The Birth Class
By Australian Birth Stories
The empowering, evidence based online birth education program that will help you confidently prepare for a positive birth experience
Birth is life-altering and research shows that education and preparation can pave the way for a positive birth experience.
As you prepare to birth your baby, you may be feeling many things; excitement, overwhelm and perhaps fear of the unknown.
This is normal and expected, as is:
- Feeling conflicted by opinions and advice from well-meaning friends and family
- Experiencing nerves and anxiety about labour pain and lack of control
- Not knowing where to go for trusted information but wanting to prepare for birth
If this sounds familiar, you’ve come to the right place.
Introducing The Birth Class
An online birth education course that helps you confidently prepare for a positive birth experience.
Featuring 10 audio lessons with perinatal health specialists, you can listen from the comfort of your home when you’re relaxed and receptive to new information. The Birth Class is a conversation starter between you and your birth partner that informs, encourages and empowers you to journey towards labour with knowledge and confidence.
In The Birth Class you’ll be guided through every stage of labour and birth, including:
- the powerful role of your hormones to prompt contractions and moderate pain
- what to expect from each stage of labour; from the first contraction to birthing your baby and the placenta
- practical breathing and sound skills to help you navigate contractions and overwhelm
- how optimal maternal positioning in late pregnancy can encourage your baby into an ideal birth position
- how to prepare for a successful vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC)
- your pain-relief options, both non-pharmacological and pharmacological
- the risks and benefits of birth interventions and how they can help or hinder labour
- typical complications that lead to an emergency caesarean and what’s involved in the process
- what to expect in the hours after birth, including breastfeeding and blood loss
- breastfeeding advice to guide you through the fourth trimester with confidence.
and so much more.
Your Virtual Birth Team
Let’s look at exactly what you’ll learn inside the program.
Physiological Childbirth with Doula, Rhea Dempsey
We begin our journey by walking you through:
- The role of hormones in labour and birth
- The detriment of a birth culture that pities labouring women
- The importance of finding the right care provider
- How to choose and equip your birth partner
Optimal Maternal Positioning (OMP) with Midwife, Lauretta Hamilton
Lauretta teaches on all things anatomy, including:
- How to create balance and alignment in your pelvis and soft tissues during pregnancy.
- The importance of creating space for the baby.
- Posture during pregnancy and the influence this can have on the length of your labour.
- How to use movement to work with your baby during labour.
Active Birth with Women’s Physiologist, Laura Callea
Together, we discuss:
- How to use gravity in labour
- The difference between pathological pain and physiological pain
- How to safely remain active in pregnancy
- Non pharmacological pain relief tools such as the TENS machine, water and the peanut ball
The Power of Breath and Sound in Labour with Yoga Teacher
and Birth Educator, Jodi Wilson
Our prenatal yoga teacher and birth educator, Jodi, walks us through:
- How to utilise your breath in the various stages of labour
- The relationship between the jaw and soft palate and the cervix and why keeping your jaw relaxed helps keep your pelvic floor and cervix relaxed
- Three essential breathing exercises for labour
- How to use sound and breathing effectively in the pushing phase of labour
TVaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC) with Midwife, Edwina Sharock
You’ll learn:
- The questions you should be asking your care provider to ensure they support VBACs
- The risks and benefits of VBACs
- The importance of going through your previous birth notes and history.
- Preparing your birth support partner and discussing your previous birth and what you would like this time around.
Pain Management and Birth Interventions with Midwife, Beth Ryan
Beth and I explore:
- Why you may be offered induction and what is involved in this process
- Epidurals and the pros and cons
- The cascade of interventions and how to use the B.R.A.I.N acronym
- Instrumental birth, understanding episiotomies, forceps and the ventouse
Breech Birth with Obstetrician, Dr Andrew Bisits
What you will learn:
- When should I be concerned about my baby’s breech position?
- What are the different breech presentations?
- What is External Cephalic Rotation (EVC) and how is it performed?
- What are the risks and benefits of attempting a breech vaginal birth?
- How is a breech vaginal birth managed and how is it different to a cephalic (head down) position?
Caesareans with Midwife, Luka McCabe
You’ll learn:
- Why you might be offered an emergency caesarean
- Step by step whats involved from signing the paperwork right through to recovery
- What to expect in the recovery room and how to care for your scar
- How to modify breastfeeding and other movement post-birth
Breastfeeding with Midwife and IBCLC Joelleen Windhuss Paye
A wealth of wisdom on:
- The composition of breastmilk from colostrum, transitional milk, to mature milk
- Antenatal expressing
- The breast crawl and the golden hour post birth together with a 10minute video showing the breast crawl in action.
- Feeding on demand and weight gain in the first few days and weeks post birth
What to Expect After Birth with Midwife, Beth Ryan
In the final audio, you’ll learn:
- Physiological third stage of labour and an actively managed third stage
- Bleeding post birth what is considered normal and what is a haemorrhage
- Aftercare of stitches and grazes
- The newborn screening tests offered to baby, along with information on vitamins and vaccines
You’ll also receive these added extras to support your preparation:
The Birth Class
70-page Workbook
We’ve detailed the main points from each audio module (including illustrations of active birth positions and stages of labour) so you can sit back and listen without needing to take notes.
