Need to keep up with the latest, so that you can help the families in your care make the best decisions?

Are you a parent who wants to know the science, as well as the wisdom, of childbearing?

The videos, webinars and resources in the Gentle Natural Birth Professionals Program are based on the best scientific evidence and take the wide perspective that parents and their care providers need, including looking at short and long-term benefits, risks and alternatives for mothers, babies, and families.

This program is invaluable for birth professionals and for parents who want more in-depth information

Not a GNB member yet? Sign up to the GNB Professional Program and get instant access to these resources!

GNB Professional Webinars

These webinars are are around 60 minutes duration, with PowerPoint slides

• The Ecstatic  Hormones of Labor and Birth webinar  Are our female bodies really superbly designed for labor and birth? How does this superb design enhance safety, ease and pleasure for mothers and babies? This is one of Sarah’s most popular and powerful topics, giving us all confidence in our bodies and babies.  See also Ecstatic hormones resources.

• The Hormonal Impact of Interventions webinar How do common obstetric interventions impact the  delicate and complex hormonal orchestration of labor and birth, for mother and baby? What are the short-term impacts? Could there be longer-term effects? This in-depth webinar, based on Sarah’s lecture material, looks at the use of synthetic oxytocin (Syntocinon, Pitocin),  epidurals, and cesareans. Includes links to references and resources page.

• The Impact of Birth on Breastfeeding webinar This two-part webinar looks at the important interactions between birth and breastfeeding, and explores the aspects of physiological birth   that optimise breastfeeding for mother and baby. You will explore what we know and don’t know about the effects of common interventions on breastfeeding for mother and baby. This webinar is based on lectures that Sarah has done for birth professionals in the US, UK, and Australia. Includes links to resources page.

• The Impact of Birth on Lifelong Wellbeing webinar This webinar was a very popular keynote presentation for the Gold Perinatal online conference in November 2013 and explores what we know about the consequences of how we are born.

• The Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing: The Initiation of Labour webinar What causes labor to begin? What pre-labor preparations ensure that the mother-to-be is at peak readiness for labor and birth and her baby for life outside the womb.  This webinar is derived from Sarah’s  report, Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing, and her six years of study and review of this topic.

• The Magical Hour After Birth webinar  Is the hour after birth a sensitive period for mother and baby? How do the postpartum hormones and other processes enhance safety, ease and pleasure at this time and into the future?  This webinar includes a discussion of cord clamping and finishes with Sarah’s recommendations about the optimal timing of cord clamping. Includes link to resources page.

• Oxytocin, Liquid Love webinar This two-part webinar is based on Sarah’s keynote address at the Passage to Motherhood conference in May 2013. It explores the role of the hormone oxytocin, not just in labour and birth, but also as a hormone of calm and connection, with involvement in long-term mental health. Sarah also describes the impact of maternity care practices on oxytocin — what we know and what we don’t know — and asks questions about the impact of interfering with the oxytocin system in the critical perinatal period.

• Induction for Going Overdue (post-dates) webinar It is very common for women to be told that they need to be induced once they are a few days past their due date. This is more likely with a first baby, as first pregnancies are usually longer. But is induction really necessary? How dangerous is it to go overdue? In this webinar, we use our BRAIN model to look at the Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, our Intuition, and doing Nothing when you are “overdue”. This webinar is aimed at parents faced with this situation and their care providers.

• Prenatal testing for Down Syndrome webinar Women today are offered a number of tests to detect abnormalities in their unborn babies, with some new tests such as cell-free DNA becoming common. How do we decide if this is right for us? This webinar uses our BRAIN model to look at the Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, using our Intuition and doing Nothing in relation to this testing.This webinar is aimed at parents faced with this situation and their care providers. The resource page has links to Sarah’s  in-depth chapter on prenatal testing, updated  from the first edition of Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering.

• Ultrasound Safety webinar Today, most mothers and babies are scanned at least once during pregnancy. Is this useful? What does the research tell us about ultrasound safety for our unborn babies?  This webinar gives important information for parents faced with this situation and their care providers. Includes links to references and resources page.

• The Cord Blood Banking Decision webinar Pregnant women are being offered this service with huge promises- and huge costs. What are the benefits to our children and families? Are there risks? How do you make the right decision? Includes links to cord blood banking resources page.

• Group B Strep (GBS) webinar  Screening for GBS in pregnancy, with antibiotic treatment for affected women, is standard care in many places. What are the benefits and risks for mothers and babies? What are the alternatives? What if you do nothing?  In this webinar, we use our BRAIN model to look at the Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, our Intuition, and doing Nothing. Sarah also discusses the importance of healthy gut flora at birth.  This webinar is aimed at parents faced with this situation and their care providers.Includes links to GBS resources page.

