Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond

Today, Oni Blecher interviews Sally Cusack. Sally Cusack is a mother of two teenagers based in Northern NSW. She is the co-founder of PBB Media and now runs PBB Media's weekly free baby and toddler clothes swap and drop in centre, best known as the PBB Hub which was born from the flood relief outreach hub. Sally been a member of Maternity Choices Australia since 2010 where she is currently Company Secretary.  Sally has recently been developing MCA's advocacy project called Best Birth Finder of which the interview is focussed on. Sally is a researcher with Local Futures Organisation. She dedicates her life to human and planet health through localisation and community building. This is a special interview for Oni as this will be her last podcast interview under Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond. She pays her respect to her time at Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond and PBB Media and expresses gratitide to all guests, listeners, and experiences. You can find Sally and Best Birth Finder below:hello@pbbmedia.orghttps://www.bestbirthfinder.org.auAnd if you have any feedback, questions, or curiosities for Oni, you're welcome to contact her via @oni_keeperofthehearthoni.blecher@gmail.com

Today, Oni Blecher speaks with Zoë Rose Gameau to hear Zoë's breech birth story. Zoë is a mother of two girls and lover of nature. She lives with her daughters in a tiny studio home nestled amongst the trees and streams of the Northern Rivers of New South Wales. Her current work is in creative development as Executive Producer at a sustainable film production company, Green Thumb Media.  In the past, whilst being primary carer mothering two young children, she worked closer to home, founding How We Gather, a profit for purpose company facilitating health coaching for individuals and groups with creative methods and circle gatherings.  She also worked part time for the not-for-profit group Environmental Leadership Australia which further deepened her engagement with the reality of the challenge we face environmentally and some of the solutions available. Previously an actress, Zoë worked with almost every major TV network in Australia, also contributing behind the scenes and featured in the documentaries That Sugar Film and 2040.  As a published author she contributed to books 1 & 2 of That Sugar Guide - A Pan Mac Millan publication. The weaving of these worlds leads Zoë to where she is today; combining all her efforts to bring about the sharing of meaningful stories to help shape a healthy society and environment in a responsible, wise and artistic way, whilst taking time to enjoy the simplicity of her surroundings and raising her children lovingly.Find Zoë at her film production company here: https://www.greenthumbmedia.com.au

Today, Oni Blecher speaks with Fiona O'Shaughnessy. This is the third part in a series discussing the issue of the proposed changes to privately praciting midwives insurance in homebirth. For more info and a background to this issue, please listen to the previous 2 episodes with Fi. They are short episodes and worth a listen! Fiona calls for letter writing to local MPs in this episode. Please see the letter template below. In this episode, Fiona also updates us on the birth trauma inquiry report and its successes, follow ups, and ways to assist the changes that have been suggested. Fiona is a mum of 3, doula, childbirth educator, independent consumer representative for the Northern NSW LHD and a consumer advocate, representing the charity Hygieia Health. She's speaking to us today in her capacity working with Hygieia.Hygieia Health is dedicated to the sacred work of birth and the impact it has on the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of women, their families, and birth workers. We believe that “Peace on Earth begins at Birth,” as Jeanine Parvarti Baker so poignantly stated. As a non-profit organization with a charitable purpose of promoting the prevention and treatment of birth trauma, we strive to provide birth workers, obstetricians, midwives, and doulas with the knowledge and skills necessary to care for themselves and others, and to return birth to its rightful place as a profound rite of passage.Letter Template & Call to Action: (Scroll down):https://www.homebirthaustralia.org/call-to-action.htmlHygieia Heath:https://hygieiahealth.org@hygieiahealthltdHomebirth Australia:https://www.homebirthaustralia.orgHistory of PII (Professional Indemnity Insurance) for privately practicing midwives: https://www.homebirthaustralia.org/professional-indemnity-insurance.htmlBorn at Home Film:https://bornathomefilm.com

Welcome to Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond: Contemporary Conversations where stories, science, traditions and new ideas meet. I'm Oni Blecher and your host today. Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond Media, our development team and contributors pay our respects to indigenous elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land, the Arakwal people, the Minjungbal people and the Widjabul people of the Bundjalung Nation and the many other tribes that frequented this land. I pay my respects to elders past and present and emerging. As a team and organisation, we acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and waters whose cultures and customs have nurtured and continue to nurture this land. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and recognition of culture, connection to land and waters and sovereignty of all aboriginal/indigenous peoples across Australia is a matter of current and vital importance.Today, Oni Blecher speaks with Kirilly Dawn. Kirilly is a Barkanji woman, a doula, and she runs the postpartum postpartum care program for The Returning Indigenous Corporation. Kirilly has also been on the development team with us here at PBB Media for the past 5 years. The work of the returning relies on the generous support of donations from the community and if you support their work and what they're doing, you can go to their website, www.thereturning.com.au and find many different ways to support this amazing NFP. Find The Returning here:www.thereturning.com.au@the_returning_Thanks for tuning in ! Feel free to be in touch with us at @pbb_media hello@pbbmedia.org

Today Oni Blecher interviews Jenny Blyth. Jenny has supported parents in natural birth for over 40 years. She is an independent birth educator, bodyworker, Associate Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy, Spinning Babies® Approved Trainer, Spinning Babies® Aware Practitioner & Trainer, & Internal Pelvic Release Work Practitioner & Trainer. Her particular focus is on body preparation for birth & recovery, & encouraging greater self-responsibility in parents - to realise potential in birth & reduce birth trauma. She specialises in pelvic bodywork for wellbeing, balance, comfort & healing. Jenny regularly facilitates workshops in Australia & overseas. She is project co-ordinator for Lao Birthwork, teaching hands-on & emergency skills to health staff in remote areas of Northern Laos. She is also an author – The Down to Earth Birth Book, Birthwork, The little book of Pelvic Jiggling - & filmmaker -The Big Stretch films & A World of Birthworkers.We are so happy to have Jenny on the show today. She is such a deep well of wisdom in the pregnancy, birth, postpartum and female health continuum. Jenny will be speaking at the upcoming Postpartum Conference which will be a great way to hear more of her lessons and wisdoms. Us from PBB will also be there and will be be doing interviews and taking comments from the participants. So if you're there and want to meet us, come and say hello ! Jenny Blythwww.birthwork.com Postpartum conference: https://www.gentletraditions.xyz/professional-conferences-well-supported-mothers-collective

Today Oni Blecher speaks with Anna Watts. Anna is the Founder of Celebration of Birth, and has been guiding women and their partners through the journey of pregnancy and birth for over 30 years. Anna believes in honouring and celebrating birth as a ‘rite of passage' for mother, father and baby, supporting empowered birthing choices and strengthening the spiritual connection in pregnancy and birth.Anna's experience as a Childbirth Educator, Doula Trainer, Prenatal Yoga Teacher, Spiritual Healer, Counsellor and mother of two beautiful daughters both born at home – one a water birth – brings a depth and grounded warmth to her teaching. Anna also Co-Authored ‘Birthing the Spirit' – Guide to Conscious Conception, Pregnancy and Birth – a beautiful set of cards with guidebook offering inspiration and guidance to support the spiritual connection at this transformative time. Anna is a passionate traveller and has spent time teaching, learning and assisting in birth communities around the world, including the FreMo Birth Centre, Nairobi, Kenya; Da-a-Luz Midwifery School, Andalucia, Spain; Midwife & Doula Community, Queretaro, Mexico. Sharing women's wisdom with a diverse range of birth professionals has greatly enhanced Anna's birthing knowledge and the way she passes on holistic skills to both pregnant women and doulas alike.Anna recently became a Grandmother; which was an inspiration for this episode. We have had Anna on the show before and we were keen to hear about her transition into grandmotherhood. In the Maga season of her life, Anna is delighting in supporting her family to blossom and flourish by holding true holistic care at the centre of wellbeing for future generations. The red thread lineage continues to be grounded in deep trust for birthing wisdom.To get in touch with Anna's offerings, see belowhttps://www.celebrationofbirth.com@sacredbirthsacredearth 

Today, Oni Blecher speaks with Fiona O'Shaughnessy. Fiona is a mum of 3, doula, childbirth educator, independent consumer representative for the Northern NSW LHD and a consumer advocate, representing the charity Hygieia Health. She's speaking to us today in her capacity working with Hygieia.This is an update episode from our last episode with Fiona titled 'Proposed Changes to Homebirth in Australia' around one month ago. If you haven't listened to this episode, we recommend that you do. This episode is an update on the survey that Homebirth Australia, and Hygeia Health circulated to advocate for optimal consumer access to privately practicing midwives and hombeirth. Today, Fiona shares the results of this sruvey as a part of the consultation process that is happening on a federal level. Have a listen and hear how you can best support the next steps. Below are some useful links to be updated on this issue. Survey results: https://actionnetwork.org/user_files/user_files/000/110/933/original/Homebirth_Australia_survey_report.pdf_2024-07-29_11_11_56.pdfHistory of issue: https://www.homebirthaustralia.org/professional-indemnity-insurance.htmlDonate to support our travel: https://www.homebirthaustralia.org/donate.htmlPetition for birth trauma reqs: https://www.betterbirthsillawarra.org.au/birthtraumapetition Hygieia Health is dedicated to the sacred work of birth and the impact it has on the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of women, their families, and birth workers. We believe that “Peace on Earth begins at Birth,” as Jeanine Parvarti Baker so poignantly stated. As a non-profit organization with a charitable purpose of promoting the prevention and treatment of birth trauma, we strive to provide birth workers, obstetricians, midwives, and doulas with the knowledge and skills necessary to care for themselves and others, and to return birth to its rightful place as a profound rite of passage. Their mission is to support women on their journey to childbirth, ensuring that they receive safe and trauma-free birth services and support. We aim to raise awareness of the occurrence and consequences of birth trauma and provide women and birth workers with the tools and support they need to prepare for and experience a safe, positive birth.Advocacy groups such as HH, Homebirth Australia, Maternity choices Australia, and us here at PBB Media spend a considerable amount of time translating some of these deeply rooted political stirrings or changes in to smaller bite sized information segments so that we can all come together in our united aim to ensure optimal freedom of choice in childbirth, however that may look for you. We always welcome your feedback and thoughts. Leave us a review, rating, instagram comment or DM, or simply be in touch via email through hello@pbbmedia.org Thanks for tuning in ! 

