A wide range of topics are covered including ‘physiology of childbirth’, ‘meditation’, ‘hypnobirthing’, ‘emotional intelligence and positive relationships’, ‘positions for labour and birth’ and ‘top tips for childbirth’, and 'breastfeeding'. We also spend considerable time learning to work with pain, so that participants are prepared to use all their inner resources in labour, regardless of how their particular birth experience unfolds.

The class size will be small and will include between 2 to 6 couples.

The first session is a one-hour online session when you will meet the course facilitators and other expectant families in the course. We would love to get to know you and understand your individual expectations of the course in this session.

In the first all-day session, the focus would be on promoting emotional wellbeing and family relationships using a range of individual, couple and group activities including mindfulness practices. These exercises aim to help you manage your own emotions effectively and alleviate emotional distress in others including your partner or your child in the future.

The two-week gaps between the two all-day sessions would allow practice and establishment of the learned skills before relating these skills to childbirth preparation.

During the second all-day sessions you will learn all about childbirth, how your body works during labour, and a variety of strategies to manage your labour effectively and confidently. These strategies include hypnobirthing, movements and positions in labour, massage therapy, acupressure, partner’s support and more.

The second all-day sessions for those planning for a caesarean birth will be different and focused on preparation for caesarean, positive experience of the process, and optimum transitioning to parenthood following an abdominal birth.

The class reunion after birth is a one-hour online session when you will meet each other again, to meet the new babies, share birth experiences, and reflect on using the learned skills to meet the joys and challenges of parenting.

We strongly recommend attending the course with your partner as several activities have been designed to promote couples’ positive relationships, and partners’ support. However, the birthing person is very welcome to take the BoB program on their own as well. If you have a partner and they are unable to attend the full course, they are encouraged to attend the ‘Introductory Session’ if possible. The Introductory Session provides some understanding of what will be learned and what their partners will be practicing at home. In addition, you can attend the course with a friend or family member.

Yes. The programme can benefit everyone. As long as the friend or family member wants to participate in the class, they are most welcome, and they can benefit from it. Pregnant women have attended the course with their mother, a sister, or a close friend.

No. This is a course for people interested in learning emotional regulation skills, enhancing positive family relationships, and preparing for parenting. In relation to childbirth, the focus of course is to prepare you for a positive childbirth experience which can indeed set a wonderful foundation for bonding with your baby. However, our research suggests participants often experience a tremendous increase in confidence in their capacity to give birth too. This confidence deeply impacts their choices around the care they receive.

Yes. We have a specific programme for those with planned caesarean birth. The highly experienced midwives in our team not only will prepare you for a positive pregnancy and parenting, but they will also walk you through processes involved in a caesarean birth so that you can approach your birth confidently and with a positive attitude. You will learn and rehearse how to be fully present when welcoming your baby into this world and what to do to optimise physiological processes immediately after birth, such as skin to skin and breastfeeding (if this is your choice). It is not unusual for women to have some post-operation pain after a caesarean birth. The relaxation skills you learn can be very helpful for working with that pain, for enhancing the healing process postpartum, for breastfeeding and the challenges of parenting.

Most people take the course in the second half of their pregnancy. However, some people may wish to start the course earlier. These include people who are experiencing anxiety or fear about childbirth, or a pregnancy complicated by other health factors or are challenged by other stresses in their lives at home or at work. As many studies show, stress can be a contributing factor in a number of difficult pregnancy conditions, such as preterm labour or a low-birth-weight baby. Those who want to participate earlier are welcome to start the programme at any point in their pregnancy. If you choose to attend the course in earlier stages of pregnancy, we can also offer you a refresher class nearer to your due date. It is recommended to complete the two full day classes before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Those who have taken the course for a second (or third) birth experience have reported very positive results. By learning and practising a new set of skills, this course will help you build your confidence and approach this new experience with a different attitude, realising that the previous birth experience is a memory. The course helps you be fully present for a totally new birth experience—and a totally new baby!

The class after the birth is a time for participants to meet each other again, to meet the new babies, and to share birth experiences. The reunion class also gives participants an opportunity to reflect on what they learned from their birth experience and how they are continuing to use their learned skills to meet the joys and challenges of parenting. In addition, people often feel quite connected and caring about one another, friendships are often formed that can last well beyond the birth. Some mothers may form new mother’s groups from the women they met in the course. Others may choose to meet as a parent group, providing support, and community as they move through their parenting journey together.