Resources for Mothers
Natural birthing support groups and organisations. The Face of Birth is not affiliated with any of these groups and we do not specifically endorse the positions or actions of any the organisations listed here.
International
Coalition for Breech Birth
The Coalition for Breech Birth is a consumer-driven, grassroots organisation advocating for the re-normalisation of vaginal breech birth. Founded in Ottawa, Canada in 2006, we have chapters and sister organisations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Visit CordBloodGuide.com for more information.
The International Cesarean Awareness Network, Inc. (ICAN)
ICAN is a nonprofit organisation whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC).
Medical Malpractice Center
Medical malpractice is a serious problem that can cause people to experience serious medical problems that could have been easily prevented. This occurs in many serious forms and in some cases entails more than just the doctor working on a patient. Visit malpracticecenter.com to find out more.
Australia
Homebirth Australia
HBA is the peak national body for Homebirth in Australia. We are consumers, midwives and related health professionals committed to ensuring the survival of homebirth as a birth option for Australian women.
Maternity Choices Australia
Maternity Choices Australia (formerly Maternity Coalition) was formed by committed and passionate individuals who believed that the services being offered, were not providing the care that women wanted or needed.
Breech Birth Australia and New Zealand
A group of mothers and midwives (and an ob!) who offer social support and information to women with babies presenting by the breech or who have given birth to breech babies (vaginally or surgically).
Australian College of Midwives
ACM is the voice of midwives in Australia, representing midwives and speaking up on their behalf. We educate, advocate and support the industry and its professionals.
Australian Doula College
An independent childbirth and parenting education centre providing support, education, and continuity of care for women and their families during pregnancy, childbirth and beyond. We operate a fully integrated health care centre with practitioners who have a passion for natural fertility management, pregnancy, birth and post natal care.
Birthrites
Healing After Caesarean aims to provide a support network for women who've had a previous c/section(s), and to increase the awareness of these women's needs to their health-carers within the medical profession.
Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond
An extensive source of information on pregnancy, birth and parenting. Information on midwifery care, pre-conception care, pregnancy, birth, waterbirth, homebirth, vaginal birth after caesarean, postnatal care and breastfeeding. Providing a rich resource for families, midwives and other health professionals to explore options and make informed choices. Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond provides private midwifery services, quality childbirth education and lactation consultations.
Hunter Home and Natural Birth Support
Hunter Home and Natural Birth Support is a volunteer non profit community group. Email hhnbs@gmail.com with your questions or to request a meeting calendar.
Darwin Home Birth Group
The Darwin Home Birth Group supports families in the Top End who choose to birth their babies at home.
MAMA
MAMA has been established by midwives Kelly Langford and Jan Ireland to provide the benefit of generations of midwife wisdom and experience to the community. Kelly has been a practicing midwife for 4 years, and Jan for 35 years. They are joined by a passionate team of practitioners, support staff and a network of volunteers - many of them past clients who have become part of the family!
Birth Support Bendigo
Birth Support Bendigo Inc. is a network of people who believe that birth can be a positive, powerful and joyous event in the life of a woman and her family.
SANDS
SANDS is a self-help support group comprised of parents who have experienced the death of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or shortly after birth.
Midwyf Services
Midwyf Services is committed to supporting:
• Continuity of care & carer
• Sensitive Midwifery Practice
• Women’s Birth Choices
• The Protection & promotion of Breastfeeding
Birth Goddess Blog
We truly believe that underneath the cloud of fear, misconceptions and self doubt is a powerful birth goddess waiting to be revealed….
So join us for the most exciting and life changing ride of your life – we are passionate about helping you to reclaim your birth power! We invite you to explore our empowering community, birth resources, products and events to enable you to have a positive birth experience – fear free, drug free (if that is what you choose) and even pain free!!!
Empowering Birth Community
Natural & Conscious Parenting begins right here! Empowering Women for a Positive Birth: Fear free, Drug free, Pain free!
