Beyond the Birth Plan: Stories, Wisdom & Possibilities

Whether you are curious about birthing at home, hoping for an intervention free birth, have home-birthed or work alongside women and families as a birth supporter or birth professional, you're warmly invited.

With three inspiring speakers bringing fresh perspectives, practical skills and insights to your birth journey, you’ll want to make sure you can join us! Topics include:

🌸 Practical techniques to help you through labour and birth.

🌸 Supporting your pelvic floor during birth and recovery.

🌸 Why birth really matters — an exploration of attachment and birth.

As well as a panel of special guests to answer all your questions.

MEET OUR SPEAKERS: 

🌸Leonie Cameron, Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist, Health Down South

LET'S RELAX! - Learn how to relax the pelvic floor — an essential skill for labour and birth, as well as supporting recovery afterwards. 

Discover why learning to release and relax these muscles matters and how this awareness can support you through birth and beyond.

🌸Katie Oliver, Intuitive Birth Educator & Family Attachment Coach

ATTACHED FROM BIRTH - How our attachment patterns shape our experience of birth, bonding and parenting. 

Katie, will guide you through how our attachment patterns and relationship experiences can influence how we approach birth, connect with our babies and navigate the journey into parenthood.

🌸Sara Evans, Homebirth Midwife

POWER AT YOUR FINGER TIPS - Discover how acupressure can support your body, build confidence and empower your birth journey. 

Sarah will introduce simple, targeted pressure points that can become part of your birth toolkit, including ways birth partners can offer practical, hands-on support.

INSPIRING STORIES FROM OUR SPECIAL GUESTS

Birth doesn't always unfold as we expect, and sometimes the most powerful stories are those that challenge what we thought was possible. 

We'll hear from women who have birthed at home against the odds, including a mother who had a homebirth after two caesareans and another who experienced a breech homebirth.

We'll also hear from a homebirth dad sharing his perspective on supporting his partner through birth — so yes, bring your birth supporter along too!

Come and hear their stories, how they advocated for themselves, and the experiences and wisdom they have to share.

WHAT TO EXPECT

✨ Three inspiring talks from our guest speakers

✨ Time to connect with other women, parents and birth supporters

✨ Inspiring homebirth stories from women who have birthed against the odds

✨ A Q&A panel with our speakers and special guests on a variety of birth, postpartum and parenting topics

✨ A nourishing organic finger food platter to nibble on 

Come along with curiosity, bring your questions, and be part of a community that celebrates informed choices, shared wisdom and support for women and families.

HAVE YOU HAD A HOMEBIRTH YOURSELF? WE'D LOVE YOU TO COME ALONG!

Whether your birth was recent or many years ago, your experience matters. We'd love more homebirthers to join us, share their stories and help encourage other women who are exploring their birth options.

FAMILY FRIENDLY

This is a WHĀNAU-FRIENDLY event! Babies &  tamariki are warmly welcome. Come along and enjoy an afternoon of shared learning, inspiring stories and connection. We want all whānau and families to feel welcome, included and comfortable being part of the day.

TICKETS AND REGISTRATION

Tickets are by donation, helping make this event accessible to our community. All profits return back to the association to help with the running of events and birth pool hire and maintenance. 

Registration is preferred to help us plan for catering, but you're welcome to turn up on the day.

PARKING

Please allow a little extra time to find parking before the event. Free parking is usually available about a block away, so it's worth arriving a little early to get settled before we begin.

We look forward to celebrating HomeBirth Awareness Week with you!

Hosted by Southland Homebirth and Natural Birth Association