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Kelly
Registered Nurse & Midwife
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I have been working as a midwife for over 10 years. Early in my career, I transitioned from working in the public hospital system to caring for families in private practice. This has allowed me to care for women and their families throughout their entire journey. I am both extremely passionate about and grateful for the ability to work in this way.
Another passion in my professional life is childbirth education classes; I completed Calmbirth training in 2011 and regularly run skills workshops for midwives as well as guest lecturing at universities.
I have two beautiful young children and a wonderful husband who support me to work in my dream job.
Hayley E.
Registered Nurse & Midwife
I ventured into midwifery at just 18, and have spent most of my career in a caseload & homebirth model of care, alongside teaching MAMABirth classes since we established in 2015.
I also have experience working in every maternity care setting from large tertiary hospitals to tiny regional units in country VIC, QLD & the UK.
2020 brought a whole new meaning to midwifery and the power of education for me, as I became a mum for the first time.
I've now experienced first-hand how crucial informed decision-making & gathering rock-solid support around you is to achieving a positive birth & postnatal experience, especially when things "don't go to plan".
I've come back to teaching with renewed passion & enthusiasm to share knowledge to help families feel confident about their birthing & postnatal journeys.
Hayley N.
Registered Midwife
I began my midwifery training in 2012, and started my career in a major tertiary Dublin hospital.
In 2018 I moved to Australia with my partner for ‘just one year’ - the classic lie that all travellers tell their families!
Since then I have been lucky to care for amazing couples in busy Melbourne hospitals & work on interesting research projects. I recently moved to Brisbane & will be serving the Qld community with our classes, and midwifery care.
When I'm not working, I spend my time exploring this beautiful country, sipping on the best coffee & attempting to pat stranger's dogs at endless cafes!
I feel honoured to help parents find what feels good for themselves & their families - and have some fun along the way!
Libby
Registered Midwife
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I started my journey into midwifery in 2012 and was lucky enough to have my passion and skills nurtured by some wonderful and wise midwives.
During this time, I have worked in a range of maternity settings from Midwifery Group Practice providing Homebirth to the wards of one of Melbourne’s busiest tertiary maternity hospitals.
My current role is in clinical education, where I work closely with midwives and students, sharing knowledge through education.
I became a mother in 2018 and again in the midst of a covid lockdown in 2020.
I am hugely passionate about the pelvic floor, birth trauma and perinatal mental health and am so excited to be part of the MAMABirth team!
Phoebe
Registered Midwife
After becoming fascinated with pregnancy & birth at a fairly young age, and with an enthusiasm for supporting pregnant people, I ventured into a Bachelor of Midwifery in 2017, where I was mentored by some extremely knowledgeable midwives and teachers.
Across my training, I was able to witness labour and birth in both the home and hospital spaces, and was lucky enough to learn from the midwives at MAMA, where my passion for continuity of care, education, and informed decision-making was really sparked.
I then completed my graduate year (in the midst of the pandemic!) at two hospitals - one major tertiary and one smaller regional hospital - where I now continue to work as a midwife.
Childbirth education felt like a natural path to pursue for me, as I am very passionate about helping families to gather the information and tools for a more empowered, well-informed birthing and postpartum experience. I feel privileged to be involved in such a transformative time in people’s lives, and am thrilled to be part of the MAMABirth team.
Seb
Registered Nurse & Midwife
Despite not even knowing what a midwife was before I started uni, I now loudly and proudly work as a one! I discovered the incredible world of midwifery and women's health whilst living abroad in Israel and completed a dual degree in Nursing and Midwifery in 2019 here in Melbourne.
After studying, I commenced working as a midwife in public maternity care, and now in education.
I usually spend my time working across all areas of the midwifery spectrum, with a personal passion for teaching parents and students, and exploring the wisdom of Spinning Babies techniques. I love to talk about anything related to being pregnant and giving birth, and all that comes with the journey.
When not in midwife mode, you can find me pottering about, op shopping, matketplace hunting, interpretive dancing and sipping lots and lots of tea.
I am so excited to teach, connect with and educate you through the MAMABirth Classes both online and in-person!
Nikola
Registered Nurse & Midwife
Hi – I am Nik and I am a part of the MAMABirth Queensland team!
If I dig around long enough, I am sure I will find the work book I did when I was 10 years old that asked what I wanted to be when I grew up – my answer was ‘I want to be a Midwife and if I can’t do that, I don’t want to be anything else…except maybe a Zoologist’. My very small hope for Zoology completely evaporated when my eyes were opened to the magic that comes with Midwifery.
I have been lucky enough to work along the spectrum of Midwifery, from busy tertiary hospitals, to visiting families in their homes, as well as currently working within Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander community and pregnancy health.
What a true privilege it is to hold space and empower people through Childbirth Education and I can’t wait to see all your wonderful faces in the Sunshine State as we learn together.
When I haven’t got my Midwife hat on, you will more than likely find me at the beach with my husband and two sausage dogs or scoffing down a coffee & an almond croissant (because there is no better combo).
Heba
Registered Nurse & Midwife
Hi! My name is Heba and I am a Nurse, Midwife, illustrator and now a MAMA childbirth educator too!
My midwifery career begun in July of 2020 and whilst this was a challenging transition during Covid19, I was well supported by the most incredible midwives at my workplace.
In January of 2022, I became a mother for the first time and I felt that this experience further ignited my passion for working with families.
