Serene Births Perth

Serene Births Perth Bringing the best of both worlds to birth. Serving the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia.

I’m a midwife-turned-doula offering private and small group birth classes that blend clinical know-how with calm, confident support.

“Your labour isn’t progressing.”What you hear is “your labour isn’t progressing.” What gets written in your notes is “fa...
11/06/2026

“Your labour isn’t progressing.”

What you hear is “your labour isn’t progressing.” What gets written in your notes is “failure to progress.” It’s one of the most common triggers for intervention in a birth suite.

The benchmark behind that phrase? A single study from 1955.

Dr Emanuel Friedman defined active labour as beginning at 4cm, with a minimum progress of 1cm per hour. That definition became the global standard — and it has been governing labour management ever since.

In 2010, researchers analysed the labours of more than 62,000 women who all birthed vaginally with normal outcomes. This data paints a different picture —active labour doesn’t reliably begin until around 6cm, not 4cm. The 1cm/hour rule was never an accurate measure — and before 6cm, it shouldn’t apply at all. After 6cm, labour naturally picks up the pace.

In 2018, the WHO updated its guidelines accordingly. Slower dilation alone is not grounds for intervention.

Despite the updated guidelines, many women are still assessed against older expectations of labour progress.

Hospitals set their own protocols. When protocols take precedence over the individual, important context can be lost. When you’re told your labour isn’t progressing, it’s worth asking what’s driving that recommendation. A genuine concern for you or your baby is very different from a number on a chart not meeting an outdated timeline.

Knowing this puts you in a position to ask questions, understand what is being recommended and why, and make decisions that are actually informed. This is exactly the kind of knowledge we build in every session — so that when you’re in that room, you know what to ask.

Four words that can make you feel totally deflated.“You’re only 2cm dilated.”After hours of contractions, a sleepless ni...
08/06/2026

Four words that can make you feel totally deflated.

“You’re only 2cm dilated.”

After hours of contractions, a sleepless night or two, you arrive at the hospital hoping for validation. What you get is a number. That number, delivered with the word “only” in front of it, can feel like your body has let you down before labour has even properly begun.

It hasn’t.

Before the cervix begins to dilate, it does an enormous amount of prep work — thinning, softening, shifting position. This process takes time, and in first-time mothers, it often takes longer. By the time you’re two centimetres dilated, your body has almost certainly been working for hours, possibly days. Two centimetres is not the beginning of the story. It’s a chapter in.

Being sent home is not a rejection. Early labour often progresses better in a familiar environment — somewhere you feel safe, comfortable, and relaxed. The hospital is not the right place for this part. Home is.

Birth partners — one small shift changes everything. When she hears “only 2cm,” your job is to give her the other version of that sentence. “You’re already 2cm”. Same number. Different word. It will remind her that her body is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.

This is the kind of thing we work through together in birth education — not just the facts, but what to do with them in the moments that matter. If you’re preparing for birth and want to feel genuinely ready, get in touch.

Every birth leaves a midwife with something to smile about long after the shift ends. Here are a few of mine.A woman who...
07/06/2026

Every birth leaves a midwife with something to smile about long after the shift ends. Here are a few of mine.

A woman who decided, mid-labour, that she was done. She packed her bags, got off the bed and marched into the corridor — past the midwives desk and my very puzzled colleagues — with a freshly qualified midwife scurrying after her. Her husband walked out of the bathroom to find his wife halfway to the exit and his midwife in a mild state of panic. Forty-five minutes later, she was holding her baby and had entirely forgotten her escape attempt.

Her husband wanted my professional opinion on a medical concern. As I was trying to formulate a diplomatic response, his wife's voice came through the bathroom door loud and clear. "You better not be asking the midwife about your bloody balls." He was. She was mortified. The best my brain could come up with? "Sorry, I'm only trained in vaginas." Absolute crickets for the next ten minutes.