Today, Oni Blecher and Naomi Jannsen both speak with Dr. Oscar Serrelach. Naomi joins us as a guest interviewer for this conversation with Oscar Serrelach for the upcoming Postpartum Conference hosted by Well Supported Mother. Dr Oscar specialises in postnatal depletion and his medical expertise centres around optimising Mothers health and wellness. “He deeply believe that if Mothers are well, families can be well.  And if families are well, then society has a much better chance of being well." Researching Postnatal Recovery for almost 10 years, Dr. Oscar Serrallach has shared his knowledge on Postnatal Depletion and fourth trimester healing with his revolutionary book, “The Postnatal Depletion Cure.” Today, Dr. Oscar Serrallach continues to offer medical consultations and retreats around Byron Bay New South Wales in Australia, whilst building the resources and community for the MotherCare Project alongside his partner Caroline.For those of you who don't know or are new to Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond; Dr Serrelach, his wife Caroline, and The Health Lodge have also been long time supporters of us here at PBB Media and have also contributed greatly to Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond podcast since its inception. Big thanks to you two for being such active, supportive, and generous members of our community. Naomi is a traditional medicine practitioner, with over 20 years of experience. She weaves a wealth of expertise from diverse healthcare settings to provide clinical care and education.  She is dedicated Advocate for Traditional Medicine especially in Women's Health and Birth/Reproductive Health services. She holds the vision of Culturally oriented and Mother centred experiences for Women during childbearing and rites of passage. Naomi often speaks at conferences and for podcasts to inform on the importance of Cultural Practices and Medicines in Women's Health. Pertinent to this interview, Naomi is hosting a postpartum conference in Coolangatta, Tweed in December.  Today, Naomi and I speak to Oscar, and each other about some of the sciences and themes that will be highlighted in Naomi's upcoming conference where Oscar will be a key note speaker.  This was a really enjoyable conversation that reiterated my own sense of purpose or re stoked the fire of advocating for mothers and families with young children. Please see their website details below !POSTPARTUM CONFERENCE DETAILS:https://www.gentletraditions.xyz/professional-conferences-well-supported-mothers-collectivehttps://www.droscarserrallach.comhttps://www.gentletraditions.xyz

In this epsiode, Oni Blecher speaks with Edie Barltey. Edie is a Sexologist and Art therapist with a background in psychotherapy. Edie has also complted her doula training and has assisted birth. Her approach as both a therapist and a human being is open minded, non-judgmental and heart centred. Edie's work aims to normalise conversations around sex and pleasure and the social and cultural discourse around both. She sheds light on topics relating to nervous system health, navigating stress and overwhelm, self worth, self compassion and acceptance, dealing with chronic pain or illness, menstrual cycle health, consent, boundaries and relationships. In this interview we also cover menstrual shame; the topic of Edie's thesis. Edie's work expands into realms of the grater human experience, with healing and wellbeing. She offers a safe space, where anything and everything can be spoken, acknowledged, seen and acceptedIn this conversation, we span many topics and curiosities; all aligning to embracing the body at many different life stages. Enjoy this conversation and check out Edie's work here:https://www.ediebartley.com@with.edie

Today I speak with Sali McIntyre and Naomi Jannsson.Sali is an antenatal educator, author midwife, Arvigo practitioner and teacher, and mother of four adult children, all born at home. She also runs Heart and Soul of Wellness which is a wellness centre in Murwillumbah where she runs pregnancy and postpartum groups, amongst many more offerings. Naomi is a traditional medicine practitioner, with over 20 years of experience. She weaves a wealth of expertise from diverse healthcare settings to provide clinical care and education.  She is dedicated Advocate for Traditional Medicine especially in Women's Health and Birth/Reproductive Health services. She holds the vision of Culturally oriented and Mother centred experiences for Women during childbearing and rites of passage. Naomi often speaks at conferences and for podcasts to inform on the importance of Cultural Practices and Medicines in Women's Health.Together, these two run a festival called Birth Wellness festival, which is a coming together of parents, families, and practitioners and clinicians in the area for greater connection of community and services relevant to the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period. In this interview we speak a lot about the importance of gathering in real life embodied spaces to create greater sense of care and togetherness in community. Birth Wellness Festival: https://events.humanitix.com/birth-wellness-festival-2024Sali: https://heartandsoulofwellness.com.auNaomi: https://www.gentletraditions.xyz/

In this episode, Oni Blecher speaks with Fiona O'Shaughnessy. Fiona is a mum of 3, doula, childbirth educator, independent consumer representative for the Northern NSW LHD and a consumer advocate, representing the charity Hygieia Health. She's speaking to us today in her capacity working with Hygieia. Hygieia Health is dedicated to the sacred work of birth and the impact it has on the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of women, their families, and birth workers. They believe that “Peace on Earth begins at Birth,” as Jeanine Parvarti Baker so poignantly stated. As a non-profit organization with a charitable purpose of promoting the prevention and treatment of birth trauma, they strive to provide birth workers, obstetricians, midwives, and doulas with the knowledge and skills necessary to care for themselves and others, and to return birth to its rightful place as a profound rite of passage. Their mission is to support women on their journey to childbirth, ensuring that they receive safe and trauma-free birth services and support. They aim to raise awareness of the occurrence and consequences of birth trauma and provide women and birth workers with the tools and support they need to prepare for and experience a safe, positive birth.Advocacy groups such as Hygieia Health, Homebirth Australia, Maternity choices Australia, and us here at PBB Media to name a few, spend a considerable amount of time translating some of these deeply rooted political stirrings or changes in to smaller bite sized information segments so that we can all come together in our united aim to ensure optimal freedom of choice in childbirth, however that may look for you.You may have a relative, a friend, a neighbour who is interested to birth at home. You may know a midwifery student who has the aim to become a privately practicing midwife. Even if home birth is not on your radar, you may even just empathise with the right to choose a birth environment that feels safe and right. Advocacy groups do so much work, but lets not forget our own capacity to advocate for our fellow human beings, even if their choices look different to ours. The meaning of advocacy is ‘public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy'. We always welcome your feedback and thoughts. Leave us a review, rating, instagram comment or DM, or simply be in touch via email through hello@pbbmedia.org We have left some great links below in relation to information sources that Fi mentions throughout the interview. Thanks for tuning in ! @hygieiahealthltd@bumps_birth_and_beyond @homebirth_australia@bornathomefilmSurvey link: https://tr.ee/pENQCpTihh Excerpt from Hygieia Health Instagram regarding proposed changes:“You may have seen a video circulating yesterday where Senator @larissawaters asked the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer (CNMO) about proposed changes to insurance for homebirth during Senate Estimates - we'd like to thank Senator Waters for her questions. If you're wondering what this all means, please keep reading.We feel the collective anger, fear and in some cases hopelessness about this issue, understanding it's deeply rooted in the lived experiences of women and midwives who have had to fight for women's rights in childbirth for decades.What We Do Know: The Government will conduct a consultation process in the coming months, aiming to have details finalised by the end of the year.  The proposed insurance would only be available for midwives providing homebirth care to women with 'low risk' pregnancies. This could mean that midwives might not be legally able to provide homebirth services to women outside this definition.Currently, the definition of ‘low risk' and who defines it is yet to be determined. However, comments made by the CNMO suggest it could exclude women with common risk factors such as previous c-section, high BMI, gestational diabetes, lack of social support and more. The CNMO also stated that if women deemed ‘high risk' still want a homebirth, they will need a consultation with an obstetrician to be told to give birth in a hospital. Our Goal: It's not too late to influence this process and protect the choice to homebirth as a right for all women. HBA has been promised a seat at the table and we are pushing for this to be a public consultation.Urgency: Women who will become pregnant from September onwards will be directly impacted, so we will reiterate the urgency of this throughout the consultation process.Your Feedback Matters: We've put together a survey as a first step to gather your feedback so we can head into the consultation process and represent the needs of our community. Who Should fill out the Survey: • Have you had a homebirth previously? • Are you planning a homebirth? • Are you a homebirth midwife?Take Action: Complete our survey (link above)