When I’m not working in a healthcare setting, I am a digital illustrator. My artwork aims to represent and appreciate visibly Muslim women as they are. When the opportunities present, I work on commissions and work with local organisations to produce artwork. My proudest achievement was a children’s book I illustrated a few years ago!
I thrive off being empowered and empowering others and I look forward to meeting and working with you!
Dianne
Registered Nurse & Midwife
I am a Registered General Nurse (RGN) and Registered Midwife, (RM, BSc Hons). I worked, in
clinical practice as a nurse and midwife in public and private establishments, in Australia and
the United Kingdom.
In 2021 I completed Higher Degree Research training at the University
of Technology Sydney (UTS). My research thesis is on Measuring and building resilience in
Bachelor of Midwifery (BMid) students.
I taught undergraduate nursing, midwifery, and health
science students during my time at UTS. I am currently employed as a private practice midwife
and childbirth educator.
I became a Grandmama in 2022 and observed my son and his partner transition into becoming parents.
I am very excited about teaching childbirth classes and bringing all my experience as a grandmama,
midwife, researcher, and teacher to the MAMA space, influencing the birthing experience of women,
and helping couples transition into becoming parents.
In my downtime, I enjoy listening to podcasts, playing and listening to music, and writing creative poetry,
and short stories. Cooking and entertaining when I get the time.
Maëlly
Registered Midwife
Hi - I’m Maëlly!
You will usually find me listening to 80’s French music while cooking up a storm in my kitchen.
I have been a Midwife for 10 years and have worked in multiple roles.
I have a strong passion for empowering birthing families and ensuring they make informed choices that are right for themselves.
Abby
Registered Midwife
I am a MAMABirth educator and registered midwife working in a caseload model of care.
Although I was only ten when I realised I was a midwife (instinctively drawn to newborns, preferring the company of mums + babies, Call the Midwife being my show of choice…) my pathway to midwifery was weird and wonderful.
I first graduated in International Relations to start work for maternal health initiatives. This took me across the world, notably to Africa and India several times, and deeply informed me on women's experiences of raising their children in these countries. These immersions shaped me as a midwife - above all, they gave me a respect for education as the most transformative influence on a family’s experience of parenting and birth.
I am an advocate for one-to-one midwifery care, reframing our cultural attitudes towards pain, and recognising women as masters of their own bodies across the entire reproductive continuum.
When I’m not catching babies, you usually find me writing, singing, painting, training for a marathon, or laying on the couch with my partner (probably watching Birth Time).
Our Philosophy
A midwife is a qualified health professional who is trained and committed to providing care, education, advice and support to women & birthing people and their families. This support takes place during pregnancy, labour, birth, and the early postnatal period.
Midwives view pregnancy and birth as fundamentally normal & healthy processes - as well as profound and precious events in a person's life.
Our work is founded on deep respect for women & birthing people, and a strong belief in promoting every person’s right to self-determination and to make informed decisions for themselves, their baby and their family.
We firmly believe that the childbearing journey has the potential to affect every facet of a person's life, including their relationship with their new baby, partner, themselves and their functioning in wider society.
We focus on factual, evidence-based information, not personal opinions. You're already receiving plenty of those, right?! MAMABirth content is drawn from up-to-date research evidence and is regularly updated. Any anecdotes or personal experiences we share to 'bring the evidence to life' are declared as such, so you can always know where information we share is coming from!
The ultimate goal we want to help you achieve is a positive birthing & postnatal experience - this will look different for everyone & there is no "right" or "wrong". We define a "positive birth" as one where you feel informed & supported.
We believe normal physiological birth is an inherently safe & well-designed system. It's our area of expertise as midwives, so we use that our starting point to help you understand the ins & outs of how your incredible body & baby work together in pregnancy, birth & postpartum.
But we also acknowledge that situations of 'true medical need' occasionally arise, and we can’t control how our birthing and postpartum experiences unfold - so we also will equip you with tools for navigating the decisions you may need to make along the way.
Our job is to help you make the informed choices that are right for you, with appreciation for all the inherent nuances & shades of grey. We don't prescribe a one-size-fits-all approach - instead, we aim to expose you to different perspectives and ideas that you can 'try on for size' & in doing so, figure out what feels important & right for you as an individual.
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Are our classes for you?
Our Classes
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are welcoming & inclusive of all pregnant parents
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are capped to small numbers - no more than 9 pregnant participants & their support people - for an intimate, inclusive & interactive learning environment
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are written & presented by registered midwives who work locally - not just someone who took a weekend training course!
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are independent & focus on evidence-based information , which means there's no:
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hospital policies
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clinician preferences
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branded syllabus
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are now offered in both Melbourne and Brisbane & online
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aim to make you feel excited & empowered
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aim to help you make informed decisions & communicate these with your health care providers
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are tailored to you - we send you a pre-class survey to find out more about you & your interests/goals
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are suitable for pregnant people in ANY model of care -
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public hospital,
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planned homebirth,
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midwife care,
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private obstetric care
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You
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would like to have a normal physiological birth in an ideal situation
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might be worried about how you will cope with labour/birth and the changes that come with a newborn
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appreciate unbiased, scientific and factual information about how your body works & what options are available
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might be feeling overwhelmed by conflicting opinions and advice about
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labour/birth
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pain relief
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breastfeeding
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newborn settling & sleep
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would like to avoid unnecessary interventions for yourself and your baby
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would like to understand situations where there is true medical need for interventions
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would like to be supported by a confident, capable and calm birth partner
and most importantly...
if you have no idea what there could possibly be to talk about for the length of our courses....
you definitely need to come along!
