Welcome
Welcome to GentleBirth Pregnancy and Birth Education. I am Rachael Austin an Independent Midwife and Independent Childbirth Educator located at Theodore, Central Queensland, Australia. While I am located here in Theodore, I am happy to negotiate travel around Central Queensland.
The raw beauty of my mare when she was pregnant was magical to watch as she bloomed through pregnancy, labour and birth. It made me think about my future births of my own children and how I wanted the same ‘normality’ for myself. To watch my mare birth her foal, then carry on to feed her and to go about her usual day was amazing. It made me think strongly about why women aren’t doing this in our society today.
I have since married and birthed two of my own beautiful children, a boy Rhett James and a girl Kaede` Anne. Their birth stories can be read here on this site. Going through the journey of conception and through into motherhood has been a life changing experience, and I don’t think I appreciated how special a journey physically, emotionally and spiritually it was until I walked this path with my first born. After the births I went on to breastfeed my son for 3 years, tandem feeding after the birth of my second born.
Being with women during this special time in their lives is something that I have known I have wanted to do for some time now. Watching a new mum work hard to meet her baby and watching her and her partner fall in love with a new little person is an amazing experience each and every time.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Health (Nursing) 2000
- Immunisation Practice Endorsement 2003
- Graduate Diploma of Midwifery 2006
I worked in Queensland Health after I completed my nursing degree and continued to develop professionally completing a myriad of different courses, mostly in rural studies and advanced life support. However, my dream was to do midwifery. So in between by first pregnancy and afterwards I studied to become a midwife. My goal now, is to empower women to trust birth and to trust themselves to birth. My classes assist to give women and their support person the skills needed for an active labour. I place a strong emphasis on the normality of birth and birth as a family occasion not a medical emergency.
Professional Memberships
- Queensland Nursing Council
- Queensland Nursing Union
- Australian College of Midwives
- Australian Society Of Independent Midwives
- Australian College of Spiritual Midwifery
- Homebirth Australia
- Home Midwifery Association
- Maternity Coalition
- Australian Breastfeeding Association
- Australian Vaccination Network
- What Women Want
- National Association of Childbirth Educators (NACE)
- Lamaze International
Other Relevant Skills and Attributes
- 2007 Blue Card
- 2007 National Association of Childbirth Educators (NACE) Advanced Certification
- 2006 Speaker & attendee at the ACM Rockhampton Conference: “The Power, Passion & Practice”
- 2003 Started the “Theodore Breastfeeding Social Group”
- 2003 Completed the Rural and Isolated Endorsement for Registered Nurses
- 2003 Advanced Life Support Course
- 2003 Pre-hospital Trauma Life Support Course
- 2003 Basic Life Support
- 2003 No Lift Risk Management Course
- 2002 Meningococcal Outbreak Control Program
- 2001 Introduction to Critical Care Course
- 2001 Surgical Conference
- 2000 Rural Clinical workshop: Basic ECG Interpretation
- 2000 Rural Clinical Workshop: Management of the Patient with a Myocardial Infarction
- 1999 Intravenous Cannulation Course
- 1998 CPR and First Aid
“My responsibility as a healer is to return any projections of power upon me to the family I am serving. The truth is that I am not medically or surgically skilled, ~ I cannot deliver a mother’s baby for her. Rather, I remind the mother that she is the only one able to give birth (her other option is to be delivered) ~ and I support her every way I can. In this way I am able to respond to my original calling ~ to be the guardian at the gate”
(Jeannie Parvati Baker, 2005).
The International Definition of a Midwife
A midwife is a person who, having been regularly admitted to a midwifery educational programme, duly recognised in the country in which it is located, has successfully completed the prescribed course of studies in midwifery and has acquired the requisite qualifications to be registered and/or legally licensed to practise midwifery.
She must be able to give the necessary supervision, care and advice to women during pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period, to conduct deliveries on her own responsibility and to care for the newborn and the infant. This care includes preventative measures, the detection of abnormal conditions in mother and child, the procurement of medical assistance and the execution of emergency measures in the absence of medical help.
She has an important task in health counselling and education, not only for the women, but also within the family and the community. The work should involve antenatal education and preparation for parenthood and extends to certain areas of gynaecology, family planning and child care. She may practise in hospitals, clinics, health units, domiciliary conditions or in any other service. Jointly developed by the:
- International Confederation of Midwives
- International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.
- Adopted by the International Confederation of Midwives Council 1972.
- Adopted by the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics 1973.
- Adopted by the World Health Organization.
- Amended by the International Confederation of Midwives Council, Kobe October 1990.
- Amendment ratified by the International Federation of Gynaecology
and Obstetrics 1991and the World Health Organization 1992.