An accessible live and self-paced professional development program. Supporting birth workers, midwives, doulas and doctors to confidently navigate safe, sovereign homebirth.
Why join this Home Sweet Homebirth ?
People have given birth at home for thousands of years. As care providers we need to be confident in providing appropriate clinical care while also being able to navigate our own fear and provide care that is reverent and deeply respectful of the birth giver and the birth process.
The benefits of well supported home birth include, higher vaginal birth rates, less need for pharmaceutical pain relief, reduced perineal trauma, healthy microbiome, easier breastfeeding and bonding, lower rates of birth trauma and reduced post-natal health challenges for both birth givers and babies.
Many Midwives and Doulas now report not feeling prepared to confidently support homebirth and conventional training provides limited pathways to do so. As a result, precious ancestral knowledge and birth skills are being steadily lost while birth trauma for the birth giver and for the care provider is on the rise.
Our world needs Midwives and Doulas who are confident, connected and empowered in the ancient arts of home birth. This course is designed to support Midwives and Doulas to provide care that is evidence based, and not only clinically safe but also honours the safety of sovereignty of the birth giver and respects the rhythms of labour and birth.
* This program is also approved by the New Zealand Midwifery Council and Australian College of Midwives for 8 hours of additional elective education.
About Your Educator, Claire Eccleston
Hello, I’m Claire,
I am a wild Nanny, a mother and grandmother. I’m a homebirth midwife of 25 years, founder of Womb craft body work practice and international facilitator of Spinning Babies (R),Midwifery emergency skills, Midwifery mentoring, perineal suturing and the mysteries of the Holy dark of the womb.
I am also a somatic sexologist, STREAM ( scar tissue remediation education and management ) practitioner and Cranio sacral therapist.
I love to gently blow on the fire in women's bellies to help rekindle the embers, to awaken the fire that helps us remember our bodies, our knowing as powerful and Holy.
I am passionate about speaking the ancient language of birth craft so we don't lose it.
I'm excited to met you and sit in the holy wisdom and knowing of homebirth together.
Working with hundreds of families and birth workers around the world for over 25 years using gentle, simple hands on practical skills to support reverent birthing physiology, and childbirth complexities has given me unshakable faith in the beauty and power of the ancient skills of Birth craft.
8 hours approved elective education
New Zealand Midwifery Council
Australian College of midwives continuing professional development endorsed.
A library of resources
Current research and resources to use and share with parents.
Connection with birth workers around the world
Depending on course intake, there may be group Zoom calls to connect with birth workers globally.
What’s Covered?
Module 1 - Haere Mai and welcome
- Learning objectives and course outline.
- Strengthening ancient and traditional skills of Birth craft
Module 2 - Dropping into the rhythm.
- History, politics and development of homebirth practices
- Practical considerations of birth at home and birth equipment.
Module 3 - Finding the beat of physiology
- Science, skill and confidence of supporting physiological birth
- How to recognise when to act in labour and what to do.
Module 4 - Moving with care
- Discerning use of intervention, the Holy trinity of birth.
- Considerations for water births
- The art of presence and deep listening- metabolising care provider fear.
Module 5 - Being in the groove
- Trauma informed care
- Shared decision making and models of consent
- Preparation for dealing with unexpected outcomes
Module 6 - When the music changes
- Reviewing emergency skills at home, how to respond approvals and effectively in the home environment.
- Indepth considerations and preparation for birth complexities.
Module 7 - Dancing between the worlds
- Transfer from home to hospital
- Interfacing with other practitioners tools, skills and stratergies.
Module 8 - Resting in stillness
- Resources for resilience, community and building confidence.
- Weaving your web, building community, and support systems.
How does it work?
This course is delivered live online and through a series of recorded video lectures, readings/ research and resources for you personally and to enhance your practice.
Learning Outcomes
- Summarise current global research on homebirth and maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity.
- Demonstrate the tenants of physiological birth and understands the relationship between place of birth and care provider of physiological birth outcomes.
- Evaluate physiological birth time frames and the effect of physiological birth and birthplace on the microbiome.
- Demonstrate knowledge about the equipment, practicalities and considerations when dealing with childbirth complexities.
- Identify situations that necessitate a transfer from home to hospital.
- Compile efficient strategies and plans for managing transfers from home to hospital.
- Create plans of communication and networking within one's community of health care professionals.
- Evaluate when a homebirth environment may not be appropriate for birth.
- Formulate communication and behaviour tools and strategies that support the intact sovereignty of the birth giver and family and the provision of respectful care.
- Practice skills and strategies in navigating informed choice and decision making.
- Develop skills in discerning ‘abnormalizing the normal’ or normalizing the abnormal.
- Facilitate strategies of sustainability, self care, communication, boundaries and rest.
What others are saying
Immense gratitude for the links to studies and research provided in this space, as I feel this is something I have been lacking in my exploration of home-birth. I also was deeply moved by, "how do we birth when the boy keeps crying wolf". I love the balance Claire bringa, of grounded facts and experience, with heartfelt intuitive expression. – Ella