Beer + Bubs is coming to Canberra

Ratsnest, In my correspondence with Beer n Bubs, they are aiming for October some time.
Email them your contact details and they will pass them onto the Canberra representative.

der igglepiggle. Any questions not specific to medical conditions. Does that fix it for you? Like I said, there’s a lot more to having a baby than what doctors and midwives deal with.

mmmm I didn’t draw breath for the five minutes it took for the baby to come out on the video we had to watch at the classes at JJ.

The one we were shown included an uncontrolled tear of the perineum … a lot of women changed their views on pain killers after watching that one.

beerandbubs, are you able to give us a ballpark date for when you will be in Canberra?

“And I know that the Canberra facilitator has been attending births for many years, so I’m sure she’ll be able to answer whatever questions you might throw at her.”

This was the comment my original remark was in response to. Don’t get me wrong, I think doulas are generally great and provide a great service- however when they try and be midwives it can be downright dangerous. Fortunately this rarely happens in the ACT.

As for the knuckleheads who can’t work out “Why shouldn’t you be texting your mother while you’re on the job? ” I’m not sure they can be helped….. Saw a bloke bring a portable gaming machine to his wife’s labour once- unbelievable!

mmmm I didn’t draw breath for the five minutes it took for the baby to come out on the video we had to watch at the classes at JJ. And a mate went to a class in Sydney last night and the midwife proudly showed them all a placenta that was hours old. Too much info I reckon!

Being able to ask questions the blokes were too afraid to ask in the ‘formal’ setting of a hispital is a great idea.

This sounds great. My class at Calvary was memorable for all the wrong reasons.

eg – they held up the forceps and said ‘what do you think this is for?’
Bloke in front of us says ‘hittin the missus with’…. and that set the tone for the day really.

Having been an expectant father, I think this, plus a class with partner (midwife style would be great). Maybe for the questions like “I see that lady has cankles, will my wife get cankles?” best to be with guys, in pub. I know it didn’t go down well in the class I was in.

If you have concerns or want to know what’s going to happen from a medical perspective, the best person to talk to is your midwife or obstetrician. There is a vast range of standard procedures in Canberra, depending on what hospital you go to and who your care provider is. They all have different policies on waterbirth, managed third stage, breastfeeding immediately after the birth, when a caesarean is needed etc. A doula can give general advice on what is possible, but you really should talk to your care provider about the specifics. Even a hospital ante-natal class will only tell you what the standard policy is – they won’t tell you how it applies to your individual circumstances, taking into account the woman’s preferences, previous experiences, or pre-existing medical conditions.

However, there is a lot more to the birth experience and the transition to parenthood than choosing between gas, peth, and epidural. Men need to know what they can do to participate in what’s happening, and support their partner during a particularly vulnerable time in her life and the most powerful experience most women ever have. Doulas are experts in birth support and have to undergo professional training to do this work, which is why doulas run childbirth preparation classes.

Feel free to come into the pub and ask me if you want.
Point one, humour has no place during labour, or in prenatal classes with many emotional pregnant women. One of the many important lessons I can pass on, oh, well that and if you do the meeta cheetah thing, don’t tread on the cheetah’s tail.
I won’t charge, but tips are appreciated.

Getting all this touchy-feely sensitive new age guy nonsense over and done with on one night would have to be a big bonus.

The couple of antenatal classes I was dragged along to at the John James maternity centre we mind-numbing. In fact the only highlight was when we watched a video of a birth and a bloke dressed in a entirely in what appeared to be charcoal cashmere who’d previously used the term “we’re expecting” had to go and have a lie down …

Nah Igglepiggle, Beer + Bubs teaches dads how to support their partner through childbirth which is exactly what a doula does. Beer + Bubs is like Doula 101 for blokes. Nowhere in the content of the pub workshops is medical ADVICE given. It’s about the practical things a bloke should and shouldn’t do while his wife is in labour to support her well, no matter what. It’s all the stuff that isn’t covered in the hospital antenatal classes…and it’s fun.

What a great idea. Something less medical has been needed for a long time.

Interesting that they are run by doulas- technically they wouldn’t be able to answer any medical/procedure type questions as this isn’t their role, and they don’t have the training for it. A big difference from the midwife run antenatal classes.