachelor thesis and defended it before a panel of professors in my final presentation, everybody involved has recognized the importance of this topic since ignorance surrounding menstruation has wide reaching consequences for the environment, the economy and financial and social gender equality. I'm not trying to convince you to throw a "period party", neither am I going to wave a used tampon underneath your nose. I just want people to be aware of some important facts: Half of the population of the world loses approximately a 30-50 milliliters of blood every month (for approximately 40 years of their live time - this makes up six and a half years in total). Although this process is crucial for the origin of every single human being, menstruating people have been heavily discriminated in many major religious texts and even scientific medical consensus up to the middle of the 20th century. The connotation of menstruating women evokes images of poisonous monsters, the devil, psychological and physical deficits and above all, in the vast majority of cases, being depicted as unclean and inferior. (This is part of the old testament: "When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening." To sum up the entire text, menstruating women should be completely excluded from society and live like a hermit for seven days.After which, in order to return to civilization they are also required to bring two doves to a priest who will sacrifice them in a ceremony to "purify" the woman. If people don't guard against this "uncleanliness" the whole society will collapse. [Leviticus 15:19-33]. No bullshit.) Ofcourse, you can say that as a society we have developed past such extreme views, but in fact this attitude still presents itself in more subtle ways. Nowadays women are still being stigmatized (She´s just grumpy because she's on her period. We can't have a female leader - what if she starts a war when she gets her period!!??) and portrayed as hysterical, over emotional and not being able to make clear decisions. (Remembering Trump's comment about Fox moderator Megyn Kelly....) As a consequence women and girls feel ashamed and uncomfortable, whisper to each other like criminals when they need a tampon because of their "biological weakness" and are not taken seriously when they have ailments related to their period. Worldwide, every day, women and girls are being held back in social situations, education and work, don't have access to sanitary products or are being excluded from society due to lack of education and are being declared as unclean and inferior. In India 20 percent of girls drop out of school with the beginning of their menstruation. In many other countries women are socially prohibited from leaving the house during their menstruation due to a fear that they are contagious and could spread diseases like cancer. Even in Germany, half of the women say that they feel uncomfortable in social situations while menstruating. 16 percent of them have described missing school, work or other engagmentents because they are afraid (!!) that others might notice that they are on their period. So in fact, this social stigma is so strong that people will remove themselves from society during their period! Many women feel shame when buying tampons in a supermarket (in Germany, this is reported as one out of five) and on top of that, it costs them an arm and a leg! Pads and tampons are taxed heavily almost everywhere. In Germany, they are taxed 19 % which is the highest possible for general goods (higher than totally necessary items like salmon caviar or cut flowers). If you ask yourself "who would make up such a rule?" it doesn't take long to realize: People who don't menstruate. Over a lifetime, women pay on average a four-digit number just for their period (according to bloodyluxurytax.de 8600 Euro including almost 1650 in taxes).* This reinforces gender and economic inequality, while there is already a gender pay-gap in Germany and on top of that women are required to pay an extra cost every month for their essential needs. Btw for everybody who hasn't heard of it before, there is a reusable, hygienic alternative to tampons called the menstrual cup (or moon cup) which is of course not made of ceramic but medical silicon . Not only is this a lot cheaper because you buy it once for around 20 Euros, and it lasts for years but it is also a better option for the environment because it prevents thousands of tonnes of disposed tampons and pads ending up in landfill. Luckily, in recent years there is movement starting to grow in order to change the attitude towards periods. In some countries the "tampon tax" has been abolished or lowered. Even on the day I presented my thesis, Scotland decided to give sanitary products away for free to low income women. (In your face university!!) This is part of the reason why I am posting this and why I wrote this thesis in the first place. To stop period shaming, raise awareness of economic inequality and the mistreatment of women because of this natural bodily function. We have to end this taboo in order to create a more fair and equal society. So I ask you to talk about this issue, raise your voice against this stupid tax, write papers about it and embarrass ignorant professors (my examiners - especially the male ones - were left speechless and had to acknowledge the value of this work) - and everybody calm down. It's just a bit of blood. #bloodyluxurytax #period #menstruation #menstruationmatters #erdbeerwoche #SCA #planinternational #unicef #vivalavulva #pinktax #tamponsteuer This is the original post which I created a few days ago in German: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10211997735770830&set=a.1088265418962&type=3&theater¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic¬if_id=1535730007697666 check out my blog: www.frankafrei.com *source: http://www.bloodyluxurytax.de +++Update 2020: Ive written and published a book about the political dimension of periods in German Periode ist politisch. Ein Manifest gegen das Menstruationstabu. For more info info, follow me on Instagram (@frankafrei) - Ive been posting a lot in German lately. If you want to get more content about menstruation and menstrual health in English check out Menstrual Health Hub - MH Hub, Chris Bobel, Nadya Okamoto, Chella Quint, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Lisa Hendrickson-Jack, Lara Briden and Amanda Laird +++

10.01.2022 How awesome is this? I am joining forces with another amazing award-winning childbirth educator Pip Wynn Owen from Birth Savvy so that we can give you an incredible 2 day workshop to help prepare you not only for labour and birth but for becoming parents - so much emphasis is on birth - but sometimes it is more overwhelming not knowing what to expect after birth and the first few weeks as a new parent or a parent to more than one. This workshop in February is not to be missed. If you would like more details please email me at [email protected] https://fb.me/e/12IC68D9y

08.01.2022 Have you got a partner who is a little on the fence about doing the Hypnobirthing Australia Positive Birth Program? Then have a look at this video....

