Fill in the following form to request registration information for the Birth Power Retreat. If you’d like to pay up front first, please click here, then choose ‘Add to cart’.

US Orders

In the US, contact Heather Bush at 303-589-6884 or heather.bush@comcast.net

NZ Orders

In NZ, our books are stocked by: Bella Mama info@bellamama.co.nz

Retail discounts are available if you would like to offer our products in your shop, to your clients or if you are ordering 10 or more.

The price is $17.97/book & CD set (40% off the retail price).

Please contact us for more information.

Midwives come away from our workshops feeling:
“Empowered”   “Connected, calm, insightful, inspired” “wonderful- re-energized, full of hope for the future”   “more energized and ready to face the challenges ahead!”

Midwives commented:
“An absolutely wonderful workshop.  I feel absolutely fabulous!”

“[Your workshop] reaffirmed my ability to make a difference”

“I’ve had an injection of enthusiasm!”

“All presenters made me feel good about myself!”

“They [the presenters] were all inspirational!”

“Excellent use of teaching styles/storytelling/music.”

For Midwives and Childbirth Professionals

We create personalized workshops to suit the needs of groups of midwives and childbirth professionals that are:

Creative and dynamic:

Our workshops are interactive and ARE NOT based around Power Point presentations. Activities may include art, meditation, drumming, chanting, yoga, massage, team challenges like ropes courses, wilderness walks and flying foxes. We aim to move midwives out of their comfort zone (which creates empathy and compassion for birthing women) while drawing out the their inner strengths (which reflects their capacity to help birthing women draw out inner strengths) and giving them a first-hand experience of skills they can use to help birthing women face their fears, relax and find the strengths they need to birth their babies.

Inspiring:

Midwives who have attended our workshops tell us they have regained their passion for midwifery, remember the ideals they had when first starting midwifery and feel the inner strength to keep pursuing midwifery in a way that supports women and also supports the midwife.

Team-building:

For us, team-building is not a systematic management strategy but rather a team approach by each individual midwife that honours where each midwife is within the team. We give midwives the skills and ongoing structure to create an environment where their individual strengths are honoured, where they feel supported by each other, and where wisdom is reciprocated within the team.

Positive and woman-centred:

Our philosophy is based on trust in women and the ability of women’s bodies to work beautifully when her inner environment and the outer environment are relaxed and trusting. We believe important roles of the childbirth professional are: to believe in women and their bodies, to help a woman bring out her unique gifts and strengths and to create an environment of trust, nurturing and love where a woman can believe in herself and birth her baby.

Unique:

Our workshops are unique in five ways: 1) they have been created through a midwife/woman partnership, reflecting the partnership of women and their carer during childbirth, 2) our philosophy is always positive and based in trust in women and their bodies, 3) we recognize that stress and fear are contagious during birth and therefore give professionals a chance to address their own stress/fears, 4) every skill learned is experienced and 5) we recognize and value the experience of all workshop participants and give time to each to share their wisdom.

Creative workshops cost $150 per person/day with a minimum of 10 people attending.

Travel and accommodation may need to be added depending upon the location and numbers attending.

The number of facilitators will also be dependent upon numbers.

You can request a quote for your group and for multiple days.

Alternatively,  attend one of our Awaken Your Birth Power Retreat weekends in Galong, NSW.  Discounts and special pricing are available upon request. 

Request a Quote for a Workshop

Download Upcoming Workshops Flyer

We also invite you to submit your own story so that you can share in transforming our birth culture into one of trust and beauty. Sharing positive birth stories within our western culture is one of the most important ways we can heal our fear-based maternity system and awaken the birth power of our entire culture.

If writing your entire story feels daunting - you may like to answer one or a few of these questions or use them to get kick-started:

1. Was there some moment or part of your birth experience that was just magical and you would like to share it with other women?
2. What was the best part of giving birth?
3. Did you surprise yourself with your strength/abilities at any point?
4. Did you surprise yourself with what you did during childbirth to flow with the experience?
5. Are there any techniques or things you thought about or focused on that you would like to share with other women?
6. If there were beautiful parts during your birth, tell us about them- how you felt and what you experienced.
7. What would you tell a pregnant woman about the beauty of birth.
8. Is there a certain thing you did during your pregnancy or to prepare for birth that you can see in retrospect was really important or effective that you would like to share with other women?
9. It is your job to inspire pregnant women to look forward to birth with joyous expectation so they can relax and flow with their bodies. What would you tell them from your own experience?
10. Close your eyes and think about a part of birth that makes you smile- tell us about it.

