In light of Jo and Abby's (public ;) discussion on doula-ing and lack of community access to cheap, quality childbirth education I thought it might be helpful to find out what affordable childbirth ed occurs in others' communities. Not all of us have the time and money to get the proper qualifications to "teach" childbirth ed, however there are a few local (ie, Brisbane) options that are both cheap and impartial and probably quite easy to get off the ground in some form or other. I thought I would share so that others with ideas might learn, or share what is available in their own region.
Here, we're fortunate to have Active Birth Yoga with Jane Campbell-Kaye who trained with Janet Balaskas in the UK. While yoga is fantastic for body-awareness in pregnancy, half the class time is dedicated to discussing pregnancy, birth and babies. The instructor shares a lot of information but does not generally "teach" and women tend to network and find friends through the group. I'm not sure of the cost but it couldn't be more than $15 per class. (?) The other, even cheaper option is the Home Midwifery Assoc support group. For a gold coin donation women can join the discussion and learn from the wisdom others bring to the circle. More and more non-homebirthers are taking this option and getting pregnancy support, finding a doula or midwife or just gathering information with a local flavour. Friends of the Birth Centre have tried to get a peer-skills program (like HMA) off the ground with little success so far - although it's a new project so we'll keep trying. We hope to expand our post-natal morning teas to include prenatal women and enhance the potential benefits of telling/hearing other women's stories. My point is, we don't necessarily need formal childbirth education "classes" or "teachers" in order to disseminate helpful, good quality, up to date information to birthing women. Anyone can learn to facilitate a group discussion, check facts and details and report back, network new mums and mums-to-be, etc. If a formal association is formed the group can then be entitled to grants for resources (eg, a reference library, teaching aids, etc). Anyone with a particular interest can start a support group. "Peer-skills" was developed through Kids Help Line. Some PDF fact sheets are available here: http://www.peerskills.com.au/infosheets2.html Jodie -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