08.01.2022 If someone kills you with a shovel, thats murder NOT gardening. If someone forces you into sex, they have raped you NOT had sex with you. If your maternity ca...re provider performs a procedure on you without your consent or with coercion thats called assault NOT medical care. It doesnt matter what the weapon is, its all VIOLENCE. #metoointhebirthroom #metoo #obstetricviolence #consent #idonotconsent See more

08.01.2022 Feeling loved...

07.01.2022 We were open about having a VBAC birth at a private hospital and knew some things we may not achieve, but others we could be confident in asking for. I had prepared our birth plan based on what I had learnt from my first pregnancy and items addressed during the Hypnobirthing Australia Positive Birth Program that I felt were important to me. https://vickihobbs.com/i-was-excited-and-happy-about-what-/

07.01.2022 The long awaited Birth Time documentary has now opened ticket sales. It was delayed previously due to COVID so we are so excited that it can now go ahead. Get your tickets in your state before they run out. "Three women embark on a mission to find out why an increasing number of women are emerging from their births physically and emotionally traumatised. Their discoveries expose the truth and lead them to join the birth revolution and forge a movement that hopes to change the face of maternity care in Australia and across the developed world." https://www.birthtime.world/screenings

07.01.2022 Supported a beautiful home birth during the early hours of Sunday morning and saw the sunrise from the bedroom window while watching Xavier bonding with his mum and dad snuggled up in bed. I followed up the next day with a visit to drop off some homemade lactation slices (OMG I have seriously nailed my recipe now) and homemade herbal infused pads and medihoney for mum to soothe the perineum and of course couldnt forget dads favourite beer love my doula job! Thanks Sipsy and Chugga for sharing your birth journey with me. (Photos shared with permission).

07.01.2022 An important series of papers relating to the COVID-19 pandemic has been published in the journal Medical Anthropology Quarterly. One of them concerns women's r...ights in childbirth. "Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic ... stories have emerged ... of women having their labor induced, being forced to have cesarean sections, giving birth alone, and being separated from their babies immediately after birth. Current responses to the pandemic in maternal healthcare and the acceptance of these measures on the basis of necessity not only imply serious infringements of human rights but also present a serious risk that the precarious status of womens rights in childbirth will become the new normal." The paper was authored by Drandi & van Leeuwen (2020) and you can read it in full at http://medanthroquarterly.org//covid-19-a-watershed-momen/ Loads more birth information at www.sarawickham.com #midwife #midwifery #women #womenempowerment #womensrights #birthrights #covidpregnancy #doula #birthdoula #womancentred See more

06.01.2022 Placenta art Your placenta is such an important organ that has connected mother and baby for such a long time. Please check out your placenta after birth and marvel at the work it has done. The tree of life! . . .... #placenta #placentaart #backtobasicsbirthing #vickihobbs #placentaencapsulation #placentaprint #perthmums #pregnantinperth #doula See more

05.01.2022 It is so important for hospital care providers to start practising in an evidence-based way and seeking out the current research, and not just follow outdated hospital policies that are derived from the 1950's.

05.01.2022 A prospective cohort study comparing labour and birth outcomes between women having their first baby who used epidural analgesia (EA) and women having their fir...st baby who didn't have an epidural shows significant associations between epidural use and several intrapartum outcomes. "Women using epidural analgesia were more likely to require a vacuum-assisted birth (RRR 3.35, p < 0.01) or forceps-assisted birth (RRR 11.69, p < 0.01). Exposure to EA was associated with significantly greater risk of 10 h first (OR 6.72, p = 0.01) and 2 h second (OR 2.25, p < 0.01) stage labour, increased likelihood of receiving IV syntocinon (OR 9.38, p < 0.01), antibiotics (OR 2.97, p < 0.01) and a greater probability of pyrexia (OR 10.26, p < 0.01). Women who used EA were half as likely to be breastfeeding at three months postpartum (OR 0.53, p < 0.01). No differences were observed between groups in neonatal outcomes." https://www.womenandbirth.org//S1871-5192(20)3031/fulltext

04.01.2022 It is so important that if women notice reduced baby movements to go and get checked. Even if their midwife tells them to eat something sugary or drink some iced water or eat ice - this is wrong information. Making baby move because of this will just give a false sense of security when a baby may be unwell. Encourage your clients to go and get checked - to ensure the safety of their baby. I know this sounds dramatic, but I have heard of too many women being told to eat ice or... drink a sugary drink and then their baby has died - so many whatifs. Get rid of the doppler as well - they are not for fun, they are a medical device and should only be used by someone who is properly trained in using it, because that too can give women a false sense of security, thinking because they can hear their baby then everything must be okay. Check out the Still Aware website for the latest evidence based information and please share with others you know and your clients, and correct anyone who gives this wrong advice. See more

