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helping parents relax and follow their own path
from pregnancy to grandparenting
Home birth & water birth
facilitator
Is this you?
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Do you want to support parents-to-be, and give them information about their birth choices?
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Perhaps you are a doula, pregnancy yoga teacher, hypnobirthing teacher, or antenatal teacher, or would like to be?
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Do you feel a lack of knowledge or confidence when talking to your clients about home birth and/or water birth, especially if they have complicating factors? Or feel you might be out of date?
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Does the idea of home birth, or water birth, freak you out? Perhaps you don’t have experience yourself of home birth or water birth?
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Or maybe you love home birth and/or water birth, and want to spread the word?
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Would you like to expand your services and earn more money by offering interactive and interesting antenatal workshops?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these, then this course is for you!
Most antenatal teachers, doulas, pregnancy yoga teachers, hypnobirthing practitioners have not had a home birth or water birth, so it is understandable if you have questions, or lack confidence in talking about this with your clients.
Your training may have covered home birth and water birth, but this training will give you the depth and breadth to answer your clients questions with confidence. When I had doula clients expecting twins I did some specific training on twins. When you are confident and knowledgeable, your credibility and standing grows.
It is especially suitable for people who already run antenatal or postnatal classes who would like to have something else to offer their clients, but also works well for people wanting to start a new business, or want to set up a local home birth group, or pool hire.
Discounts are available if you want to set up a local home birth group, or you volunteer as a lay person on an Maternity Voices Partnership group (MVP), or you are just interested in home birth, but do not have a related business.
Home birth is an increasingly popular option.
Why doesn't the baby drown?
Is home birth not safe for first timers?
What pain relief is available?
What are the main reasons for transfer from home to hospital?
In an emergency will the midwife puncture the pool?
Can I still have a home birth or water birth if...?
This training will help you answer all these more tricky questions, with confidence.
I have run a home birth group for over 20 years, on and off. I have had four home births and one water birth (and one that was next to the pool!). I have attended various home birth conferences, and water birth training.
I have a particular interest in supporting people planning a vbac, and almost half my doula clients had hbacs (home birth after caesarean).
What does the training cover?
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Safety: research on overall safety; how we measure safety; safety of baby and woman/birthing person on the day (monitoring, midwives’ equipment, emergencies, transfers).
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Benefits: research comparing outcomes; how home birth/water birth impacts on birth; why people chose home birth/water birth, and what they love about it.
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Practicalities: what to get ready for a home birth and/or a waterbirth; choosing a pool; setting up/packing away;
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Expectations: how does it feel to give birth at home/in water; how to book; what happens beforehand; what happens on the day; what the midwives do/don’t do; late pregnancy/birth curve balls.
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Complex situations: can I have a home birth/water birth if; hb/wb and common higher risk groups: vbac, GBS, gestational diabetes, big baby, older mum, assisted pregnancy, breech, twins.
What does the training involve?
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Pre course reading.
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Training, in person or online, including background knowledge; using the resources and practising delivering sections of the workshop; group skills and scenarios; running your own sessions.
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Training is one day; 9.00-4.30. You can also chose to do half a day and do the morning session on home birth 9.00-12.30 or the afternoon session on waterbirth 1.00-4.30.
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Written or video reflection, to help you feel confident in delivering the workshop.
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Follow up support.
Home birth and water birth activities & workshops
This training will also provide you with the structure and downloadable resources to run activities with individual clients or groups as part of your existing services, such as card sorts, quizzes, and discussion prompts.
You will also be provided with all you need to run home birth and waterbirth workshops antenatal workshops, bringing you additional income, and attracting more clients your way. If they attend the workshop(s) first, they get to know how great you are, and sign up to other services. If they are already doing your classes, then you are giving them more opportunities to work with you.
I have delivered the workshops over several years. They can be done as separate, or combined.
"We attended the home birth workshop run by Cathy and found it informative and relaxed. We went on to have a successful home birth and felt confident doing so."
Home birth is my jam
I have almost twenty years of supporting parents-to-be prepare to meet their babies, including running a home birth group, a facing birth again group, sitting on the Maternity Services Liaison Committee (now called Maternity Voices Partnerships) and chairing it for two years. I worked as a Consultant Facilitator for national charity Best Beginnings, delivering training on their app Baby Buddy to midwives, health visitors, and children’s centre staff. I managed a Sure Start children’s centre for over seven years.
I have been a doula for over ten years, attending mostly home water births, but also hospital and birth centre births. I have had four out of my five children at home. I hired a birth pool for two of them, and one was born in the water (pictured above).
I hired out birth pools to local people for a number of years. I have attended water birth training with world expert Dianne Garland, and co-wrote an article with her for The Practising Midwife magazine (on water birth after a previous 4th degree tear).
I have run antenatal classes and specific workshops on home birth, water birth, vbac, hbac, birth skills, pregnancy relaxation, visualisation for birth, and breastfeeding. I have a free online hbac course (home birth after caesarean) which approximately 10 people per month sign up for.
Why train to be a Home Birth Water Birth facilitator with Chilled Mama?
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Fill a gap and help parents in your area explore these two great options.
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Feel up-to-date, confident, and knowledgeable talking to your clients, even those with complicating factors.
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Earn additional income with two straightforward antenatal workshops.
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Workshops are structured sessions with tried and tested interactive activities with resources to engage parents
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Non-judgemental, inclusive training to deliver non-judgemental, inclusive workshops.
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Training with an experienced antenatal teacher, doula, and parenting practitioner, who has developed and run the workshops to hundreds of parents.
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Comprehensive handbook containing background knowledge, and a step-by-step plan for the workshops.
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Marketing resources and ideas to get you started and attract clients.
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Follow up reflection and ongoing support from me
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Be known as knowledgeable.