"This is so needed!" PBB weaving love into our communityIn this episode, Annalee and Sally, two of the founders of PBB Media and former presenters of our show, get together to discuss the history of our Outreach Hub, how it started and how it has evolved over time and all that it has to offer our community.The PBB Outreach Hub offers free baby and toddler clothes every Friday from 10am at the CWA Hall in Mullumbimby (corner of Tincogan and Gordon Sts).  We welcome any good quality donations of clothes to keep them circulating.  We also hear from two mums, Calindy and Hope, who have found some clothing treasures for their little ones.  Alice also shares her story of being supported by the hub in the early days after the 2022 floods when her first child was only 6 months old.  Alice still loves to come and visit, catch up with friends and swap some kids' clothing, now with her second child in tow.And finally we hear from one of our volunteers, Jess, a mum of 3 who gives her time to help run the hub and play with the little ones while mums look through the clothes and shoes.We thank everyone who contributed to this podcast and look forward to seeing you at the Hub!  If you are interested in volunteering at the hub, we just ask for 4 hours of your time per month and in return you have a lovely social time, making cups of tea and sorting the donated clothes into the boxes.  Enquiries: sally@pbbmedia.org

In this episode, Oni Blecher interviews Tallulah and Xanthe. Both are Bachelor of Midwifery students in the final year of their studies.  Tallulah grew up on Bundjalung Country and was immersed in a community that favoured an integrative approach to healthcare and wellness, Tallulah felt an innate pull to participate. Along her journey, she felt a deep calling to support women and families, naturally falling into midwifery. Xanthe first felt the calling of midwifery at 14 years old. She spent the next decade thinking about the seed that was planted from such a young age, eventually realising that this calling could no longer be ignored. She truly loves midwifery with her whole heart, and feels incredibly privileged to be walking into a profession that is so rich in culture and practice since the beginning of humanity.Tallulah's philosophy is to be led by women and families. As Culturally Safe care is inherently defined by the perspectives of those receiving care, Tallulah aspires for the women she serves to feel the power handed back to them as the primary decision makers. Tallulah hopes to fulfil a graduate position in Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) and go on to facilitate home births as a private practice midwife, whilst offering a sliding scale of cost to make safe birth more accessible. Xanthe hopes to work alongside some of our most vulnerable people groups in the community as a midwife, also within a continuity of care model. She is driven by the desire to provide holistic care, where women, birthing people, and families feel deeply respected and heard. She strongly believes in the potential of the childbirth continuum being a time that can have deep and lasting positive change for families and communities when care is provided well. Both Tallulah and Xanthe had the privilege of undertaking an overseas placement in remote Papua New Guinea in November 2023 of which they talk about during this interview. It was here that their love for midwifery was solidified. They were reminded of the role of midwifery as primary healthcare, servicing families and communities. Being remote and without basic resources or staffing, the two learnt the value of teamwork, being resourceful and acting on instinct. Tallulah and Xanthe cherish the relationships they build with women and their families and see the art and profession of midwifery as an immense privilege, they can't imagine doing anything else!If you have any questions for these two, feel free to send us an email at hello@pbbmedia.org

In this episode, Oni Blecher interviews Naomi Jannson. With over 20 years of experience as a health professional, Naomi weaves a wealth of expertise from diverse healthcare settings to provide clinical care and education.  Naomi inherited a strong relationship with Traditional Medicine from birth, growing up within a Traditional Medicine household and now practising as a second generation Chinese Medicine Doctor.  She obtained her degree as a Registered Nurse and practised in Australia and the UK in Emergency Medicine, further completing her Masters in Chinese Medicine and attended extensive postgraduate training in Australia, Japan, China, the UK, Europe, and the USA. With a deep respect for the Ancestors, History and Cultures of Traditional Medicines she practises her craft and maintains long term apprenticeship with Master practitioners in Australia, Japan and USA whilst studying the traditional manuscripts and learning opportunities with lineage teachers.  Traditional Medicine is Naomi's life calling and she has truly dedicated herself to the Medicine and those who seek to receive or learn from her. A dedicated Advocate for Traditional Medicine especially in Women's Health and Birth/Reproductive Health services. She holds the vision of Culturally oriented and Mother centred experiences for Women during childbearing and rites of passage. Naomi often speaks at conferences and for podcasts to inform on the importance of Cultural Practices and Medicines in Women's Health. Naomi has also planned an upcoming postpartum conference on the 20 and 21st of April. ‘The Whole Picture' postpartum conference is a dynamic 2 day event with inspiring speakers, offering CPD points and showcasing interdisciplinary innovations for optimal outcomes. Find Naomi and her offerings here:https://www.gentletraditions.xyz@gentle_traditions

In this epsiode, Oni Blecher speaks with Amanda Banks, co creator and producer of the new film Born at Home. Empowered by the homebirth of her second child in 2020, Amanda, together with long term dear friend Eleanor, set out to create a film exploring Homebirth in QLD. Amanda is mother of two children, both born at home. She has always had a passion for health which led her to works as an Acupuncturist in Brisbane, supporting families through fertility, pregnancy and beyond for over 8 years. Amanda was the former Convenor for Homebirth QLD for 2.5 years until mid 2023 and worked as a maternity consumer representative on the QLD Normal Birth Strategy.Supporting women has always been a passion of hers and after absorbing current research on the mainstream maternity system working with Homebirth QLD, she was driven to advocate for evidence based maternity care, women's rights and access to safe birthing options and education. Amanda believes in the physiological process of birth, that birth is a rite of passage and a positive, supported birth experience can create a mother who feels confident in herself and in her parenting journey, amongst many other beneficial maternal and infant outcomes. We hope you enjoy this conversation and learning more about the film ! To check out more details and the upcoming film screenings, look at the links below ! https://www.bornathomefilm.com.auhttps://au.demand.film/born-at-home/

In this interview, Oni Blecher interviews Dr Michelle Gerbi. With a background as a chiropractor, perinatal health coach, functional medicine provider, certified perinatal health coach, postpartum corrective exercise specialist, and international board-certified lactation consultant, Michelle has had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the challenges, questions, and triumphs that come with being a mom. With over 17 years of experience focusing on postpartum women, Dr. Michelle Gerbi has helped thousands of moms overcome the most common and challenging issues that come with motherhood. In this episode, they discuss many topics but provide a special focus on breastfeeding, tongue tie, and the culture of under prepared postpartum. Michelle shares her extensive professional experince as well as her own personal birthing and breastfeeding journey. Enjoy this conversation and find Michelle through the links below. Instagram: @postpartummotheringmentorWebsite: www.drgerbi.com

Public Service Announcement: Would you like to support us ? We are raising money for our NFP and podcast to obtain an office space and podcast recording studio for 2024. Our goal is $10, 000 AUD and any donation big or small is helpful ! If you're interested in supporting us, please email us at hello@pbbmedia.org for more information. If you're not familiar, Check out our work at pbbmedia.org In this interview, Oni Blecher interviews Dr. Howard Chilton has been a neonatologist (a baby's physician) for over 45 years. He was born in York, England and studied at St Mary's Hospital Medical School in London. After wonderful years in London in the swinging sixties he graduated then interned at Addington Hospital on the beach in Durban, South Africa. Following this, he was accepted for a Senior House Physician appointment in Neonatal Medicine at Harari Hospital in then, Salisbury Rhodesia, now, Harare, Zimbabwe). After more training, Howard eventually obtained paediatric appointments at the Hammersmith Hospital and the Westminster Children's Hospital, then, after obtaining his MRCP (UK) degree, the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford where he also did a short fellowship. He then became a SHO at the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London in the Department of Respiratory Medicine. He did a mandatory Neonatal Fellowship in the US at Denver Children's Hospital which included two years in a centre of excellence in high tech neonatology including doing neonatal ground and air retrievals, really taught him how to look after the sickest, smallest babies.Before starting this fellowship though, he had a long stopover in Sydney doing locum Respiratory and Paediatric jobs, to check out job prospects. During one job at Prince Henry Hospital he met a beautiful nursing sister called Tamara.At the end of the fellowship, Howard was appointed as the Director of Newborn Services at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, where he held this position for over twenty years, resigning in 1999 to concentrate on clinical work and parent education. Apart from looking after babies and their parents, Howard now spends a lot of his time talking: to parent groups, or to conferences in Australia and overseas, and to media outlets about ‘responsive parenting' and the myriad issues which arise for parents when they take their new baby home. He believes knowledge of the biology of the baby can help parents understand and meet their baby's needs and enables them to relax and enjoy the wonderful experience of parenting.He married Tamara soon after arriving back in Sydney from the USA and she remains the light of his life. They have two daughters, Georgina and Isabella and five grandchildren ! all under 5 years of age. Find out more about Dr. Chilton, including his well renowned books at babydoc.com.au

In this episode, Oni Blecher speaks with Tahnee Taylor. Tahnee is a yoga teacher with a deep and resonant love of Yin Yoga and how it meets the alchemical magic of Taoism. She is also a practitioner of Chi Nei Tsang, which is a Taoist abdominal massage and she is a passionate advocate for the inherent shamanic wisdom of the body - hers, yours, ours. She is the mama of two home-birthed babies and co-parent of SuperFeast, the Taoist tonic herb company founded by her husband, Mason. Tahnee co-hosts the SuperFeast podcast and educates around yoga, Taoism, health and motherhood.In this interview, Tahnee shares how her deep experience and resonance with yin and Taoist principles and the intersection between them has influenced her motherhing and her interaction with her many roles as a woman and human. Enjoy this interview. Find Tahnee here:@tahneeyogatahneetaylor.com