Even just a few positive words about your experience could make a difference to someone. Thank you for helping to change the world.

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25 Ways BooksSimple, positive and inspirational for any woman who wants to rejoice in her pregnancy and enjoy her birth and mothering.

25 Ways to Awaken Your Birth Power Price: $29.95 25 Ways to Joy and Inner Peace for Mothers Price: $29.95

Creating a Women’s Circle is a powerful way of awakening your birth power or finding joy and inner peace in your mothering.

It is easier than you think to bring together a group of women in a way that will be empowering and meaningful to you and to everyone involved. You have all the skills you need right now and we are excited to offer Women’s Circles Kits that make it even easier to get started.

There are many benefits to creating a women’s circle during your pregnancy or as a new mother. Here are just a few:

1. Women’s circles create a safe space for sharing stories. Storytelling is an important learning tool that has been used for thousands of years. In my birth classes, couples often tell me after the birth that it was the stories that I weave through my classes that they remembered during the intensity of birth and where they found gems of wisdom to apply to their birth experience. For new mothers, sharing stories helps you to realize that what you are feeling and experiencing is normal and natural. You are not alone and you are amongst friends! Through our stories we become teachers for each other.
2. Women’s circles are a tool for self-discovery and growth. We discover ourselves. We discover new things about birth and motherhood through the women around us or through our own internal wisdom rather than from books or childbirth professionals. Our learning becomes self-directed and this is the fastest and most lasting type of learning.
3. Women’s circles create positive rituals to mark the sacredness of the birth journey and the mothering journey. Rituals connect us to our inner spirit, to the divine and they create a sense of community. Blessingways or Baby Showers are familiar pregnancy rituals.
4. Women’s circles create a positive sense of belonging and community. Women all over the world instinctively seek a deeper connection to other women during pregnancy and motherhood. This connection is healthy and nurturing especially when you consciously choose to surround yourself with women who empower and support you.
5. Women’s circles create a place to be heard. Within a circle, women listen actively without judgment. This is a gift to the woman speaking which brings the gift of healing.
6. Women’s circles foster the recognition of and the development of your individual gifts. Every woman brings her own talents and strengths to birth and mothering. It is her task to discover them.
7. Women’s circle provide a safe environment for recognizing your inner knowing. In regards to giving birth and to mothering (and life!), we truly believe what Sonia Johnson says in Going Out of Our Minds: “We don’t need someone to show us the ropes. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. Deep inside us we know the feelings we need to guide us. Our task is to learn to trust our inner knowing.”

Creating a women’s circle during pregnancy allows you to prepare for birth with a group of like-minded women, enjoying the journey together, sharing fears and joys, learning from each other and ultimately empowering each other. This may be everyone’s first pregnancy or the circle can be a mix of new mothers and experienced mothers. You may all be making different birth choices but share a positive, pro-active focus. You may all be at different stages in your pregnancy. You may want to host just one women’s circle or create a group of women that will stay together until everyone has given birth. Creating a pregnancy circle is about preparing for birth by drawing out your own inner wisdom and sharing wisdom between women- this has been done for thousands of years and is very different and arguably more effective than being given information by childbirth professionals. And you may find the circle so empowering that you continue beyond birth and into motherhood.

Click to order Pregnancy Circle kits (Coming Soon)

Creating a women’s circle during motherhood allows you to share the challenges and the joys of motherhood with a group of like-minded women. Together you may find you enjoy the journey more as you learn from each other and continually find that your feelings and your experiences are normal , natural and shared by more women than you thought!

Click to order Mother’s Circle kits (Coming Soon)

Everything you need to start a women’s circle during pregnancy or motherhood is contained within our Women’s Circle Kits or you can create your own women’s circle using resources like: Sacred Circles - A Guide to Creating your own Women’s Spirituality Group by Robin Deen Carnes & Sally Craig.

“There is undeniable power in the shape of a circle. It is one of the fundamental energy patterns in the natural world. Circles collect and focus energy. We sit facing one another, mirroring one another, no one higher or more prominent. Women facing inward. The roundness of our circle reflects the roundness in our bodies. There is no outward diversion, no distraction from the focus on one another and ourselves. Circles are soothing, comforting and challenging.” Sacred Circles: A Guide to Creating your own Women’s Spirituality Group

Choosing one-to-one continuous midwifery care could be the most important step you take in Awakening Your Birth Power.