Printable Birth Plan
8 pages
A simple step-by-step template so you can write a thorough and organised birth plan.
Yoga Nidra Meditation
25 minutes audio
A beautiful guided relaxation that reduces stress and encourages deep rest.
Breathing Practice
5 minutes Audio
A simple breathing practice to help you slow down and connect with your body, your breath and your baby.
Your Hospital Bag Checklist
2 pages
An essential list that you can tick as you pack your hospital bag.
Cheat Sheet For Birth Partner
6 pages
This simple outline takes your support person through early and active labour – what to expect, how to support and what to say when challenges arise.
Images Of Birth Positions
12 photo examples
The ideal addition for visual learners.
3 Additional Meditations
7, 10 and 12 minute audios
Meditations to release tension, foster trust and navigate a change of plans.
Antenatal Expressing Guide
8 pages
An illustrated guide to antenatal expressing – everything you need to know about collecting and storing colostrum.
The only birth education
you’ll need.
You'll Receive
Lifetime Access
There’s no time limit on The Birth Class. Listen as many times as you like in this pregnancy and come back to it in the years to come.
Convenient Audio Format
Listen on your babymoon road trip, when you’re relaxing in the bath or on your morning walk around the neighbourhood. You’re one-touch away from preparing for a positive birth experience.
Affordable Access to Expert Advice from Perinatal Health Specialists
A unique opportunity to listen to a range of pregnancy and birth experts so you can make informed choices that are best for you.
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.
FAQs
When should you start birthing classes?
I feel that it’s never too early to start educating yourself on the process of labour, and birth. Even if you’ve done it all before.
Generally, it’s a good idea to begin some form of education for you and your birth partner by about 20-24 weeks with the aim to have your labour preparation finished by 34 weeks. This gives you time to process what you have learned and think about how you will implement it on the day your baby arrives.
In saying that you have lifetime access to The Birth Class so you can grab it now and listen as many times as you like.
The breathing exercises and meditation are for pregnancy so you can start them as soon as you like.
Ideally, you should start birthing classes towards the end of your second trimester and aim to have them completed by 34 weeks.
What do birthing classes teach you?
Birthing classes teach you about the physiological process of birth which helps you to understand exactly what the body does in labour. With this understanding comes trust in the body’s natural ability to birth. Alongside this education, we teach a range of breathing and sound techniques and mindset tools you can use to navigate labour and birth, skills that are beneficial for birthing women and their support partners. Beyond this foundational knowledge, we discuss the range of pain relief options available for labour (both pharmacological and non-pharmacological), the risks and benefits of inductions and interventions, and what you can expect from a caesarean birth. We also discuss the hours after birth and how they’re affected by the type of birth you had and how you choose to feed your baby.
Are birthing classes necessary?
Research shows that a positive birth experience – regardless of where and how a woman is birthing – is dependent on two things: the birthing woman being able to make informed decisions and those decisions being supported and respected by her care provider.
Birthing classes give you accessible evidence-based information, language to confidently discuss your birth preferences with your care provider and practical skills to navigate labour and birth. If you want a positive birth experience, birthing classes are essential.
What are the benefits of taking a childbirth class?
Childbirth classes encourage you to get prepared for birth. They start the conversation between you and your birth partner about your priorities and intentions for birth, they help you understand the process of birth and give you skills so you can approach labour, birth and postpartum with calm and confidence.
What do I need to know before labour?
It’s a really great idea to understand what happens in your body during labour so you can understand the role of contractions and therefore welcome the pain of labour as good, positive, productive pain. It’s also beneficial to understand your pain relief options so you can make confident and informed decisions in labour. Labour and birth are unpredictable so discussing your preferences for all eventualities is a pro-active step to a positive birth experience.
How much do birthing classes cost?
Our online birth education course, The Birth Class, is $269 and gives you lifetime access to eight audio modules featuring a range of perinatal specialists who discuss everything from the role of hormones in labour, the process of a c-section, breathing and sound skills for labour, achieving a VBAC and what you can expect from the hours after birth.
What are the benefits of online birth education?
You and your partner can listen where you’re most comfortable and when you’ve got the time and energy to absorb the information and consider how you want to plan for your birth. It’s a personal and intimate form of education that doesn’t involve uncomfortable group workshops or the time pressure of weekend classes. Listen in your own time – in the car, in the bath, on a Sunday morning when you’re in bed drinking tea – and listen as many times as you like. Online birth education starts available conversations between you and your birth partner that will ensure you go into labour with trust in the prices, an understanding of your options and practical skills to navigate all possible scenarios.
How is the course 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.
Confidence comes from knowing you’re doing everything you can to prepare your body for birth...
No matter how your experience unfolds on the day.
My intention is that this program leaves you feeling encouraged, excited and informed; demystifying the birth process, and freeing you from any fears or confusion you might be feeling as you get ready to meet your baby.
You’ve got this — and your virtual birth team and I have got you covered.
To your beautiful birth,
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