In this episode, Oni Blecher speaks with Ruth Schubert. Ruth is a physiotherapist for 20 years. She Schubert is inspired to help her clients lead a beautiful life. She believes in building resilience through developing a strong body and calm mind. Throughout her career, Ruth realised her passion in caring for women, and her own pregnancy and recovery found her fascinated with Women's Pelvic Health. She has a specialist interest in pelvic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction and working with pre and post-natal women. She has undertaken extensive post-graduate training in the treatment of Women's pelvic health and has completed a professional certificate in pelvic organ Prolapse management through UniSa and Pinc cancer rehabilitation certification. Along with her extensive clinical knowledge, Ruth takes a holistic approach to assessing and treating her patients, incorporating education, manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and mindfulness. Her unique ability to treat the internal and external pelvic structures has led to outstanding results and a loyal client base.Find Ruth here: @exhale_physiotherapywww.exhalephysio.com.auFind PBB Media here @pbb_media www.pbbmedia.org

In today's episode, Oni Blecher speaks with Natalie Woods. Natalie Woods is a twin mother to two boys, River and Jarrah. She lives in the Northern Rivers with her partner Dan. She's also a writer and community builder, which has led her to think deeply about the storytelling that is available for parents of multiples and also the importance of finding a community of parents who share similar experiences to your own. Enjoy this conversation Find Nat here: @nat.woods_Sign petition here:https://equalityformultiples.good.do/HELPNOW/MULTIPLES-NEED-SUPPORT/

In this interview, Oni speaks with local father Nyck Jeanes. Nyck is also a musician, producer, independent journalist, and as one close friend describes him; a social engineer; he's out to help change the way we relate to one another, understand the world around us and live our lives.This interview was recorded nearly two years ago and with floods, and other events, it is only now we are airing it.PBB met Nyck in his former role as the president of BayFM, our local community radio station; the very place that Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond started so many years ago. Nyck has always been a truth seeker who comes from a place of an eternal wonder like an inquisitive child but with wise and sharp intellect to investigate and articulate the wonder. He is a friend of many and has been a backbone for so many in the community.Nyck has a big heart, and enthusiasm to tell the story. In this interview, his story is a rich and deep story that includes a pivotal moment in his life; the birth and death of his first child. Nyck generously and wisely shares this story with us decades later. It includes the story of an inquest and the braveness of acting in a painful and challenging time.Oni was honoured to sit and witness Nyck talk as a father, after us sitting next to him at the radio station for many years as our show used to air just after his finished. It was only years later, after a spontaneous conversation at a cafe did Oni realise what Nyck had gone through as a father. Thank you Nyck and we hope you appreciate this conversation. Please see below for details of helplines if you or your loved ones need helpOrganisations for support: (via www.iamstillborn.com)Sands – Sands provides support, information and education to anyone affected by the death of a baby before, during or shortly after birth. They have helplines you can call up and they also have face to face events. There is lots of info on their website. http://www.sands.org.au/Bears of Hope – Bears Of Hope Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support provides leading support and exceptional care for families who experience the loss of their baby. Bears of Hope has a great Facebook group for grieving parents. There is also one group set up just for Dads. http://www.bearsofhope.org.au/The Stillbirth Foundation Australia is the only Australian charity dedicated to stillbirth research. We are 100 percent community funded. It was launched by Emma McLeod in October 2005 after Olivia, Emma's second child and first daughter, died unexpectedly in utero and was born still on 31 July 2002. They have a birth remembrance on their website for all the babies gone too soon. They also have information for parents who are dealing with their grief. http://stillbirthfoundation.org.au/

Robin Grille Is a psychotherapist, psychologist, author, mentor, speaker, and educator. His work seeks to restore relationships to their natural flow and balance: include family relationships, partnerships, workplace relationships, and relationship to self. His work enlivens relationship to vocation, to community, and to the natural world that surrounds and nourishes us. Robin speaks at international conferences, on a range of themes presented in his books. He conducts international trainings for psychotherapists, and for parents and offers private psychotherapy/counselling/coaching sessions.Robin was born in Uruguay to migrant parents. Spanish was his first language, French his second and Romanian his third language before coming to Australia when he was 10 years old. So far he has written and published; 'Heart to Heart Parenting', 'Parenting for a Peaceful World', and a chapter in a book called 'Social Ecology, Applying Ecological Understanding to our Lives and our Planet'. We hope you enjoy this conversation.Find Robin at https://www.robingrille.com or @robingrille

This episode is a conversation between Oni Blecher and Jacqui Lewis. Jacqui Lewis is a meditation teacher, mentor, an author of four books, a Tedx Speaker, and hosts leadership programs globally. She co-founded The Broad Place, a global school sharing ancient knowledge and modern neuroscience, tools and experiences for higher grade living with Arran Russell. She focuses on philosophy and tools for greater clarity, creativity and consciousness and bringing a grounded, innovative and resilient approach into the lives of her students and clients. A student of Eastern wisdom, neuroscience and psychology, she continues to study and integrate these teachings into her work.In this interview, Jacqui shares her diverse and personal experience as a mother, including motherhood and work, creativity, and tuning in to your own wisdom in a world saturated with information. We also discuss Jacqui's book ‘Mothers Mind Cleanse' and hear about her own impetus and writing process. Enjoy this conversation To tune into Jacqui's work, head to:https://thebroadplace.com.auInstagram: @thebroadplace

In this episode, Oni Blecher brings you an interview with menstrual educator Samantha Neal.Samantha has been working for over six years, contributing to the field of menstruation by way of workshops, comprehensive online education programs, private mentorship and circle facilitation. Samantha is within a new wave of menstrual educators, approaching the field slowly and carefully with the utmost sanctity and respect; researching and writing while based in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Australia.She has worked with all ages, supported thousands of women and girls in their understanding and integration of menstrual awareness. Her widely loved online course, the Cyclical Living Immersion, has been received and celebrated by participants from around the world. Most recently, she has started an online container called ‘Altered', a 4 week course exploring the liminal dimensions of menstruation. She is always tending budding projects as well as serving weekly tea ceremonies, continuing her deep studies and exploring under the guidance of her mentors Dr. Lara Owen and Moana Pearl.This interview is full of deep explorations around relationship; with self, with cycles, and with those who teach us. Enjoy ! To connect or work with Sam, have a look at her website: https://samantha-neal.comOr her Instagram:@samanthaneal_

In this Episode, Oni Blecher interviews Jane Hardwicke Collings. Jane has spent decades in the realms of birth education and ther wider work of reconnecting women with their sacred rites of passage. Jane started and runs the School of Shamanic Woman Craft and the Charity organisation Hygieia Health; revolutionising maternity care in Australia to minimise and prevent birth related trauma.Jane has many gifts of wisdom from her decades of experience in regards to birthing well. Not only is Jane and her school a wellspring of knowledge but she is a keen collaborator and her generosity to other groups and organisatins including ours is a testament to her ability to evolve our field and work together for a better future.Below are links to the Northern Rivers based events mentioned in Jane's interview. FREE birth trauma event:https://janehardwickecollings.com/events/red-thread-birth-trauma-a-conversation-with-jane-hardwicke-collings-rhea-dempsey/ https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/birth-trauma-awareness-event-tickets-623425651907 Red Thread Birth Trauma - A Conversation with Jane Hardwicke Collings and Rhea Dempsey

Dione from Make a Change on BayFM interviews Rhea Dempsey and Sally Cusack on birth trauma and related events coming up in the region for #birthtraumaawarenessweek 16 - 22 July 2023.Rhea Dempsey, childbirth educator, counsellor and author, will be in conversation with Jerusha Sutton from the Birth Time documentary team on Thursday 13 July 2023 at 6:30 - 8:30pm at Vali Byron.Bookings can be made through PBB Media here or here.Rhea will be visiting this region from Melbourne to also present at this Birth Trauma Awareness Event at Lennox Head on 18 July 2023.https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/birth-trauma-awareness-event-tickets-623425651907Aired on bayfm.org on 5 July 2023.Copyright Dione Green, Make a Change 2023

In Today's episode, Oni Blecher will be interviewing Tane Luna, A Spanish obstetrician that is working as the head os Obstetrics at Lismore Base Hospital. Tane has had vast experience working in many models of care, including a period of time with Medicins Sans Frontiers in Africa and the Middle East. She shares her views and experience of Obstetrics as an evolving profession. Please excuse the ambient sound on the recording as we had to meet and record in a public place. Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond Media, our development team and contributors pay our respects to indigenous elders past, present and emerging. This interview was recorded and edited on Bundjalung land. We acknowledge that we live, work, and benefit from these unceded lands. PBB Media as a NFP organisation is fully volunteer run. We are grateful for our loyal and long-lasting listener ship and believe the content we share around Pregnancy, Birth, Postpartum, and parenting is vital for healthier communities. Leave us a comment or a review, or send on our episodes to anyone you think would benefit. We also have a backlog of 100s of rich and varied episodes. Have a look! On July 18th, Tane and a group of other practitioners and clinicians specialising in birth and postpartum will be running a free event to raise awareness around birth trauma. I will pop the details about this below in our show notes. Enjoy this interview ! https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/birth-trauma-awareness-event-tickets-623425651907

