I do not know where to begin in Thanking Julie Clarke for sharing her knowledge and expertise in our transition to parenthood classes. My husband and I attended because we felt we wanted to try and have a really positive birth experience and we had heard good things about Julie's classes...first of all, the classes were AMAZING! Julie's knowledge is quite astounding. The days we attended were absolutely FULL of relevant information from what you can actually DO in your pregnancy to increase your chances of having a good labour, how to approach your labour and how to make informed decisions in the lead up to labour and when situations arise in the hospital to give you the best possible outcome, what to take for labour and the hospital that is actually useful, basics on how to care for baby afterwards, and heaps and heaps of links to resources for those times that you are challenged with baby once you are home. Julie gave us a book that she has perfected over the years with resources that we continually looked back on over the final time before our first baby was born, and then pulled out as soon as i was pregnant again with our second. Julie's classes gave my husband and I HUGE amounts of knowledge which completely empowered us. My first birth was a completely relaxed, natural drug free experience because of what I knew from Julie's guidance. Without her course i KNOW i would have been panicky but because of what Julie had taught me I trusted in my body and all that happened. YES - It hurt! But it was the type of pain I could bear because in between contractions there was relief and I could literally feel my body opening like it was meant to. My first birth was amazingly empowering and the whole time i knew what was happening.
My second birth was much much quicker than my first and again, was a completely drug free waterbirth. Again, I felt very prepared and believed in my body. Birth really can be amazing and empowering if you know enough to make the right choices for you. The staff in hospitals are fantastic but at the end of the day YOU need to be informed to make the right decision for you as more often there will be things you were not happy with after the birth and you wished had gone differently. If you are educated by someone who really does seem to know it all and has an amazing ability to pass it on to you your birth experience will be completey different. Mine are cherished experiences that I want to always remember.

I happily recommend the content of this course to anyone. Julie is definitely informative and willing to answer your in-class questions. Clearly her depth and breadth of knowledge will help couples prepare for the kind of birthing experience they desire, and for this we are extremely grateful.
HOWEVER, if you are hoping to get reimbursement by your private health insurer for these antenatal classes, I STRONGLY recommend doing your own due diligence in seeking reliable information that would enable you to confirm this will be possible. Prior to booking with this proprietor, we spoke to Julie and asked her if NIB accepted reimbursement claims for her services, and we were advised that her previous clients had all been successful in seeking reimbursement through NIB.
Since attempting to seek reimbursement, it appears this is not the case. Julie has since confirmed she is not registered with NIB, and has chosen to neither confirm nor deny having had that original conservation with us. Leaving us feeling a little misinformed, unheard, and disillusioned about some of our dealings with this proprietor.
Nevertheless, we'd like to wish birthing mothers & their partners (as well as Julie) all the best. I'm sure that the in-class content will be invaluable in your birthing experience!

Approximate cost: $350

I was originally hesitant to spend $600 for antenatal classes (both the Calmbirth & Transition into Parenthood combined) but my Midwife assured me that I would get so much out of them & that I would love Julie Clarke's teaching style. She was not wrong! I am so pleased that I chose to Julie's classes & that I opted to take both. Julie Clarke is so positive, uplifting & full of knowledge. The Calmbirth course taught me so many techniques to have the birth that I envision. She went over breathing, visualization, what my partner should do, delayed cord clamping (so important!), bonding, breastfeeding... I feel so much more prepared for my birth, and so positive & excited about it. I really can't speak highly enough about Julie Clarke, Calmbirth & Transition Into Parenthood. I feel like I have a birth & childhood encyclopedia at my fingertips. Julie graciously extends herself to questions after class, to emails, to personal phone calls and genuinely wants to help. Needless to say, I highly recommend these classes!!

