The Wild After
Birth Trauma effects 1 in 3 Australian women.
"Trauma is not what happens to you; trauma is what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you" - Gabor Mate
Your story deserves to be heard.
Your feelings deserve to be held.
Your voice is important.
About me
Hi, I’m Courtney – mum of two beautiful little ones, NICU mum, VBAC mum, hypnobirthing enthusiast, and birth trauma survivor.
My journey into motherhood was far from what I had imagined. I envisioned a smooth entry into matrescence, filled with oxytocin, love, and joy. Instead, my daughter’s birth left me feeling lost, alone, scared, and vulnerable.
Unfortunately, birth trauma affects 1 in 3 women in Australia – and I never thought I would be one of them.
I didn’t realize how deeply this trauma would stay with me and shape my experience of motherhood. It wasn’t until I was pregnant with my son that I began my own healing journey.
Determined to do things differently, I knew I needed to arm myself with as much evidence and knowledge as possible for my VBAC. My husband and I enrolled in the Hypnobirthing Australia™ Positive Birth Program, and it was a game-changer. With this new toolkit of evidence-based information and techniques, we felt prepared, confident, and empowered.
The healing from my first birth sparked a desire to help others on their own journey, and my second birth strengthened that passion. I realized that helping women prepare for a positive, empowering birth could also be a key part of preventing or alleviating birth trauma.
As a result, I became a Hypnobirthing Australia™ Practitioner to share this knowledge and support others through the Positive Birth Program.
In addition, I’ve trained with the amazing Lael Stone and B from Core and Floor Restore in the Art of Birth Debriefing, and I’m now deeply committed to helping you heal, reclaim your power, and create the life you’ve always dreamed of.
I’m so excited to walk alongside you on this journey.
Offerings
Birth Debriefing
Start your healing journey.
Book a 1 or 1.5 hour appointment with me to talk about your conception, pregnancy, birth or postpartum (or all of the above) experience.
1 Hour Session: $120
1.5 Hour Session: $160
Subsequent sessions receive a $10 discount
Birth Planning
Do you have an idea of how you'd like your birth to look like but need help putting it into words?
Book in a session to discuss your birth preferences and create an epic birth plan!
1 Hour Session: $120
1.5 Hour Session: $160
Hypnobirthing Australia™ Positive Birth Program
Offering both group and private in-person classes.
The Positive Birth Program prepares you with the knowledge, confidence and tools you need to birth calmly and confidently no matter how your baby enters the world.
Proudly offering the Hypnobirthing Australia™ Positive Birth Program
Birth Debreifing explained
What is birth debriefing?
Birth debriefing can be whatever you need it to be. We carry our lived experiences within our bodies, including trauma. Sometimes all we need is a safe place to have our story heard. Or a safe place to allow us to feel the feelings we felt during pregnancy, birth or postpartum. During your session with me you are in control, you decide what you'd like it to look like. I will simply guide you to allow you to get the most out of your session.
I highly recommend the 1.5 hour session over the 1 hour session as a 1 hour session often doesn't allow us to fully explore your story. However I also understand that the demands of family life mean than allocating 1.5hours isn't always possible.
Do I have birth trauma?
This is something only you can answer. Trauma is individual, it's not something to be compared. Two people who have the same experience on paper can come out the other side feeling completely different. There are a multitude of factors that come into play and only you can judge how you feel.
I don't feel like my experience was traumatic. Can I still have a birth debrief?
YES! Every story deserves to be heard. Sometimes it can feel like there is a lot of judgement if we experience a positive birth. Sometimes we're labeled as "just being lucky". But you deserve to shout it from the roof tops! Normalising and celebrating the positive stories can only help change our cultural attitude towards birth. I'd absolutely love to hold space for your story.
My partner/birth support experienced trauma too. Do you recommend birth debriefing for them?
I sure do! Partners or those supporting us can experience just as much trauma as the women birthing. And just like us they can then take this experience into the postpartum period and the next birth and this will affect the ways in which they are able to provide support. Allowing them a safe space to have their story heard can have a huge positive impact for them, yourself and the whole family.