A woman who, in the middle of a particularly intense contraction, let out an anguished cry of "oh my God, my mascara!" The contraction passed. She reached into her bag, pulled out a hand mirror and checked her reflection. It was holding up rather well, for the record.

One particularly busy night shift, every birth suite was full, so we made do with the smallest assessment room imaginable— so small she was half inside the wardrobe by the time she found a comfortable position. I ended up on my back on the floor to catch her baby. When I buzzed for the second midwife, in walked the senior midwife in charge — formidable, no-nonsense, not known for her bedside manner. She took one look at the scene and, in the strongest Yorkshire accent you've ever heard bellowed: "What the bloody hell are you doing down there?!"

This is labour. Messy, unpredictable, completely yours. The woman never remembers the corridor sprint. The midwife never forgets it.

If your labour looks nothing like you expected — you are in very good company.

Informed consent isn’t simply your signature on a form. It’s an ongoing conversation — one that should happen every time...
04/06/2026

Informed consent isn’t simply your signature on a form. It’s an ongoing conversation — one that should happen every time a procedure or intervention is recommended during your labour.

The problem is, most women don’t realise their informed consent was never sought until it’s too late. In labour, your focus should be on one thing — not on analysing the language your care team is using. This is where a well-prepared birth partner becomes invaluable — they can listen, ask questions and advocate on your behalf.

It’s also worth knowing that consent can be given — and taken back — at any time. You are never locked into a decision simply because you agreed to it previously.

At every decision point in your labour, you should feel informed, respected and at the centre of every discussion.

Use this post as a quick reference guide when you need it.

Australia’s caesarean rate has risen every single year for over two decades. We’re now at 41% (2023 figures, published 2...
02/06/2026

Australia’s caesarean rate has risen every single year for over two decades. We’re now at 41% (2023 figures, published 2025 — full report linked in comments) — and despite growing concern from maternity care advocates and consumers, it has yet to translate into any meaningful national conversation.

Researchers cannot pinpoint a specific reason for this trend. Women aren’t less healthy and pregnancies aren’t becoming more complex. So what is driving it? The threat of litigation? Overworked midwives restricted by grossly outdated timeframes for labour progress? A maternity system that is chronically underfunded? Fear?

One thing we know with absolute certainty. Women’s bodies are not the issue here.

A caesarean section can be life-saving. When it is genuinely indicated, the conversation changes — but it doesn’t stop. If a caesarean is recommended during your pregnancy or labour, your care provider is obligated to explain why. Is this based on your specific clinical situation? Or does it reflect hospital policy and guidelines? The answer to that question matters. This is informed consent in action.

At Serene Births, we believe that knowing how to navigate the system is just as important as knowing what to pack in your birth bag. Ready for birth prep without the fluff? Reach out to find out more.

Birth partners — the most undervalued person in the room. Here are three key aspects of the role that sit at the heart o...
31/05/2026

Birth partners — the most undervalued person in the room. Here are three key aspects of the role that sit at the heart of my birth partner preparation.

Understanding the physiology of labour. What is actually happening in her body, what it might look like, and how that picture can shift within the context of hospital policies and guidelines. A birth partner who understands the process is far less likely to be caught off guard by it.

A solid support toolkit. Every labour is different and women are remarkably intuitive about what they need in the moment — and they may express that in an abrupt way, which can throw you off guard. Labouring women can often be very direct — so the skill is in learning to respond without reacting, pivot quickly, and find what works for her without missing a beat.

Advocacy and decision-making. Understanding the options, knowing the right questions to ask, and feeling equipped to speak up clearly and respectfully when it matters. In a hospital setting, the perceived power imbalance between patient and clinician can make speaking up feel uncomfortable — even wrong. Preparation changes that.

These are not add-ons. They are the foundations of informed, confident birth partnership — and they are what every couple who comes through my door leaves with.

Serene Births offers both group classes and private sessions — small and intimate by design, and built entirely around the needs of each couple.

Link in bio to find out more or get in touch at [email protected]

“I didn’t realise there was so much to know.”It’s one of the most common things I hear from birth partners at the end of...
28/05/2026

“I didn’t realise there was so much to know.”