It is a little known fact in Australia and the US that the majority of women will have the best possible birth outcomes by receiving one-to-one midwifery care. This means that the same midwife provides all your antenatal, labour, birth and postnatal care.

This model of care is considered international best practice care by the World Health Organisation for the majority of women and has been supported by numerous studies and reports around the world.

Consider this excerpt from the National Maternity Action Plan (see the full paper at www.maternitycoalition.org.au):

“Normal birth is more likely to be achieved when a woman has access to ‘continuity of carer’ or ‘continuity of care’ from a midwife who is responsible for her care throughout pregnancy, labour and birth, and the postnatal period. ‘The systematic review comparing continuity of midwifery care with standard maternity services including data from all Australian trials shows that continuity of midwifery care is associated with lower intervention rates than standard maternity care, and that midwifery models of care are as safe as the existing standard services.’ (Waldenstrom and Turnbull 1998). The continuity of carer model of care has been proven to reduce the use of obstetric interventions in labour and birth, including the need for pharmacological pain relief, inductions, augmentations, instrumental deliveries, episiotomies and caesarean sections (Hodnestt 1999, Homer et al 2001, Rowley et al 1995).

This conclusion is strongly reinforced by the authors of Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth. These researchers included not only an international search of all trials that met their strict criteria but all relevant medical journals from the 1950s onwards, writing to over 40,000 obstetricians in 18 countries to identify unpublished studies. Their research has been incorporated into the Cochrane database. After critical evaluation of studies comparing one-to-one continuous midwifery care with medical models of care they conclude:

Evidence from controlled trials shows that women who had continuity of caregivers were less likely to use pharmacological analgesia or anesthesia during labour and birth, to have labour augmented with oxytocin, to have a labour length of more than 6 hours, or to have a baby with a 5 minute Apgar score below 8. They were also more likely to feel well prepared for labour, perceive the labour staff as caring, feel in control during labour and feel well prepared for childcare. (Chalmers et al 1996, p15-16)

Chalmers et al identify continuity of care from a qualified midwife as best practice for the healthy majority of women:

as technical advances became more complex, care has come to be increasingly controlled by, if not carried out by, specialist obstetricians. The benefits of this trend can be seriously challenged. Direct comparisons of care given by a qualified midwife with medical back-up with medical or shared care show that midwifery care was associated with a reduction in a range of adverse psychosocial outcomes in pregnancy, and with reductions in the use of acceleration of labour, regional analgesia/anesthesia, operative vaginal delivery and episiotomy, fewer babies weighing less than 2500 grams, needing resuscitation or needing admission to special care units. (Chalmers et al 1996, p15)

The effectiveness of midwifery continuity of care largely stems from the relationship of mutual trust built up between a midwife and her client during the antenatal period. The establishment of this relationship, typically developed through extensive contact in the antenatal period, enables the midwife to provide care in a way that meets the individual woman’s emotional, psychological, cultural and physical needs, as well as her medical needs.

This model of care has also been found to produce better outcomes for both mothers and babies, and to assist in mother/baby attachment or bonding (EAC 2001, McCourt & Page 1996). Further, it has been shown that one-to-one midwifery care is beneficial beyond the birth episode, assisting in the establishment of long-term breastfeeding and reducing post natal depression rates (HIldingsson & Haggstrom 1999, Littlewood & McHugh 1997, Fisher et al 1997). Community based midwives are also more likely to identify the need to implement early intervention strategies in relation to a range of issues that may affect a family’s ongoing wellbeing, as they have access to the familial environment.

Indeed, such are the demonstrated benefits of one-to-one continuous midwifery care to birthing women and their babies that Chalmers et al actually conclude that ‘it is inherently unwise, and perhaps unsafe, for women with normal pregnancies to be cared for by obstetric specialists, even if the required personnel are available’ (Chalmers et al 1996).”

Midwifery care is readily available in countries like New Zealand, the UK, and Canada, yet remains almost completely unavailable in the US and Australia.

The links below will help you find out more about Awakening Your Birth Power through accessing and/or becoming an advocate for midwifery care.

In Australia:

The Maternity Coalition
Midwives in Private Practice
Australian Society of Independent Midwives
Homebirth Australia
Australian College of Midwives

In the USA:

Citizens for Midwifery
Midwives Alliance of North America
Foundation for the Advancement of Midwifery

Reading and listening to positive birth stories is one of the most important ways you can Awaken Your Birth Power.

