Prepare for a positive birth with The Birth Class

Discovering Motherhood

By Australian Birth Stories

The 8-part audio program supporting your empowered
and confident transition into motherhood

Join Discovering Motherhood

Early motherhood brings with it a unique and complex range of experiences.

Whether you’re currently pregnant, or have your baby safely snuggled in your arms, you might be feeling; uncertain, overwhelmed, unprepared, questioning yourself, nervous about the new change.

So much of the preparation is for the birth. But what comes next?

There’s another way. Instead of feeling uncertain and confused you can feel educated, empowered and ready to take on this incredible new chapter of your life.

Because being informed is your greatest tool as you blossom into motherhood.

Imagine stepping into this new chapter of your life with a toolbox of trustworthy advice from experts guiding you on everything from:

  • Breastfeeding and introducing solids
  • Mental health, wellbeing and postpartum recovery
  • Must-knows for your baby’s physical and emotional development…
  • …right through to libido, intimacy and (re)connecting with your partner post‑birth

Spend time getting to know your baby.

Discovering Motherhood

An 8-part audio program designed to support your empowered and confident transition into motherhood.

Created for new mothers (and mothers-to-be), Discovering Motherhood contains 8 comprehensive interviews with leading experts who will instill you with the confidence you need to thrive in your new chapter as a parent.

By the end of this program, you’ll have answers to questions like:

  • “Should I be expressing colostrum during pregnancy (and how do I do that?)”
  • “What’s ‘normal’ when it comes to nipple tenderness — and how do I know if my baby has a tongue tie?”
  • “How do I prevent — and treat — depression and anxiety?”
  • “How do I avoid ending up deficient and depleted?”
  • “What do I do if I have a baby who constantly cries?”
  • “When should I introduce solids — and where do I start?”
  • “How do I best support my baby’s physical development?”
  • “Is it normal my libido has decreased after having a baby (and what can I do about it?)”

And so much more

Purchase the Course

$119.00 AUD
Buy Discovering Motherhood

Your Virtual Lesson Plan

Let’s look at exactly what you’ll learn inside the course.

  • 1
    Getting set up for breastfeeding with midwife and lactation consultant, Amberly Harris

    To begin the Discovering Motherhood journey, we dive into all things breastfeeding, including:

    • Colostrum expressing pre-birth
    • Navigating Tongue ties
    • Nipple damage — how to prevent it, and how to treat it
    • How to identify if your baby is cluster feeding
    • Alcohol and breastmilk: what is “pumping and dumping”?
  • 2
    Identifying post and antenatal depression and anxiety
    with psychologist, Lisa Fettling

    I’m joined by Lisa, who has had a 15+ year career working for Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (PANDA) and published two books on the topic.

    Tune in to our open conversation about the mental health struggles many women experience, including:

    • Risk factors for developing these conditions
    • The best support you can have in place to prevent early-onset depression and anxiety
    • The most effective treatments available
    • How you can approach an at-risk friend with warmth and sensitivity
  • 3
    Lifting the lid on postpartum depletion
    with Dr Oscar Serrallach

    In this interview, renowned maternal care practitioner and author, Dr Serrallach, speaks to:

    • What postnatal depletion really means
    • The physical experience for women during the postpartum phase
    • Which essential minerals and hormones new mothers are often deficient in
    • Effective foods and supplements for restoring a mother’s health
    • Libido: why does it change so significantly post-birth and while breastfeeding?
  • 4
    Understanding common newborn health challenges and the science of soothing with neonatal paediatrician, Dr Howard Chilton

    Dr Chilton unearths the science behind soothing your baby, whilst equipping you with a foundational understanding of caring for their health. We cover:

    • How you can recreate the womb on the outside
    • Understanding colic and how to best soothe an unsettled baby
    • Everything you need to know to identify the difference between colic and reflux
    • What are tongue ties? And why Dr Chilton believes the majority are cut unnecessarily
    • Baby poo: how often should your baby be pooing and what consistencies are normal
  • 5
    Introducing food to your baby with registered nurse and midwife, Luka McCabe

    In this audio, I chat to Luka about the A-Z of feeding your baby solids.