This epsiode is a conversation between Annalee Atia and Alysha-leigh Fameli. Alysha-leigh is PhD student/Registered Psychologist University of Sydney. Alicia-leigh has already undertaken important research to recognise childbirth related PTSD and it's impact on the early mother-infant relationship. She has also worked on a study titled ‘Assessment of childbirth-related post traumatic stress disorder in Australian mothers: Psychometric properties of the City Birth Trauma Scale'. As part of her new and current research, she is seeking the participation of mothers with infants aged 0-6 months for participation in a clinical interview, observation and online survey. If this is you, check out our links below to see how you can be involved. Your experiences matter and recording them safely and officially helps to prevent future harm and creates the space for others to have their experiences validated. As you may know, the rates of PTSD in childbirth are growing. These statistics are ones that us here at PBB Media are not okay with. We will also leave some mental health resources below. If you are feeling like you need mental health support in relation to your birth or postpartum, know that you are not alone. Mental health support for expecting and new parents:https://forwhenhelpline.org.au / Call 1300 24 23 22 National Helpline on 1300 24 23 22 is now live between 9.00am-4.30pm – Monday to Friday.Call ForWhen helpline, which is a national service and you can look up your area and link you in to support close to you 1300 24 23 22, forwhenhelpline.org.au To be involved in Alysha-leigh's study:To support and participate in this vital research (for this project, anyone with babies 6 months and younger), you can reach her here:afam4556@uni.sydney.edu.au and www.australianbirthstudy.comUpcoming free Birth Trauma event in Lismore:https://www.instagram.com/p/CsDxQZTru4I/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

In this episode, host Rose Ricketson talks with community development worker Holly, about her experience with IVF in Australia. Holly shares a very personal IVF journey that impacted every corner of her life, shedding light upon a very common experience, so we can each have more awareness of what the IVF is like for the women and couples in our communities, and how we could better support them through it all. We also explore the issues related to the IVF industry and the inequality of access, and look at ways we can help amplify the stories of people navigating this journey. Holly Rankin Smith is a community development worker with a passion for advocacy, activism and social change. With over 15 years experience in the sector, she has worked on projects addressing a range of social challenges from isolated elderly in aged care to at to at risk rural youth. She is also a marriage and funeral celebrant and is fascinated by the ceremonies and rituals through life and death. Holly is passionate about shifting the stigma around IVF since her experience of 3 years trying to conceive with a very broad diagnosis of 'unexplained infertility'. A light through this dark experience was stories and connections with other women experiencing infertility, but this seemed hard to find which is strange when it's experienced by 1 in 6 Australian couples. Holly hopes by sharing her story she can help people who are experiencing infertility feel less alone and help give context for those who know someone going through it.Contact: @hollyrsIt Starts With The Egg - The book Holly referenced https://www.amazon.com.au/Starts-Egg-Second-Naturally-Miscarriage-ebook/dp/B07NJ85ZFJ

Rose Ricketson talks with Hazel Keedle, PhD, Lecturer of Midwifery at Western Sydney University and author of her recently released book Birth after Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth. They discuss her research and findings around VBAC in Australia, as well as her work in midwifery. Hazel has more than two decades of experience as a clinician in nursing and midwifery, educator and researcher. Hazel's research interests are vaginal birth after caesarean, birth trauma and maternity experiences explored primarily using feminist mixed methodologies. Hazel's work is recognised nationally and internationally, with more than50 conference and seminar presentations including 15 as an invited speaker. Hazel has a developing publication track record as an early career researcher, with 15 peer reviewed publications and a best selling book for women based on her PhD findings, Birth after Caesarean, your journey to a better birth.Linktree: https://linktr.ee/hazelkeedle (this has all the links to my papers, events, etc)Instagram: @hazelkeedleFacebook: @VBACmattersTwitter: @HazelKeedleBook on Amazon.com.au: https://tinyurl.com/2jmrfb9p

It would be reasonable to assume that the care one provides is the care one would be happy to receive. But this is not what new research reveals. Today on Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond Annalee Atia speaks with Sharon Stoliar - researcher, academic, midwife and Mother. Sharon received her Bachelor of Nursing in 2006 and Graduate Diploma in Midwifery in 2008 from UTS. She later obtained a Master of Public Health and Master of International Public Health from UNSW. Her recently published research around maternity care providers choices in childbirth, sparked some curious public debate around the ethics, equity and the quality of maternity care in Australia. Guest: Sharon StoliarProduced and presented by Annalee AtiaRecorded on Bundjalung Country on August 13th, 2022Links:> Sharon's website plus pre order Sharon's new book Scars of Gold - www.sharonstoliar.com> A national survey of Australian midwives' birth choices and outcomes - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187151922200302X?dgcid=author> Insider knowledge as a double-edged sword: an integrative review of midwives' personal childbearing experiences - https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-022-04962-yThe Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond show is part of a wider nonprofit community media and journalism project, PBB Media Incorporated.All rights reserved.www.pbbmedia.orgPregnancy, Birth and Beyond comes to you from Bundjalung Country at the Cavanbah or Byron Bay and we acknowledge with respect and reverence the Arakwal people of the Bundjalung nation, neighboring clans and people for caring for this country since time immemorial.

Today our host Rose is chatting with Catherine Bell about the need for better maternity care for rural women, consent and communication in maternity care, the need for rural midwives and policy change, and more. Catherine Bell is the Birth Cartographer and creator of The Birth Map, an innovative approach to birth preparation. She is undertaking her PhD to evaluate the potential of The Birth Map in facilitating communication and decision making in maternity services.As a community activator, she is not afraid to volunteer to ensure the future is one of compassion and connectedness. She sits on the board of Maternal Health Matters, is the ACT President of Maternity Choices Australia, treasurer for Braidwood Youth Performing Arts Association and a committee member for the Braidwood Community Association. She is also a Director of Tender Funerals Canberra Region, a not-for-profit, community-led approach to funeral care, seeking to establish.You can find her at www.birthmap.life IG @birthmapping and FB/TheBirthMapHttps://chf.org.au/social-prescribingTo our wonderful listeners. We love hearing from you and receiving your notes, questions and ideas.. how do you feel about this episode?If you have any questions/comments at any time about this, other interviews or our work at PBB Media, get in touch. You can email us through hello@pbbmedia.org or catch us on socials @pbb_media.

Today's episode is with Klyne Love, who shares generously about her experience with single motherhood throughout floods, housing crises and a lot of grief. Despite being a heavy topic, Klyne has a spirit of hope and optimism and holds a beautiful vision of a more mother-centred world, reflected in the work she does with mothers. Single motherhood has taught Klyne so much about herself, about care, community, wellbeing and complex social and cultural issues relating to how we look after each other, and how we don't. Klyne's story is so important, for all of us who wish to know how to support single mother's better, and for single mothers to know they are not alone in many of the common struggles faced when mothering without support. Klyne is a radical advocate for Mother-centred care and feminine embodiment. She works in postpartum education and care, having completed trainings with Julia Jones from Newborn Mothers, Sophie Ward Koren from Milk & Seed and Rachelle Garcia Seliga from Innate Traditions. She is also a Qoya teacher and ultimately these two threads weave together as sacred spaces for women to connect deeply to themselves and access their intuitive Knowing and self-healing. At the core of her work is a burning passion for a collective returning to community and thriving life (not just survival).She runs both in-person and online workshops. Connect with her here. https://www.klyne.love/about-4Instagram: @ klyne.loveWebsite: www.klyne.loveIf you loved this episode, please leave us a review or get in touch with us! @pbb_media

Jerusha Sutton is a doula, birth videographer, actor, and recently, one of the faces behind the documentary 'Birth Time'.In this episode, Oni Blecher speaks with Jerusha about life since Birth Time; what's happening in the Birth Time movement and where key researchers are at with the aligning Birth Experiences Study.Enjoy this conversation and find Jerusha through@jerushasutton www.jerushasutton.com.au@birthtimeworldwww.birthtime.world

Welcome to Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond! Today we bring you a special podcast recorded in May 2020 for World Maternal Mental Health day. Birth Trauma Awareness week 2022 just concluded with a powerful theme this year on Birth Injuries. Our panel discussion raising awareness of maternal mental and other health issues with experts and mothers is as timely and relevant as ever. We hope you enjoy todays long form discussion. For questions and comments on this podcast email us at hello@pbbmedia.orgOur live-stream event took place on Wednesday 6th May and was streamed through Facebook live via Maternal Mental Health Matters. The focus for the panel discussion is celebrating mothers and marking World Maternal Mental Health Day in a positive way (prevention, solutions-based approach, support etc) - a panel of experts, practitioners and mothers coming together to discuss the latest in maternal health and wellbeing.Maternal Mental Health Panellists:* Dr Oscar Serrallach - Integrative Doctor with a special interest in maternal health and postnatal wellbeing. Dr Serrallach was the first to recognise something he termed Postnatal Depletion. The Postnatal Depletion Cure is his first book.
* Callie Brown - Mother, Coach, writer, speaker and life enthusiast.
* Dr Sophie Brock- Sociologist, mother, and founder of The Good Enough Mother: a podcast and platform for mothering discussion and resources. Sophie is also AMIRCI President.
* Alecia Stains - Mother, Maternity Advocate, Director of Maternity Consumer Network and Hypnobirthing Educator.
* Mary Kirk - Midwife and maternity advocate. Mary is Vice-President of International Confederation of Midwives and founder of Safe Motherhood For All - First Baby Campaign Inc.
* Ella Noah Bnacroft, proud bundjalung woman, artist, published author, mentor, consultant and founder of “The Returning Indigenous Corporation”. The Returning is an Indigenous charity that brings health and wellness through a nature based approach and connection back to country led by Indigenous facilitators
* Kirilly Dawn, Barkindji woman, doula and embodiment practitioner. Kirily is also a Development Director at PBB Media Incorporated. 
The panel is hosted by Sally Cusack from our acclaimed Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond podcastProduced and directed by Annalee Atia, co-founder and Development Director at PBB Media Incorporated.This panel discussion was recorded on Gadigal lands on Wednesday, 6 May 2020 
This event is brought to you by four major Australian nonprofits: Maternity Choices Australia, Safe Motherhood for All, Maternity Consumer Network and PBB Media Incorporated.#maternalmhmatters #birthtraumaawarenessweek