Robyn Thompson - Breastfeeding consultant
As a privately practising midwife have I have experienced the ultimate honour of being with women in their homes. My focus on breastfeeding is synonymous with birthing, a natural follow on event yet, hundreds of women have been referred for breastfeeding difficulties. My PhD by research involves a cohort of 806 wonderful women referred for breastfeeding difficulties during eight years of part-time service with Darebin Maternal & Child Health, Melbourne.
Birthwell Birthright
Birthwell Birthright offers Lamaze Childbirth Education classes in Melbourne.
Artemisia Natural Therapies
Artemisia Natural Therapies is a naturopathic clinic in Brunswick specialising in women’s and family health, preconception care, fertility awareness, pregnancy and birth care, postnatal support, and infant and child wellbeing. We are located at 1/499 Victoria St, Brunswick, Victoria. For more details visit our website or email us.
Canada
CHOICE! Film Festival (Ottawa)
The Informed Choice Coalition (ICC) is a grassroots organization working towards improvement in the informed choice process for interventions offered before, during, and after a birth, from pre-pregnancy to post-partum.
Consumers Supporting Midwifery Care (Ottawa)
CSMC is an Ottawa area grassroots group of consumers advocating for increased access to midwifery care.
CSMC is a volunteer-driven organisation that meets monthly. It is made up of consumers (persons who have experienced midwifery care), midwives, doulas, and others who support our work. We welcome new people to the organisation who would like to contribute.
Mothers of Change
We are a non-profit, Canadian consumer advocacy group for maternity care. We were founded in May 2010, and include mothers from across Canada, maternity care practitioners who support physiological birth, and other supportive members of the public.
Doula Association of Edmonton
The Doula Association of Edmonton (DAE) was formed in 1994 for the purpose of advancing and promoting labour support as an option of childbearing families in Alberta. The Doula Association of Edmonton purpose is to advance and promote labour support as an option for childbearing families in Alberta. The Association firmly believes every family deserves a doula for emotional, physical and informational support regardless of their childbirth choices. DAE is dedicated to providing educational opportunities for doulas, as well as increasing awareness to the public and healthcare community about the positive effects a doula brings to the childbirth experience. We strive to make the presence of a doula during labour, birth and the postpartum period a common occurrence. We also provide a referral service for individuals seeking the services of a doula (volunteer and for fee) and organize a continuing education lecture series for members.
New Zealand
Maternity Manifesto; Better Beginnings
This manifesto was created by representatives of several maternity consumer groups to gain public support for more effective, women-centred and evidence based options of maternity care and policy which are presently not available to support the best beginnings for all New Zealand families.
United Kingdom
Heart of England Midwives
Aiming to give you the Midwifery support you want and deserve; Supporting you to take control of your body and your baby's birth; Care which respects your individual needs and preferences.
Primal Health Research Centre
"Primal Health Research" explores correlations between the 'primal period' (fetal life, perinatal period and year following birth) and health and personality traits in later life. In the book "Primal Health" (first edition 1986)1 we predicted a new generation of research confirming that our health is shaped during the primal period. In order to prepare for a renewed understanding of health and diseases, a simplified vocabulary was proposed (see glossary). Today the point is not to anticipate a phenomenon, but to observe its development and to draw preliminary conclusions. From 1993 onwards, our quarterly newsletter did just that. Since 1998 a computerised database is a necessity.
Wonderful birth
Web site of Lina Clerke & Marie Treloar Childbirth Educators and Midwives. Working in Australia and UK (Sussex)
Cordblood Guide
ur goal at CordBloodGuide.com is to offer the simplest, most easy-to-read resource for expecting parents on cord blood banking and the benefits of donating your child’s umbilical cord blood. Donating cord blood is non-invasive and it can save the lives of children suffering from leukemia, sickle cell lymphoma, and other cancers and blood-related disorders.