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WA Country Health Service

WACHS ANTENATAL EDUCATION CLASSES

Are you birthing at a WA Country Health Service Facility?

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WA Country Health Service logo (Hypnobirthing Australia™ Birth Outcomes)

The WA Country Health Service (WACHS) is committed to providing accessible childbirth education services to the regional population.

Hypnobirthing Australia ™ classes were introduced as Bunbury Hospital’s antenatal education program at the beginning of February 2019 and the outcomes have been outstanding. It is a comprehensive, complementary antenatal education program with a focus on birth preparation through knowledge, tools and support. 

In our commitment to providing parents with high quality, evidence based childbirth education; we are offering access to the online version of the course for expectant mothers under our care, in conjunction with regular live online group webinar sessions.

** PLEASE NOTE – THIS PROGRAM IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO PARENTS BIRTHING AT A WA COUNTRY HEALTH SERVICE (WACHS) FACILITY **

WA Country Health Service is proud to present an award-winning birth education program that is designed to provide you with the knowledge, tools and support to navigate your labour and birth.

Quality, evidence-based independent childbirth education
tailored to support a positive birth experience

FEEL PREPARED AND CONFIDENT

  • This course provides you with the knowledge, tools, support, mindset and a method of preparation to help you to prepare for a calm and positive birth experience. 

  • Join thousands of other happy parents throughout Australia who have utilised this course to enable them to experience a beautiful and empowering birth.

  • Birth can, and should be an experience that you will always want to remember!

LIVE GROUP WEBINAR SESSIONS

  • WA Country Health Service (WACHS) are proud to provide regular live group webinar sessions with a midwife, giving you the opportunity to ask questions, clarify techniques and build confidence in your preparation for a positive birth experience.

  • 12 hours of live group webinar classes. The course is broken up into 4 x 3 hour sessions and include tuition, practical exercises and plenty of opportunities to ask questions and interact throughout. 

HERE'S WHAT YOU
WILL RECEIVE

  • Folio booklet with easy to follow information, cheat sheets, and resources. You will be referring to this booklet as you complete the live classes.

  • Access to our world-class online learning platform 24/7 via your computer or mobile device.

  • Hypnobirthing MP3 practice tracks, eBook, video tuition, extra resources & a collection of super inspiring birthing videos to help you on your journey to a calm and positive birth!

** PLEASE NOTE – THIS PROGRAM IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO PARENTS BIRTHING AT A WA COUNTRY HEALTH SERVICE (WACHS) FACILITY **

Course Outline

In your classes, you will learn how to prepare yourself for a very positive and empowered birth experience by focusing on these four key areas…

Cropped view of happy curly pregnant african american woman touching belly while sitting on bed — Photo

Unit 1: Creating & maintaining a positive mindset

  • Introduction to the positive mindset of hypnobirthing
  • How our brain is wired to birth
  • The role of our caregivers
  • Mind/body connection
  • What is self-hypnosis and how will we use it for birthing?
  • Our hormones are our friends
  • My amazing uterus – understanding the physiology behind birthing
  • Fear-Tension-Pain Syndrome
  • Causes of Fear (including history) and how it affects our labour
  • Re-programming the Subconscious
  • The language for empowered birthing
  • The power of affirmations
  • Birthing environment
Pregnant woman sitting on sofa and listening to music

Unit 2: Our toolkit for birth

  • Self-hypnosis tracks
  • Birth music
  • Conditioning with scent
  • Hypnotic anchors and triggers
  • Releasing endorphins through massage and touch
  • Acupressure techniques for pregnancy, birth & breastfeeding
  • Visualisations for pregnancy, labour & birthing
  • The importance of facial relaxation
  • Relaxation Breathing – a skill for life
  • Surge Breathing – the best tool ever!
  • Techniques to help make your surges more comfortable
  • The ‘urge’ to push/bear down – Breathing/Bearing down
Couple and Doctors Looking at Ultrasound