03.01.2022 Another awesome @hypnobirthingaustralia conference today although it was held online this year due to COVID, but still so many amazing speakers, information and mindset check with some inspirational words from @melissaspilsted - Again I was awarded the Outstanding Performance Practitioners’ Choice award for 2020 and I feel so proud of all that I have achieved this year along with all the other award winners! It’s been my most successful year! I took this photo with last years trophy for photo effect till I get mine in the mail - LOL)

03.01.2022 If you have any kind of ‘risk factor’ when you arrive at hospital during labour, usually step one is to put a cardiotograph (CTG) on you. This machine is strapp...ed on with two receivers and waist straps and displays your babies heart rate and your contraction patterns on a print out. The thought is that it would provide a first sign of a developing problem and allow prompt intervention to get your baby out quickly. Problem is that this idea has not proven effective. We’ve know for a long time that when continuous CTG is used on ‘low-risk’ women, the caesarean section rate goes up without improving outcomes for babies and now we know from current research by Small et. al in 2020 that using this machine on higher risk women doesn’t work to improve outcomes either. The link to the study is in my bio, or below for Facebook folk https://www.womenandbirth.org//S1871-5192(19)308/fulltext This is a literature review which looked at 38 different research papers including 11 randomised controlled trials, found that ‘current research evidence does not demonstrate improvements in perinatal outcome for infants born to women at risk of poor perinatal outcome when intrapartum CTG monitoring is used’. So, it’s time to ask ourselves, if it doesn’t work for low risk labour and birth and it doesn’t work for high risk labour and birth, why are we using it at all? Birth unit culture? Litigious coverage?... it’s certainly not for the benefit of women or their babies #ctg #obstetrics #obstetrician #birth @birthsmalltalk

02.01.2022 ONLY 2 SPACES LEFT DOULA TRAINING NOVEMBER The Doula Training Academy now has 4 definite spots booked with deposits paid, and I have had quite a few enquiries, but I am not "holding spots" for anyone so if you haven't sent me your enrolment form and paid your deposit then you are not booked in so please get in touch if you really are serious about booking your place. Are you ready for a career change supporting women and their partners through their pregnancy and the birth... of their baby? Or are you already a doula but don't feel your training has given you the confidence, resources and opportunities you thought they would? This is over 112 hours of face to face doula training with guest speakers who are experts in their field, ongoing professional development, mentoring and support. As an added bonus, those who attend the face to face training will also be given access to the online course (retail price of $1495). This online training course provides you with workbooks, videos, templates, contracts, evidence-based resources and so much more so that it reinforces the hands-on training you receive and provide you with additional information to go back to and reflect on that we cant squeeze into the time we have in person. The face to face classes start on Saturday 28th November and will run for 14 days with a maximum of 6 participants so you get more individualised attention. For more details check out the event link below or send an email to Vicki Hobbs for the full prospectus. [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/events/739753823520128/ See more

01.01.2022 If you don't know what your choices are, then you don't have any choices. It is also really important that you understand what "informed consent" is....because many of the stories coming through from women are demonstrating that they did not give "informed consent" and for example, your Obstetrician telling you to get up on a bed so they can palpate your belly to feel baby's position and then saying something like "okay I'm just going to feel what's going on inside so just op...en your legs wide apart" and then they give you a vaginal exam......IS NOT INFORMED CONSENT. Know what your rights are, and know that you can say: "I DON'T CONSENT TO THAT" .... Being pregnant doesn't take away your legal right to what is done to your body. It is your right to consent, not consent and withdraw consent at any time. To be savvy about your choices book into my Hypnobirthing Australia Positive Birth Program - just email [email protected] for more details. See more

01.01.2022 I am looking forward to sharing the Hypnobirthing Australia Positive Birth program with couples who want to have tools and techniques to help them through pregnancy, labour and birth. Preparing for birth is far more important than preparing for a wedding, holiday or footy grand final, but for some reason so many women think they will just "go with the flow" and then when things start to deviate from normal, birth becomes traumatic, which can affect the postpartum experience.... You wouldnt buy a house or a car or go on holiday without researching your options and investing time and money into having the best experience for yourself. This training is about bringing a new human being into the world in a calm, gentle way and knowing that you have choices. Its not just about having a healthy baby (that doesnt even need to be said) we need a healthy mum as well to look after the baby! When you are educated on what to expect and to expect the unexpected you have so much more confidence to make decisions about your wants and needs. Your partner becomes a better support person to accommodate those wants and needs and I become your support person right up to your birthing day, providing encouragement, evidence-based resources and pep talks if you need it. If you would like to join my next classes starting on Tuesday 6th October 2020 then email me [email protected] and start preparing for your amazing birthing journey. https://www.facebook.com/events/3120590491311322/ See more