• Pushing (Second) Stage of Labor webinar  What are our bodies designed to do in the pushing stage? Could using our natural pushing urge protect from damage to our vagina, and from longer-term problems with incontinence? Brand new information from Constance Beynon, published in1957!  See also pushing stage of labor resources page.

• When to Cut the Cord? : Cord Clamping and Cord Blood Analysis webinar  What is happening deep inside the baby’s body, in the transition to life outside the womb.? Does clamping the cord help or hinder newborn adaptation? Is there an ideal time to clamp the cord? Learn all of this and more.  This webinar is aimed at parents faced with this situation and their care providers. Includes link to cord clamping resources page.

• The Safety of Homebirth  Is homebirth a safe option? What benefits might mothers, babies, fathers, and families gain from homebirth? Are there risks? This webinar is based on Sarah’s presentation at the 29th Australian Homebirth Conference, held in Brisbane in March 2014. Includes link to resources page.

• Herpes in Pregnancy and Birth More than 1 in 5 US women are affected by herpes, with similar figures in other countries, and this can recur in pregnancy. Infections close to birth can increase the risks of serious newborn infections. in many places, women are offered anti-viral drugs to reduce these risks, Find out what you need to know, as a care provider or pregnant women, to make an informed choice about preventative anti-viral drugs in pregnancy using the BRAIN model to look at the benefits, risks, alternatives using our intuition and doing nothing, Includes link to resources page.

• Elimination Communication (Nappy/Diaper Free!) Did you know that it is possible to raise your baby nappy/diaper free? This traditional practice, used in most places before the advent of nappies/diapers, has been called Elimination Communication, and is becoming popular all around the world. Find out more about this fascinating topic, and be amazed at what babies are truly capable of- and their mamas too! Sarah also shares stories and pictures from her own EC experiences with her fourth baby Maia. Includes links to more resources, with Q and As and Sarah’s 2005 article.

• Safe Sleep Solutions for Mothers and Babies webinar  This webinar looks at the night-time needs of mothers and babies and the benefits and safety of bedsharing as a possible solution for families. Includes links to Gentle Parenting resources page.

• Membrane Stripping and Induction In many places, women are offered, or even routinely given, membrane stripping at the end of pregnancy. What are the benefits, risks and alternatives to membrane stripping, as a prevention for going overdue? This webinar is aimed at parents faced with this situation and their care providers.

• Lotus Birth is the practice of leaving the umbilical cord uncut, so that the placenta and cord separate naturally at 2 to 12 days. It gives a gentle start and has other benefits for mothers and babies. Includes links to Lotus birth article and resources. This webinar is aimed at parents considering Lotus birth and their care providers.

• Highlights from the Mid Pacific Birth and Primal Health Conference, Hawaii October 2012 Sarah’s report from Michel Odent’s “great wake up call”, which included a Tsunami alert (!!) as well as cutting-edge information on oxytocin and the importance of gut flora for civilisation. Get great reports and information- and some of Saarh’s holiday snaps too!

Please note: these are recordings from live webinars, and in some recordings, the slides and words mismatch at times. We are working to re-record these. Thanks for your patience.

GNB TOPICS with notes and resources

These pages cover topics that have usually been the focus of webinars and/or weekly videos. See the links above. We are always adding new topics in pregnancy, birth, and parenting.

Prenatal testing for Down syndrome  Everything you need to know to make the imporant decision about accepting testing for Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities in your unborn baby. This is  Sarah’s complete chapter on prenatal testing, updated from her Gentle Birth Gentle Mothering first edition.

Pregnancy Ultrasound Is it safe to expose our unborn babies to ultrasound? What are the benefits and possible risks? What do the medical studies tell us? Includes the chapter from Gentle Birth Gentle Mothering, updated for 2016.

Elimination Communication (EC) (Natural Infant Hygeine, Diaper/Nappy Free). Is it possible to raise your baby without diapers/nappies? Learn how this traditional practice can benefit modern Mamas and babes, and share Sarah’s experience! (EC) article and  EC resources 

Lotus Birth Lotus birth is the practice of leaving the umbilical cord uncut until it naturally separates. It imprints trust for the natural order, respect for the baby’s own timing, and adds a radiant, peaceful quality to the postnatal time for all involved. Lotus Birth article and  resources

GNB Short videos