    • When should you introduce solids to your baby, and why?
    • The ideal first foods to offer your little one, and how to get them comfortable with this next step
    • The nutritional requirements of a 6-month old
    • The problem with rice cereals as a first food
    • Purees vs. baby-led weaning
    • Ideas for first foods
    • When and how to introduce dairy and nuts
  • 6
    How to support your baby to reach physical milestones with paediatric physiotherapist, Alana Gardini

    A specialist in children’s physio, Alana discusses common physical and health concerns and how to support your baby to grow into a healthy child. You’ll learn about:

    • The neural pathways that connect your baby’s growth to movement
    • Flat head syndrome: how to recognise and prevent it
    • How hip dysplasia is diagnosed and treated
    • The importance of tummy time and what you can do to support it
    • What is the “contraption hop phenomenon”?
    • How to know when it’s time for shoes and how to get them fitted
  • 7
    Delving into intimacy post-baby with sexologist, Chantelle Otten

    Chantelle joins us to highlight the often-silent issue of decreased libido among mothers. We discuss:

    • Why your libido has decreased and how to rekindle feelings
    • The truth of birth trauma and how it impacts sex
    • How to discuss sex with your partner, manage different sex drives, and how to feel sexy in your role as a mother
  • 8
    Pelvic floor and abdominal rehabilitation with physiotherapist, Shira Kramer

    Learn from experienced physiotherapist Shira Kramer as we explore:

    • How the pelvic floor actually works
    • Exercises to strengthen and correctly engage your pelvic floor (knowing how to do this PROPERLY is vital)
    • How to check your contractions
    • Incontinence and prolapse — symptoms women often don’t talk about — and how you can treat and recover from these conditions

    I reveal my personal journey and experience with prolapse and the tools I used to recover and prevent further damage in subsequent births.

  • 9
    How food can help your postpartum recovery with dietician, Heide Sze

    Heide, a nutrition specialist, shares about the relationship between food and your postpartum recovery. This interview dives into:

    • Which primary food groups are best for optimal recovery in postpartum and post-baby mineral depletion phases
    • The pressures of breastfeeding and how to support lactation
    • Breastfeeding snack ideas to avoid insulin spikes
    • Family-friendly dinner ideas and freezer-friendly recipes
  • 10
    Bonus Interview: Probiotics and breastfeeding

    In this bonus interview I speak to Helen Lyon the CEO of Qiara Probiotics.

    Helen shares how Qiara can help build and maintain a healthy digestive microflora from pre-conception, through pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adulthood.

    Qiara which may help to relieve or reduce breast pain and discomfort associated with mastitis, reduce the recurrence of mastitis and maintain a healthy microflora system.

Discovering Motherhood is perfect for you if...

  • You’re currently pregnant, and want to prepare for an informed and positive postpartum experience before you give birth.
  • You’ve recently birthed your baby, and are seeking expert guidance and education to support yourself and your baby in this new season of life.
  • Or, perhaps a friend or loved one is an expectant or new mother, and you want to gift the program to guide them on their journey ahead.

Shop Our Bundle

Your investment $349.00 AUD

Saving you over $45.00 AUD

Buy The Bundle

Uncovering Motherhood

Because I want you to feel as supported as possible on your motherhood journey, I’ve created the Uncovering Motherhood bundle, which includes:

  • The Discovering Motherhood audio program (regular price $119)
  • The Birth Class audio program (regular price $249)
  • The ABS Breastfeeding eBook (regular price $29)
Buy The Bundle

Put the Experts in Your Ears

Very often, the last thing you want to do with a new baby is leave the comfort of your home.

Putting a little one in the car can be a stressful experience for all — as can sitting in waiting rooms with a tired or hungry baby, or older siblings who have little interest in being ferried from appointment to appointment.

This ‘access-anytime’ audio program has been designed to remove that stress entirely; bringing the experts to you, and keeping you in your cosy baby bubble for as long as you want to be.

The best bit? Lifetime access means you can pick and choose content to re-listen to anytime you need a refresher (or, if you choose to expand your family in the future).

Buy The Course

The only birth education you’ll need.

Customer Reviews

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A
Anna L

All of the guests and interviews are very interesting, I really liked the one about probiotics and breastfeeding. However some of them are a few years old judging by references made. For the price (even with a discount which is when I purchased it) I think it would be nice to have something included like a downloadable PDF with info in addition to the recordings.

You'll Receive

Lifetime Access

This program is yours for life. 
Turn to it again and again over the course of your current and any future pregnancies.

