Workshop for expectant couples

Cas McCullough (back) is co-ordinating a new workshop at The Ellenborough Room in Precious Packages on Ellenborough Street. Chelsea van Rijn and her baby Olivia have a chat with Cas about what the workshop involves.

Rob Williams

GUIDING expectant parents through the maze of birthing options, a workshop for Ipswich and Lockyer Valley couples will be held tomorrow.

Cas McCullough, owner of Mumatopia – a one-stop online resource for pregnant women and mums – will host a workshop, Childbirth: What are my options, tomorrow, in conjunction with midwife Teresa Walsh.

Mrs McCullough said the workshop catered to couples who were planning on starting a family, newly pregnant women or new people to the region.

“Studies show that place of birth can greatly influence outcomes for mums and babies, and it is important to know what services are going to best meet your individual needs when choosing where to have your baby,” Mrs McCullough said.

“I think a lot of couples make decisions based on whether or not they have insurance or whether or not their sister, friend or cousin gave birth in a certain hospital.

“Couples are often unaware of issues they may have with a hospital or care provider until they are several weeks into a pregnancy and financially or emotionally committed to follow through.

“We wanted to run a workshop to discuss all the locally available options with couples, either before they get pregnant or early on in the pregnancy so they can gain a bigger picture of what is available and what the benefits and drawbacks of each option are.”

The Chuwar mother-of-three said the aim was to ensure couples were properly informed and prepared for the birth.

“No one option is right for everybody, but if you have quality information about what options are available you can make a decision that is right for you,” Mrs McCullough said.

The night will provide information on all birth-care services available to women in Ipswich, Lockyer Valley and west Brisbane, and the pros and cons of different models of care, including private and public hospitals, birth centres and midwifery care options. It will also provide information on the available support and educational resources within the region.

For further information about the workshop or to book, visit mumatopia.com/workshops/ or phone 0438 898 706 or 3282 8729.

The workshop will be at Precious Packages, 17 Ellenborough Street, tomorrow from 6.30pm.