You may have already experienced the phenomena of strangers (or worse - people who know and love you!) sharing birth “war stories” with you. It can happen anywhere - especially grocery store checkout lines- and it usually happens without you asking. These stories are so much a part of our culture that one study showed that already, by the age of 3, young girls in the US (and Australia shares the same phenomena) have negative images and beliefs about birth.

Unfortunately our beliefs and personal imagery surrounding pregnancy and birth affect our bodies and help to shape our experiences. These birth war stories become self-fulfilling prophecies that have created an entire culture that fears birth. (To find out more about how stress and fear affect your body, your baby and your birth, see A FRESH LOOK AT THE BIRTH PROCESS: THE BODY-MIND CONNECTION in our book 25 Ways to Awaken Your Birth Power).

The best way to overcome the effects of negative birth stories is to become a seeker and collector of positive, empowering birth stories. Stories that fill you with confidence, joy and eager expectation for your own birth.

In Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, Ina May Gaskin says it beautifully:
“Stories teach us in ways we can remember. They teach us that each woman responds to birth in her unique way and how very wide-ranging that way can be. Sometimes they teach us about silly practices once widely held that were finally discarded. They teach us the occasional difference between accepted medical knowledge and the real bodily experiences that women have - including those that are never reported in medical textbooks nor admitted as possibilities in the medical world. They also demonstrate the mind/body connection in a way that medical studies cannot. Birth stories told by women who were active participants in giving birth often express a good deal of practical wisdom, inspiration, and information for other women. Positive stories shared by women who have had wonderful childbirth experiences are an irreplaceable way to transmit knowledge of a woman’s true capacities in pregnancy and birth.”

So we invite you to read these stories we have collected from women, our own experiences and from positive books on pregnancy and birth.

Enjoy… and know that you are one with all the women who had these experiences.

From the beginning, Steph and I have felt the “warm light of Divine protection and guidance” surrounding us and our work. With the intention of inspiring women and helping them trust in their bodies and in their inner wisdom, we felt our intentions were pure and therefore our actions would be guided and blessed.

Our vision is to inspire women to trust in themselves, in their bodies and their inner wisdom. And to take this trust and create beautiful pregnancies and births and beautiful mothering experiences.

Our Story

Danette:

I had all of my children at home with an independent midwife. All three experiences were incredibly empowering for me, bonding for my husband and me, and increasingly beautiful experiences physically as I learned to trust my body and myself more and more deeply.

Meanwhile, women around me continued to tell their stories of pain and trauma or, at best, of getting through childbirth. With very limited antenatal choices in our area, I decided to become a childbirth educator.

As I explored my options, I found that HypnoBirthing best reflected my own birth preparation and my own beliefs about birth and the importance of the body-mind connection.

Teaching HypnoBirthing was very fulfilling as I always found even the most sceptical dads “got it” and even the most fearful mums walked away feeling more confident and empowered. I have yet to find anyone that doesn’t nod their head in understanding as the lightbulb goes on about the importance of hormones and the body-mind connection.

But I was still dissatisfied as I watched newly confident pregnant women slowly lose this confidence as the weeks passed before the birth and they slowly gave in to the fear and doubt our culture is so full of.

I wanted to find a way to keep that trust and confidence that I saw kindled during classes, remain alight right up to the birth; something a woman could take home with her that would inspire her every time she picked it up.

I conceived the idea for 25 Ways to Awaken Your Birth Power but I couldn’t create it alone. I needed an artist. And I really wanted that artist to be a woman and a mother who shared my philosophy on birth! Not necessarily easy criteria!

Through a number of different contacts, I discovered Stephanie Corkhill Hyles. One day, still not knowing anything about her, I called her. She sounded interested in getting together to discuss the project and we made an appointment to meet. The next day, she called me back which I found odd but as she explained why, I felt the hairs stand up on my arm and I felt sure I had found the right woman.

She explained that she had just found out she was pregnant with her second child and that she was very scared. She and her husband had not told anyone yet. The day I called, she had gone for a walk and had asked her Nan (up in Heaven) to help her with this pregnancy and birth. Later that day, she got the call from me and from what I said, she knew her Nan had sent me! Over the next 10 months, as Beatrix Hyles developed in Steph’s belly, a lasting friendship developed between Steph and me and our beautiful book was born– finished just 3 days before Trixie was born

Steph:

I had a very challenging birth experience with Archie our first child. It left me feeling torn, shocked and totally overwhelmed with the fear forever of having another child. So when I found out I was pregnant with Beatrix, I instantly became afraid.