Dr Ella Kurz is a midwife from Ngunnawal Country in the ACT.Today we chat through her work in maternal and child health research at the University of Canberra, as well the term 'parturescence' she coined in her PhD to refer to the opportunities for transformation made possible through childbirth. Ella was awarded the Stephen Parker medal for outstanding thesis for this work. She recently co-edited the anthology What We Carry: Poetry on Childbearing (Recent Work Press, 2021) and authored My Mother is a Midwife. What We Carry: www.amazon.com.au/What-We-Carry-Poetry-Childbearing/dp/0645009091www.ellakurz.com

Allison Davis joins us today from New Mexico, USA. Allison is a counsellor, educator and researcher of maternal mental health. Today we discuss the ecological domain of matrescence - learning to approach the challenges and struggles with a viewpoint of growth and transformation. We look at how our evolution can mirror the evolutionary processes of nature and how we can align ourselves with nature's desire for growth. Allison's work focuses on the development of mothers' psycho-ecological growth in matrescence, aiming to reframe eco-related distress as resilience, and offering a path through the mental health dangers of idealised 'green motherhood' towards lifestyles that are psychologically healthy, and ecologically sustainable. Through articulation and application of an ecofeminist-informed developmental approach, she fosters ecological thinking and contact with nature for psychotherapeutic healing and growth.She works in private practice at Mother Nature Therapy, teaches in the Master of Counseling program at Alliant International University, and researches in the Maternal Psychology Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University. Links:https://www.instagram.com/dr.allisondavis/https://www.instagram.com/mothernaturetherapy/https://www.mothernaturetherapy.com/climate-circles

Today's guest is Sarah Smits, who joins us from Lake Atitlan in Guatemala where she is learning traditional Mayan practices. Sarah is a home birth midwife, lactation consultant and body worker who incorporates her experience of travelling the world and learning about traditional midwifery practices, to provide holistic care to women and families, whilst supporting other birth workers on the path of reclaiming birthing wisdom as women's wisdom.Today we discuss home birth midwifery practice, traditional approaches to maternal care, self-responsibility, community care, postpartum wellbeing and more. W: www.downtobirthmidwifery.comInstagram @down_to_birth_midwiferyDetails for The Midwife Project Guatemaya Website: www.midwifeproject.netGo fund me: www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-midwife-project-guatemayaTo our wonderful listeners.We love hearing from you and receiving your notes, questions and ideas.. how do you feel about this episode? If you have any questions/comments at any time about this, other interviews or our work at PBB Media, get in touch. You can email us through hello@pbbmedia.org or catch us on socials @pbb_media.

Hi out there to our listeners, its Annalee. It is Tuesday, 8th of March in 2022. We are bringing you a special bulletin on the catastrophic flooding in Northern NSW, Australia. In the early hours of Monday 27th February, a little over a week ago, heavy rains causing what was already severe flooding, took a fast turn and created what has been deemed by some scientists as a ‘rain bomb'. The scenes across Northern NSW have been nothing short of harrowing and the community response as a result a powerful reminder of immense good that is available within us all. I'm catching up with PBB's Oni Blecher who's on the ground in Mullumbimby, one of the region's badly hit towns. We address the current needs in the community, what our organisation is doing to support families and lessons for the wider community. MUSIC:The music you will hear on this podcast is by local Artist and song- weaver Olivia Rosebery, her potent song REMEMBER echoing a message of hope for everyone in need during these trying times. Find Olivia on socials @olivia.rosebery.music and www.oliviarosebery.comDONATEPregnancy, Birth and Beyond Fundraiser for Northern Rivers Birthing Families https://gofund.me/777ad721EPISODE INFORMATION:Guest: Oni Blecher. Oni is a PBB Media Producer and Creator, Craniosacral, Arvigo, Visceral + Myofascial release practitioner and Poet @thetempleofwords and Village keeper @@earthedtobirth. Find Oni @oni_keeperofthehearthGet in touch and info about The Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond Community Hub www.pbbmedia.org / hello@pbbmedia.org SEEK/GIVE support at Northern Rivers Community Volunteer Directory NRVD.ORGGuardian Article Anatomy of a ‘rain bomb': scientists strive to understand phenomenon that caused Australia's east coast floods https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/05/anatomy-of-a-rain-bomb-scientists-study-phenomenon-2022-australia-east-coast-floodsMore links coming soon. Produced by Annalee Atia for PBB Media. All rights reserved. www.pbbmedia.orgThis episode was recorded on Gadigal lands and Bundjalung Country.Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond comes to you from Bundjalung Country at the Cavanbah or Byron Bay and we acknowledge with respect and reverence the Arakwal people of the Bundjalung nation, neighboring clans and people for caring for this country since time immemorial.

Lissie Turner is our guest today on Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond. Lissie is a mother, blended family parent, foster carer, grandmother and an accomplished radio host and producer in the music industry. She is the creator of several renowned Yoga and wellbeing programs and spaces including The Yoga Shack along with her Husband Shane, both of whom avid surfers. Lissie is also a fellow Vagina (as we are lovingly called by the producer of the Vagina Conversations, Zenith Virago) and is working on her next piece for the show, which we touch on too in our conversation. It's been a while that we have wanted to interview Lissie for the show, she is a wonderful female role model in our community with a colourful past and a powerful salubrious journey of redemption. As women do, we gathered and circled and touched on several themes from this evocative journey. You can find Lissie on on the Living Harmoniously Podcast and through the links below. Show Links:https://www.lissieturner.com/IG @lissieturnerTo our wonderful listeners.We love hearing from you and receiving your notes, questions and ideas.. how do you feel about this topic? Have you had a similar experience or would like to share your insights?If you have any questions/comments at any time about this, other interviews or our work at PBB Media, get in touch. You can email us through hello@pbbmedia.org or catch us on socials @pbb_media. Guest/Interviewee: Lissie TurnerRecorded January 2022Produced and presented by Annalee AtiaThe Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond show is part of a wider nonprofit community media and journalism project, PBB Media.All rights reserved.www.pbbmedia.orgThis episode was recorded on Bundjalung Country.Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond comes to you from Bundjalung Country at the Cavanbah or Byron Bay and we acknowledge with respect and reverence the Arakwal people of the Bundjalung nation, neighboring clans and people for caring for this country since time immemorial.

Midwifery in Private Practice, Mothers & Babies 2021, March of Midwives and deskilling in Maternity CareIn this episode of Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond, we catch up with privately practicing Australian Midwives Astra Joynt and Sunae Reilly. We chat deskilling in midwifery and the maternity care profession, the latest Mothers and Babies report from the Australian Institute of Health Welfare, March of the Midwives in the UK, vexatious reporting in Midwifery and what it takes to be a Jedi Midwife in today's healthcare landscape. We also touched on Homebirth, vaginal birth of twins, breech birth and being prepared for childbirth. About our guests:Sunae Reilly is a private midwife living and working in the Northern Rivers of NSW on the land of the Bundjalung people of the Bundjalung Nation. She finds great joy in seeing women and birthing people find their inner strength and power in pregnancy and birth and supporting them in their transition to parenthood. Sunae is available for antenatal, labour and birth, and postnatal care between Byron Bay and Grafton. You can find her at Artemis Midwifery. www.artemismidwifery.com.au and @artemismidwifery on InstagramSince 2008 Astra Joynt (Endorsed Midwife) has worked in a variety of settings in both large urban and small regional hospitals, in the community and at home. She passionately believes in maternity care that puts the needs and desires of the woman and her family at the centre of the experience, and that building a trusting relationship is the best way to achieve this. Astra offers Medicare rebatable antenatal & postnatal care to all women, regardless of planned place to birth, with bulk-billing available. Home-birth packages also available. To discuss how Astra can work with you email astra.joynt@gmail.comReferenced during the interview:>> Dr Denis Walsh: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/expertiseguide/health-sciences/dr-denis-walsh-.aspx>> Australia's Mothers and Babies Report December 2021: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mothers-babies/australias-mothers-babies/contents/about>> Dr Neel Shah interview: https://www.spreaker.com/user/pregnancybirthandbeyond/dr-neel-shah-csection>> Dr Stu (Stuart James Fischbein, MD): http://www.birthinginstincts.com/>> Dr Andrew Bisits: https://wch.med.unsw.edu.au/people/associate-professor-andrew-bisitsTo our dear listeners!We'd love to hear from you - how do you feel about deskilling in maternity care? Have you had an experience where you were unable to access appropriate maternity healthcare because of deskilling or a lack of those services in your area (such as publicly funded homebirth or Midwifery continuity models)? And if you have any questions/comments at any time about this, other interviews or our work at PBB Media, get in touch. You can shoot us a line at hello@pbbmedia.org or catch us on socials @pbb_media ! Guests: Astra Joynt and Sunae ReillyProduced, edited and presented by Annalee AtiaThe Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond show is part of a wider nonprofit community media and journalism project, PBB Media.All rights reserved. www.pbbmedia.orgThis episode was recorded on Gadigal Lands (Sydney). Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond comes to you from Bundjalung Country at Cavanbah or Byron Bay and we acknowledge with respect and reverence the Arakwal people of the Bundjalung nation, neighboring clans and people for caring for this country since time immemorial.