It’s one of the most common things I hear from birth partners at the end of a session — and every time, it’s said with a mixture of relief and something that looks a lot like mild panic.

That’s not a criticism. It’s a reflection of how little preparation is typically offered to the person standing beside a labouring woman. Traditional antenatal education tends to follow a set structure — and within that structure, birth partner preparation is rarely given the time or depth it deserves. They are expected to show up, be supportive, and work it out as they go.

But every labour is different. Nobody knows what she will need in that moment until she is in it — which means her birth partner needs to walk in with a toolkit, not a script.

That is exactly what we work on together. My classes and private sessions are intentionally small and intimate — personal enough to spend time on what matters most to each couple, and to make sure every base is covered.

If you are preparing for birth and want your birth partner to be truly ready for the moment, my sessions are exactly what you have been looking for — link in bio to find out more.

📸 magical moments captured and shared with the kind permission of

This week we’ve been exploring birth mapping — a framework for birth preparation that goes well beyond a list of prefere...
24/05/2026

This week we’ve been exploring birth mapping — a framework for birth preparation that goes well beyond a list of preferences. If you’ve missed the earlier posts, they’re worth going back for. Today, we conclude with what the birth map does best.

So what happens when we are faced with a decision point? A recommendation from your care team which doesn’t feel right for you; a concern which may require a pivot in direction?

This is where your birth partner steps up, not as a bystander trying to keep up, but as someone who already knows the terrain. They’ve asked the hard questions with you. They understand your values, not just your preferences. They can engage with your care team, weigh what’s being offered, and help you navigate — because they built this map with you.

This is what birth preparation actually looks like — not a wish list, but a foundation strong enough to handle any challenge. This is the birth map in action.

So often, preparing for birth becomes one person’s project. She reads the books, she asks the questions, she thinks care...
21/05/2026

So often, preparing for birth becomes one person’s project. She reads the books, she asks the questions, she thinks carefully about what she wants. Her birth partner is present and willing, yet largely unequipped — not through any fault of their own, but because birth prep is often framed as an individual activity rather than a team effort.

A birth map needs two authors — because when labour puts it to the test, it is the birth partner who upholds it. Birth is not a solo experience, and the decisions that arise within it rarely land in a moment of calm. They arrive when a woman is exhausted, or frightened, or deep in the work of labour. In those moments, she needs someone beside her who understands not just what she wanted — but why.

That is the difference between a birth partner who has been handed a list and one who helped build the map.

Think of it like navigation. The birth partner is not driving — but without them, the driver is working blind. They hold the map. They track the route. And when conditions change and a new path is needed, they can help find it — because they understood the destination from the beginning.

That shared understanding does not happen by accident. It requires both people to sit down together, work through the landscape of birth, and ask the uncomfortable questions before labour makes them urgent.

Preparation is not something one person does for two.

To bring our birth mapping journey to a close, look out for Sunday’s post — we’ll be exploring how to navigate the decision points that arise in labour, and what it really looks like to put the map into action.

If the thought of creating your birth plan leaves you feeling overwhelmed, you are not alone. Staring at a blank page, w...
19/05/2026

If the thought of creating your birth plan leaves you feeling overwhelmed, you are not alone. Staring at a blank page, wondering if it is even worth your time. We cannot predict how birth will unfold — but we can prepare for many of its pathways.

Birth mapping was developed specifically to address the shortcomings of the traditional birth plan. Rather than documenting a single preferred outcome, it walks you through every stage of labour, every common decision point and every realistic deviation.

The process starts with understanding your options, moves through clarifying what matters most to you, and builds toward a clear record of informed decisions across every path birth might realistically take, including the unexpected ones.

Because the best time to make decisions about your birth is not in the middle of it.

Swipe through to see how the process works — and save it for when you are ready to begin.

Address

Woodvale, WA
6026

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm
Saturday 8am - 12pm

Telephone

+61401512883

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