Out walking one morning, I asked my late grandmother to come to my aid and send down some “major therapy”. That day Danette, whom I had never met, called me looking for an artist. She wanted to write a book for pregnant women concentrating on the pregnancy and birth as a positive and uplifting experience! Well, my grandmother certainly sent the best person and my prayers were answered!

As a result I had such a positive pregnancy and birth with Beatrix.

There was such a significant difference between my two birth experiences. I attribute this to Danette’s positive self-affirming philosophy to pregnancy and birth. Danette worked with me on a regular basis for my whole pregnancy. Danette and her philosophies enabled me to trust my own intuition and to work with my emotions both positive and negative.

During my pregnancy I felt quite down at times as those feelings of fear would creep back in. Working with Danette on the book created a positive outlet. The images became a visual diary of these emotions. I sketched and painted over 80 images and we came back to the strongest 25 pieces for the book. Amongst these were subjects and images that Danette felt strongly about and felt really needed to be explored and others were exploring my own emotions.

Each day I would try to set aside 15-30 minutes to focus on our baby and the huge job I was doing. I would light a candle, play relaxing music and eventually write down what ever came into my head, which would be quite scary at times – I let it all go!

It was only 30 minutes out of my whole day and it was preparing me for the biggest, most rewarding experience of my life. If I can use this analogy to explain it a little more, it is like when we have an exam, we prepare, we study, to gain the best result that we possibly can. Well pregnancy and childbirth are like the exam for life and one that is ever changing and growing!

Childbirth is scary; it is the unknown and this I think is the most difficult thing to overcome. In our society this is not what we are accustomed to, we want to know everything, the outcome and how it will make us feel. This is fine to a degree but it is within this unknown that we find the mystery and beauty of just how amazing our bodies are. It is truly the most rewarding experience.

“25 Ways to Awaken Your Birth Power” had an empowering influence on my health. I developed high blood pressure towards the end of my pregnancy. I was determined not to be induced, as I was with Archie’s birth. So with the help of Danette and my beautiful husband, I rested, I meditated, I ate to reduce the high BP and cut out all stimulants and walked and walked. With lots of support emotionally and physically I brought it down to a safe level. The body does mirror the mind and it certainly is the strongest tool of all.

This experience was life changing – it really was a holistic view to the most sacred ritual a woman will ever do.
The question I put to all women “Why not make this, the most difficult journey, a little easier by learning how to gain confidence in our own abilities?”

I had the confidence and the intuition to say no when the doctor wanted to break my waters. I wanted my body to do it just how it needed to. I was not going to hand my body over at the door! I was going to be powerful and this took a lot of courage. But I did it with the help of my beautiful husband and a truly supportive midwife.

The book and CD really is for every pregnant women, you need no prior knowledge or experience, it tells you exactly how to use it and lists resources for you to explore further.

I do have Danette to thank – she really was my saving grace. It was a hard but totally rewarding experience.

To quote my grandmother “Child birth is the shortest and most difficult journey a women will ever have to make”.

Our quarterly newsletter is for our distributors, retailers and childbirth professionals working regularly with pregnant women and new mums. Regular features include birth stories and comments sent in by women, a featured person who is empowering pregnant women and mothers, the latest on what we are up to at Awaken Your Birth Power, and useful meditations/activities/stories to pass on to women or use in your business.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Awaken Your Birth Power

“South Greenbank”
Young,NSW 2594
Ph:02-63833553
Fax: 02-63833587

danette@awakenyourbirthpower.com

Welcome women & childbirth professionals - doctors, midwives, childbirth educators, doulas, yoga instructors and loving support people! Giving birth and being a mother can be wonderful, inspiring, and empowering experiences.

And every woman has what it takes inside her to experience the joys of birth and mothering when she takes the time to explore the possibilities within her and around her.

Our website features the two book and CD sets we have lovingly created for pregnant women and mothers. Both are based on understanding how the body, mind and spirit work together so that we can have joyous life experiences.

We also have ideas for childbirth professionals and support people and opportunities for further inspiration and support.

We invite women and childbirth professionals to take advantage of our generous wholesale discount and offer these beautiful and unique resources in your office, in your classes, on your website or in your shop.

Finally, this website is dynamic as we come up with new ideas and resources. Please visit again!