This is a special edition interview coming from the SheBirths podcast ! In this conversation, Annalee Atia from Maternity Choices Australia and PBB Media speaks with Nadine Richardson about how adverse times can further inspire us to commit to being responsible in advocating for our choices in Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond. This is not a 'how to' guide, rather a reminder of human rights in healthcare settings, specifically in the pregnancy, birth, and parenting realms. These times are confusing for most. Our value systems are swimming hard to keep up with variations of instruction and direction. What does this mean for birth ? Our Birth rights are never in lock down. Thank you for your support. Please feel free to leave reviews, feedback, or to simply get in touch with the team. We love hearing from you. Enjoy this conversation !

During this pandemic, there has been a huge increase in the demand for home birth in Australia and private practicing midwives are being flooded with calls from women and birthing people looking to birth outside of the hospital system. However, the regulations and education pathways for private practice midwifery are yet to change, and issues around accessibility and affordability remain. So how did we get here? When the research continues to show that home birth is the safest option for birth place, and continuous midwifery care the safest model, how do we need to revolutionise maternity care in this country to truly meet the needs of all birthing people?In this episode Kirilly Dawn is joined by Dr Melanie Jackson as we unravel some of these questions and take a deep look into the history of home birth, where we are today, and where we need to go. Dr Melanie Jackson is a private midwife living in the Blue Mountains in Sydney who has been attending women giving birth at home for 13 years, and has two homebirthed children herself. Melanie has completed a PhD called ‘Birthing outside the system' and she also works as a midwifery researcher at western Sydney university. You can find out more about Melanie and the mentorship she offers for midwives wanting to enter private practice at www.melaniethemidwife.com, her YouTube channel Melanie the Midwife, and on IG and Facebook @melaniethemidwife

In this episode, Oni Blecher interviews Eva Rose. Eva Rose is an internationally renowned Norwegian birth photographer, videographer, documentary filmmaker, doula, and by virtue of all of these things; an activist for many birth issues. Eva is a third generation photographer, and in 1999, when she was 19, Eva Rose started her career in birth photography for a magazine called ‘Pregnancy'. Eva has wholly dedicated her life to being with birth. She's been showing the wider public the intimacies of birth for over 20 years, and through the beauty of this exposure, has normalised many parts of the huge moving picture of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. With her decades of experience, Eva has seen all kinds of birthing experiences. Now she has a huge instagram following with her grateful followers vouching that her photographs and stories create accessible education. Eva and her partner's video ‘The Birth of Purdie' has had 1.9 million views and counting. In her work, Eva frequently sheds light on birth related things people don't usually talk about; including practices of clinicians, cross cultural ways of birthing, early birth, still birth, and sharing a plethora of various birth stories from her followers. Last year, Eva and her partner OJ started filming a birth around the world documentary until their filming was cut short by COVID. Now, she is doing other very inspiring things in her home country of Norway. I have been following Eva for a long time now, and was so excited to speak with her. She is passionate and the fire lit inside of her is warm and illuminating. I hope you enjoy this conversation. If you haven't already, check out Eva's instagram and her incredible birth photos. Find Eva at @evarosebirth evarose.carrd.co/ and Youtube: Eva Rose Birth

It’s 21st May, 2021 and some months back I caught up with Tori Heath, mother of four with a background in psychology, who has worked in child protection and executive recruitment. We meet to recount the story of her first birth experience. At the time, Tori was a young, fit and healthy pregnant woman, growing up in outback Australia on a 14,000 acre farm, heading to girl’s boarding school in Sydney for high schooling. She later stays on in Sydney for University, eventually meeting her husband and then becoming pregnant with her first child. Tori is a resilient woman by all accounts. A well educated woman, she was relatively well informed and chose a continuity model of care for her maternity care along with other support. Options that at the time, and even now, are available to few women in Australia. Even with all that, Tori’s experience of childbirth was traumatic. Tori’s family nearly lost her and her baby. Now mother of four, a clear picture emerges from her first birthing experience - unnecessary interventions from ill-informed policies and those being imposed on her and her body at the wrong time, leading to grave lasting harm that lives on today. The price of this harm being paid by mother, child, family and the wider community - but with very little awareness from the medical systems involved.Meconium present during the last leg of labour engaged a policy that failed to protect from harm and directly caused further harm to mother and baby.Follow the link to Dr Rachel Reed’s blog post to find out more about meconium during labour: https://midwifethinking.com/2015/01/14/the-curse-of-meconium-stained-liquor/This podcast was recorded on Bundjalung Country, an area encompassing Byron Bay and surrounding flatlands, hills and rivers. We pay our respect to elders past, present and those emerging and deeply acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land whose cultures and customs have nurtured and continue to nurture this land and waters for over 60,000 years and upon which we now work and live. We recognise that the sovereignty of the pre-colonial peoples of these lands was never ceded and that recognition of culture, connection to land and waters and the sovereignty of all indigenous peoples across Australia is a matter of current and vital importance.First published on Speaker on 21st May, 2021.Guest: Tori HeathProduced and presented by Annalee AtiaOriginal Music by Romy Agam Romhttps://www.romyagamrom.comAll rights reserved.www.pbbmedia.org

If you are someone that understands how important maternity care and the perinatal period are for mother, baby, family and community health and wellbeing, tune in today to learn about vital new research into mothers experiences of maternity healthcare and childbirth in Australia and find out how you can support the study reach more people and become an even more powerful force in improving experiences and healthcare.Today on Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond, Oni Blecher speaks with Dr Hazel Keedle researcher at Western Sydney University and Annalee Atia, National President of Maternity Choices Australia and co-founder of our very own PBB Media about a critically important new study looking into the birth and perinatal care experiences of mothers in Australia. The Birth Experience Study (BESt) can be completed here, only complete this questionnaire if you are Australian and have given birth in Australia in the past five years: https://surveyswesternsydney.au1.qualtrics.com/CP/File.php?F=F_3FeQerXzd8yoeI6To donate and support the study head to the Community Funding Campaign: https://gofund.me/c92a1829Maternity Choices Australia: www.maternitychoices.orgGuests:Dr Hazel KeedleAnnalee AtiaProduced & Edited by Oni Blecher and Annalee AtiaPresented by Oni BlecherThe Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond show is part of a wider nonprofit community media and journalism project, PBB Media.All rights reserved. www.pbbmedia.orgPregnancy, Birth and Beyond comes to you from Bundjalung Country at Cavanbah or Byron Bay and we acknowledge with respect and reverence the Arakwal people of the Budjalung nation, neighbouring clans and people for caring for this country since time immemorial.

In March 2021 Totonaca Indigenous birth companions Montse Olmos and Mayte Acolt started a petition titled 'Removing Rebozo Teachings From Doula Trainings'. It was a call to the international birth community and large training organisations, to stop their participation in the cultural appropriation and misuse of the sacred textile, the Rebozo.In this conversation Montse and Mayte generously share on the cultural use, meaning and place of the Rebozo in their Indigenous communities and in traditional midwifery practices in Mexico, and how this knowledge is traditionally passed down. They share why they started this petition, and why proper training with Indigenous birthworkers is necessary for the Rebozo to be used safely and with respect, acknowledging it as an intervention. They also speak to being in relationship with the communities we learn from, the importance of accountability, how birth work and anti racism work go hand in hand, and give us points for necessary pause and reflection.Montse Olmos and Mayte Acolt are Totonaca Indigenous birth companions and migrants in the United States. Mayte is a traditional Sobadora since age seven, taught by her grandmother. Montse was raised by her family elders who practiced herbal medicine, Sobadas and energetic healing. They host "What You Didn't Know About the Rebozo" together and share about the history of the Rebozo from an Indigenous perspective, while connecting it to the work of anti-racism, Indigenous liberation and becoming an accomplice to historically oppressed communities. Mayte and Montse began a movement in March 2021 to remove Rebozo birth techniques from Doula Training Organization in the U.S., as a result of the excessive and inappropriate use of this sacred textile amongst Doulas and Midwives. They conduct this work with genuine concern for the commercialization and dilution of the Rebozo and propose that extensive mentorship and hands-on learning from expert Elders is necessary in order to practice Rebozo body-work in an ethical way.Link to the petition titled "Removing Rebozo Teachings from Doula Trainings"http://chng.it/K5NyHqD4XDMontse and Mayte also host a bi-weekly workshop about cultural appropriation of the Rebozo titled "What You Didn't Know About the Rebozo". Any information regarding the workshop can be found on Montse's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/montsedoulaYou can follow Montse and Mayte on Instagram here:Montse Olmos @mujer_dela_tierraMayte Acolt @maytethewombdoula

In this conversation, Oni Blecher speaks with Dylan Smith. Dylan Smith is a certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and holistic health educator based in Sydney, Australia, where he runs and operates the Vital Veda clinic for patients and for those who love to nourish themselves with precious herbal elixirs.Aimed at uncovering the root cause of ailments, Dylan shares wisdom through podcasts, teaching programs and travels the world to teach patients to effortlessly integrate foundational techniques into their daily life so they can thrive.Regularly travelling to India to train with an internationally renowned family of Ayurvedic doctors, Dylan is devoted to learning, sharing and radiating this ancient knowledge for everyone to utilise and enjoy, to experience total wellness and bliss. Dylan has a passion for treating, a Passion for Education, and a for Herbs and Nature.Staying and learning from his Guru (teacher) in India for 6 month periods started a beautiful and purposeful learning teaching relationship. revolutionised Dylan’s Ayurvedic practice and increased the effectiveness and success rates of his treatments and prescriptions profoundly.Since then until today, Dylan continues to travel back and forth to the Raju Clinic in India to work and receive advanced teachings and initiations.In this conversation, Oni chats to Dylan about health pertaining to the menstrual, pre conception, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum health. We also speak more broadly about Ayurvedic wisdom through the nature of the doshas and the masculine and feminine and how finding balance can positively effect partnership and parenthood. At the end, Dylan lists some of his generous free resources for these periods of life. Enjoy this conversation ! And please leave reviews and feedback to help us produce more of what you need !