Convenient Audio Format

Tune in from the comfort of your own home, or take with you on a walk or in the car. All the information you need for an empowered birth experience, available any time.

Affordable Access to the Wisdom of 5 Specialists

Access the insight of 5 leading industry specialists for less than the cost of one consultation.

Your Questions, Answered

I created this program while I was going through my own postpartum journey, guided by the most-asked questions from ABS listeners.

Meet Your Host Sophie Walker

Hi there, I’m Sophie — host of the top-rated weekly podcast Australian Birth Stories (15 million downloads and counting), creator of educational programs for pregnancy and motherhood, and mother to 3 boys under 10.

I have a Masters in Public Health, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve been deeply interested in babies and birth; a fascination that only amplified when I became pregnant with my eldest son, Niko.

Despite planning for a drug-free birth centre birth, what unfolded was a lengthy 36 hour labour with a hospital transfer, induction, epidural, episiotomy, forceps, and a postpartum haemorrhage....

Along with my new baby and my aching postpartum body, I carried significant physical and emotional trauma home from the hospital. My second birth was the complete opposite; positive, redemptive, and empowering.
Research claims that a positive birth experience - regardless of where or how a woman is birthing - is dependent on two things:

  • A pregnant woman has the opportunity to make informed decisions.

  • Those decisions are respected and supported by her care provider.

After interviewing over 300 Australian women I wholeheartedly agree with this research. Women have positive births every day - in the comfort of their home, in surgical theatres, in birth centre bathtubs and on the bed in hospital labour wards. And the foundation of these positive birth experiences? Birth education. The podcast is a beautiful collection of stories that have become a powerful, informative and, often entertaining, resource. It’s endorsed by the Australian College of Midwives and currently has over 8 million downloads. Sitting alongside the podcast is a series of online education courses that feature interviews with leading specialists in perinatal health.
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Get In Touch

FAQs

  • How is the program delivered?

    This audio series will be available for you to listen to conveniently via the web or through the free Kajabi app which is Apple and Android compatible.

  • What do I do if I haven’t received a confirmation email?

    The confirmation email will come to the email account you use to purchase with. Please check your Spam / Promotions folders, and if you can’t locate it, get in touch sophie@australianbirthstories.com so we can help you out!

  • Is the program refundable?

    Due to the nature of an instant access digital product, all sales are final.

  • How can I prepare for the postpartum period?

    The transition to parenthood is a period of immense joy and challenge. Discovering Motherhood is your survival guide and features a series of interviews with perinatal experts who discuss a range of experiences following the birth of a child; including mental health, how to care for your baby, getting support from family and friends and breastfeeding advice from lactation consultants. Listen before you give birth so you feel prepared for one of the greatest transitions in life – birth to parenthood.

  • What do I need to know as I transition to parenthood?

    There’s a lot of health and parenting information online and often lots of unsolicited advice from friends and family. As you navigate the postpartum period and learn to care for your baby, trusted information is essential. You need to know the basics about healing after birth, the importance of skin to skin, what to expect from baby sleep cycles, breastfeeding, mental health and postpartum depression so you can enter parenthood with confidence and awareness. Postpartum preparation is just as important as birth preparation.

  • How can I look after my mental health and stay aware of postpartum depression?

    The significant hormonal and identity shifts after pregnancy and birth as you transition to parenthood can affect your mental health. The best way to care for yourself is to check in every day. Ask yourself: how am I feeling? Talk to your partner or your friends and family about how you’re feeling. If periods of sadness, worry, anxiety or feeling down last more than two weeks or start to affect your everyday life, it’s best to reach out for professional support because you may have postpartum depression. There’s a module in Discovering Motherhood that covers mental health in the postpartum period and what to do if you think you may have postpartum depression.

Buy the course

The first year with a new baby is a time of immense change.

A world-shifting, identity-morphing, heart-expanding stretch of time… 
and one that can bring with it many questions.

How different might this postpartum experience be if you step into it armed with a deep understanding of how to navigate whatever the journey may bring? How much would it support you to have answers at your fingertips for those inevitable bumps and uncertain moments?

My biggest hope is that after tuning into the expert advice in Discovering Motherhood, you walk away feeling confident, supported, knowledgeable and ready.

Let’s discover motherhood, together.

All my love,

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