Many women wishing to use birthing seats in labour are still denied that option due to a lack of knowledge or skill on the part of the attending midwife or, worse, because of antiquated, ill-informed hospital policy. The effects are demoralising for the woman and embarrassing for the professional caregiver.

Using the midwife-designed BirthRite Floor Studio as a learning platform, this practical and stimulating workshop will provide midwife-practitioners with the knowledge and confidence to advocate for, and assist women with, labouring and birthing in upright positions.

We will be turning birthing seats upside down and inside out to cover all aspects of their use in the context of holistic midwifery. Issues creating uncertainty and concern about birthing seats will be addressed and resolved so that labouring women wishing to use birthing seats can feel supported by their professional caregivers.

Furthermore, this workshop will guide budding holistic midwives towards a deeper understanding of the psychology of labour and its significance for progress in the second stage. Participants will be equipped with some of the skills needed to work with women successfully at this level. Midwives will feel empowered to fully exploit their intuitive resourcefulness when helping women connect with their own innate capacities for birth.

Participants will leave this workshop with a different appreciation for the power of birthing seats, especially when utilised together with the “gentle second stage coaching” promoted by the presenter. With such thought-provoking and practical insights under their belt, they will be bursting to put their newly acquired skills into practice at the very next opportunity and thus experience the excitement and joy inherent in holistic midwifery.

After completion of this workshop

• You will be able to discern the physiological and psychological benefits of upright labour and birth.
• You will be competent in deciding why, when, how and where to use a birthing seat.
• You will appreciate when it is not appropriate to use a birthing seat.
• You will be more familiar with the intricate details of second-stage physiology and understand the dangers of closed-glottis pushing from that new-found viewpoint.
• You will have a suite of practical ideas on how to keep a woman calm and focussed during the second stage of labour, including detailed relaxation and breathing techniques.
• You will understand how to facilitate a truly gentle birth.
• You will be equipped with knowledge regarding the use of birthing seats in physiologically challenging births such as large babies, shoulder difficulties, vaginal breech and light epidurals.

Note: We require a large, quiet, well-ventilated room and a whiteboard. Suitable for approximately 14 participants.

For further details of this workshop, please contact BirthRite Head Office (Germany).