PBB Special Bulletin/Interview with Alecia Staines, Director of Maternity Consumer NetworkIf you are tuning in from Australia, this is an important message to women, people, families and community members accessing maternity healthcare services. A federal election is coming up and your voice is needed in improving maternity care! Welcome to Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond, I’m Annalee Atia with a special News Bulletin for Australians listeners today, Tuesday 30th March. I’m speaking with Alecia Staines, Director of one of our largest maternity consumer advocacy organisations - Maternity Consumer Network, she is also the host and creator of the podcast ‘Birth - the forgotten Feminist Issue’ (check it out, its excellent), a Hypnobirthing teacher and mother of five. We caught up last night after one of Alecia’s classes to discuss our upcoming Federal elections in Australia and how we can use the opportunities federal elections bring about to improve maternity health care services. Some of you might know that I am also the National President of Maternity Choices Australia, our longest standing maternity advocacy organisation and this is the first time I have had the pleasure of interviewing Alecia, after many years of crossing paths through our work. Join us for a fast-paced and illuminating discussion on how you can participate in improving maternity healthcare services in your area, and why its so important that you do! Share this interview with friends and family, write to your local MP and keep us posted about your progress! All the details are in the show notes following. WHAT YOU CAN DO TO IMPROVE MATERNITY SERVICES: Get in touch with your local federal MP and candidates and let them know that maternity care matters to you! HOW TO DO IT:Look up the Federal PM for your electorate (your town/where you live is located within a specific electorate). You will also want to look up the candidates for this seat for the three major parties. Email them with your personal note and attach the Brief (see below) if applicable. You can request a meeting with them to ensure they understand just how important these issues are. In your email and within the brief, add your name, contact number and postal address (this will ensure a reply). Follow up with a phone call to your MP.->> Keep up posted about your progress! Email hello@pbbmedia.org or management@maternitychoices.org.au you can also let us know via socials! Use the hashtag #BetterMaternity2021 and we will find you on FB, IG, Twitter etc!WHO CAN DO IT?Anyone who cares about our Australian maternity healthcare services, especially health consumers (people who access healthcare services) and support people. THE BRIEF / AKA what to ask your elected federal MP's and candidates to commit to this coming election (you can also find this online at www.maternotyconsumernetwork.org.au under campaigns):Background:Current maternity spending by government is about $7 billion per year. The current birth rate is around 300,000 births per year. Outcomes:Despite having such high financial input, outcomes are relatively poor:* 1/3 women have birth trauma. 2/3 of this is due to disrespectful treatment* Only 8% of women can access continuity of midwifery carer- the best type of maternity care* Caesarean rate 36% - more than double the recommended rate by WHO* 43% of low risk women having their labour induced. Many are reporting not having informed consent. * 11-fold variance in 3rd/4th degree tears * Preterm birth rate of aboriginal babies is between 2 and 7 times that of non-indigenous babies. Solutions (what to ask your MP to lobby for)1. Increase continuity of midwifery carer to:-Reduce unnecessary intervention -reduce preterm birth rate for Aboriginal women and babies-increase breastfeeding rates-reduce birth trauma and PNDAThis is outlined in the 2019 National Strategy for Australian Maternity Services. The Federal Government provides continuity of midwifery carer to women via private midwives. 2. Bundled Funding as suggested by IHPA in 2017, national strategy in 2019 and MBS review of Participating Midwives report in 20193. Published data on hospital and clinician outcomes including: Patient Reported Experience Measure and Patient Reported Outcome Measures. Woman Centred Care:To ensure regular monitoring and evaluation of the National Strategy for Australian Maternity Services, consumers need to be involved through consultation and decision-making processes. Contact: Add your personal details here!For more information about this brief and if you need any support with the process, you can get in touch with Alecia directly:Alecia Staines, Director Maternity Consumer NetworkPhone/text: 0401033348 Email: management@maternityconsumernetwork.org.auShow Links: Maternity Consumer Network - https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/usPodcast: Birth - The Forgotten Feminist Issue with Alecia Staineshttps://open.spotify.com/show/6bHPMCtZ7B3GhafyYotbL0?si=N_iPY5LUSTinTIK_l3DmhwContinuity of Midwifery Carer:https://www.midwives.org.au/midwifery-continuity-careWoman-Centred Care - the new Australian Strategic Directions for Maternity Care (yet to be fully implemented and requires constant nudging to move forward in each state): https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/woman-centred-care-strategic-directions-for-australian-maternity-servicesPrecolonial history of Gadigal people: https://www.centennialparklands.com.au/getmedia/e32ae90a-e730-4c28-82c4-4b17e9e3c5e1/Appendix_S_-_Pre-colonial_Archaeology_report_Val_Attenbrow.pdf.aspxThis podcast was recorded on Gadigal clan lands, an area encompassing the Centennial, Queen’s and Moore Parklands. I pay my respects to elders past, present and those emerging and deeply acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land whose cultures and customs have nurtured and continue to nurture this land and waters for over 60,000 years and upon which we now work and live. I recognise that the sovereignty of the pre-colonial peoples of these lands was never ceded and that recognition of culture, connection to land and waters and the sovereignty of all indigenous peoples across Australia is a matter of current and vital importance.Recorded on 29th March, 2021Guest: Alecia StainesAlecia is a mother-of-5, maternity reform lobbyist, Director of Maternity Consumer Network, former classroom teacher turned birth nerd and lives in Noosa, Queensland. She's received all her maternity care through continuity of midwifery carer in a range of settings- hospital, birth centre and home. She passionate about politics, birth and feminism and ensure women have access to care that supports their needs, allows them to make informed decisions and autonomy in how and where they birth.>> hashtag #BetterMaternity2021Produced and presented by Annalee AtiaAll rights reserved.www.pbbmedia.org

In this podcast episode, Oni Blecher speaks to Rhea Dempsey about her recent book launch of 'Beyond the Birth Plan, Getting Real About Pain and Power'. Rhea Demspsey is a childbirth educator, counsellor, doula trainer, and birth attendant, having attended more than one thousand births in hospitals and home settings over the past 30 years.Rhea runs birth preparation workshops, pre-natal classes, personal birth counselling sessions and speaks in presentations and seminars around Australia and internationallyRhea’s passion is to educate women about the impact of our birth culture on the outcome of our births. Instead of fear, she wants birthing women and birthing people to go into their labour with confidence in their body and their support people, and the knowledge that will give them the best possibility of natural physiological birth.Rhea has written two books ! Her first, the popular ‘Birth With Confidence: Savvy choices for normal birth’ and now her recently released second book ‘Beyond the Birth Plan: getting real about pain and power’. I consider both of these books must reads for any person interested in birth, whether that be birth attendants, midwives, pregnant women or people, birthing partners, fathers, parents, or anyone curious to understand the impact on the intersection between our social attitudes and birth. This is a longer form interview but anyone that knows Rhea’s legacy in the national and international birth world knows that any time hearing Rhea’s insights and wisdom is valuable and necessary. Feel free to listen in segments. At the end of the podcast, Rhea takes us through the chapter structure of her new book and outlines some of the content and what to expect. Enjoy this conversation and please leave your reviews and feedback.

In this episode, Oni Blecher speaks with Etienne Peirsman. Etienne is a biology and physical education teacher who has been involved with emotional training, encounter work, primal healing and meditation since 1974. He began teaching craniosacral in 1991, and founded several craniosacral institutes in Belgium and the Netherlands. He is the founder and director of PCSA (Peirsman CranioSacral Academy) in both the Netherlands and New Mexico. He is also the originator of the CranioSacral Professional Organization in Holland which began as a result of his students becoming professionals. As a result, he has a grandfather status in that organisation and is an honorary member of The Dutch CranioSacral Practitioner Association. Additionally, Etienne has taught craniosacral at the New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts for nearly a decade.  As a meditator of over 40 years, Etienne Peirsman has developed a unique teaching style that adds an extraordinarily compassionate and meditative depth to the methods used by the Upledger Institute and combines a practical, no-nonsense approach with the biodynamic style. Etienne has been teaching for nearly thirty years, bringing his life experience to the classroom. He has schools in Belgium, the Netherlands, New Mexico, Washington, and Hong Kong. Additionally, he guest teaches wherever there is interest. He, along with his late wife Neeto, is author of the book Craniosacral Therapy for Babies and Small Children, which has been translated into 7 languages. Etienne's specialty is the expression of the Heart, the long tide, and their connection to meditation and enlightenment. Etienne says, “Drop the word therapy. It is not part of who and what we are. Face it, you are perfect and your heart is perfect”. Enjoy this conversation !