Unit 3: Preparation & choices for empowered birthing

  • Bonding with baby
  • Choices in maternity care
  • Birth Preferences – having open communication with your caregivers
  • Knowledge is power – researching common interventions and procedures
  • Questions to ask, to assist in making informed decisions
  • Birth partner as advocate
  • ‘Guess date’ – a normal range of pregnancy
  • Inductions – things you’re not always told
  • Achieving a natural start to labour
  • Maintaining a healthy diet
  • Preparing the body – staying active
  • Optimising baby’s position
  • Breech or Posterior – options & positions
  • Instant relaxation techniques
  • Self-hypnosis, meditation and deep relaxation techniques & scripts
WACHS Positive Birth Program Unit 4 Birth – bringing it all together

Unit 4: Birth – bringing it all together

  • What to expect in the weeks and days leading up to birth
  • Signs that labour is starting
  • What to expect through labour (membranes releasing etc)
  • When to call the midwife/go to the hospital
  • Accidental home/car birth – what to do!
  • Birth partner’s role
  • Common procedures
  • Using water during labour and birth
  • Upright positioning, movement and birth positions
  • Special circumstances (including caesarean birth)
  • Fear release
  • Vocalisation
  • Cord clamping & placenta delivery
  • Undisturbed bonding & breastfeeding time – skin to skin
  • What to expect afterwards
  • Self-hypnosis – Rehearsal for Birth
  • A practice routine – preparation for birth!

AMAZING OUTCOMES!

Through the data gathered in a survey conducted at Bunbury Hospital in 2019-2020; this program has been shown to:

  > significantly increase positive feelings of excitement & preparation for labour and birth for parents

> increase spontaneous vaginal births

> decrease medical interventions

All parents who completed the survey felt more positive and prepared for birth at the completion of the course than they did prior.

In an overwhelming response, we increased birthing woman’s excitement and preparedness for labour and birth by over 70%.

The language used in relation to labour and birth vastly changed from very negative terms to very positive terms and overall, every woman would recommend this course.

Be Inspired, Excited and Prepared!

A program for all births – not just your first! Let us provide you with the the knowledge, tools and support to have a truly positive birth experience regardless of our birthing journey.

ARE YOU BIRTHING AT A WA COUNTRY HEALTH SERVICE FACILITY?

Click on the button below to access the information pack and register for 

WACHS ‘Positive Birth Program’ Antenatal Classes

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

This program is only available to parents birthing at at a WA Country Health Service Facility (WACHS).

Click here to download the upcoming dates and times for all classes available through Bunbury, Busselton, Esperance and  Telehealth. When you have decided what classes will be the best for you, please complete the registration form and return to WACHS Antenatal Education. Full details and requirements are included on the registration form. 

Yes! While it is great to start and complete the 4 modules with the same group and facilitator, you are most welcome to join any group that works for you. The important thing is to do all 4 modules.

As a guide, we suggest sometime between 20-30 weeks gestation. However any gestation is better than not attending at all. Some people attend early and have lots of time to make preparations, consider and explore options, look into additional resources, practice tools, and have conversations with their support team. Other complete the classes as they approach the end of pregnancy and the information is fresh in their minds during the birth.

Yes! While it is ideal to do the modules in order of 1-4 as they build on each other, it is still better to complete the program out of order than not at all. 

Yes! Great support in labour is a key ingredient for a positive birth. Partners find this program very useful in preparation for their role.

The Hypnobirthing Australia™ ‘Positive Birth Program’ is a quality, comprehensive birth education program that includes information on everything labour and birth. This program will provide you with the knowledge, skills, support, and method of preparation for a calm and positive birth experience. 

 Current classes available are:
  • 4 x 3hr modules Positive Birth Program
  • 2 x 2.5hr module 4th Trimester, Breastfeeding & Early Parenting Program
  • 1 x 4hr Positive Caesarean Program
  • 3 x 2hr Positive Indigenous Birth Program
  • 4 x 1hr Breastfeeding Problem Solving Program – with a WACHS Lactation Consultant

Yes! There is always something new to learn and every birth is different. Come along to gain some tools to work towards your positive birth.

The program is free for Medicare eligible. If you do not have a Medicare card please contact WACHSBirthEducation@health.wa.gov.au to discuss your options before booking into a class.