Approximate cost: $600 for both classes

My husband and I decided to do Julie's Transition to parenthood classes before the birth of our first child and it was the most useful thing we did during our preparation. We did Julies condensed class as we found we were quickly running out of time as my due date was approaching. The information that was packed into that one day was phenomenal, she gave us so much practical advice and a real confidence for the next chapter of our lives. We left having had a great day role playing labour, wapping babies and learning what to do and expect during the birth and early days. I referred to the books that Julie gave us so many times in the beginning with our daughter and utilised Julie's baby care service when she was around 3 months to help us with her sleeps during the day and then again at 5 months as we readied ourselves to start solids. Julies advice was always so thoughtful and intuitive and respectful to my baby. I found her guidance has helped me to trust my instincts and be the parent my daughter needs. I love being part of Julies pram walking group too, it is probably my favourite morning of the week. We have such a great time relaxing and sharing our experiences.

The support Julie offered for me and my family throughout my pregnancy and first year of my son's life has been beyond words.
Julie's Calmbirth class planted the seed for me to have the most enjoyable birth experience i didn't even know was possible. My biggest fear, being my first baby, was the unknown of what labour would bring, but by practising the breathing techniques and visualisations Julie taught us i had such faith in myself that i could birth the way i wanted. And I did!
The Transition to Parenthood class was practical and we got a lot of tips on how to care for our new baby when we got home. Julie has up-to-date knowledge of what is best for babies and has so many resources in the room to find out whatever we needed about birth and babies.
The Baby Care Support Service was so helpful also. Julie saved me when I was buried in a sea of books and advice that went against the ways I wanted to parent our son. Julie was so calm when she came to our house and made me feel confident with what I was doing. It was so helpful to have her come to our house and show us how we can set things up, and use the things we already had. I will definitely use this Service when I have my 2nd baby!
I also joined the Pram walking group which is so much fun to catch up with like-minded Mums. Not to mention the delicious breakfast!
I tell all my friends about Julie's services because I know she has helped us become the confident parents we are today!

We did both the Calmbirth and transition into parenthood courses. And can definitely say that what we got from these courses helped us to achieve the natural birthing experience that we had hoped for. We found doing both courses really covered off information to help us understand more on what to expect. They covered off what happens during labour, information for the support person, explained all the medical interventions, breastfeeding, baby care and practical info for afterwards. We both felt so much more confident and well armed to face the unknown! We had a beautiful positive birthing experience which i didnt think was possible after hearing all my friends 'horror' stories, but calmbirth changed our perspective on that and we owe a huge thanks to Julie.

Calm birth for us was a great experience we left feeling more confident on our birth and in each other. Our thoughts on the birth experience were very much along the lines of calm birth to start with so this just help clarify everything for us and unite me on my partner into feeling more like a team and really working on it together.
It is a great way to remove any fear you might have around it and turn it into something positive.
The take home CD's are great and help you visualise the kind of birth you want.

My husband and I recently attended both the Calmbirth and Transition into Parenting course with Julie. We could not recommend this more highly! Julie is really lovely and really knowledgable, she ensures that parents are informed of the most natural, safe choices for baby and ensures all advice has been thoroughly researched and is evidence based. The calmbirth course helped to take away the fear of childbirth and give me techniques and confidence going into a natural birth. My husband really enjoyed the course, finding great value with the information on what to expect and how he could help me achieve the birth we both wanted. The transition into parenting course was a great addition to explain great labour positions and helpful advice on caring for baby and breastfeeding. I really appreciated how much thought and time was given to the content to ensure parents had the best information and were able to ask any and every question.

My husband and I attended Julie Clarke's Calm Birth and Transition into Parenthood courses recently. We had done a lot of reading and research before we went but still had lots of questions, all of which Julie answered in great detail. We left feeling really confident about the upcoming birth of our baby and our ability to look after her well when we take her home.

Julie shared so many practical tips and techniques that aren't covered in any of the books we'd read and is always happy to take questions from her course graduates.

The most useful parts of the Calm Birth course for us were learning in detail how the uterus functions during birth and the meditations - learning how to use relaxation and breathing techniques during labour.

The best parts of the Transition into Parenthood course were getting to practice active labour positions together - learning how to work together well during labour and the secrets to settling an upset baby.
Thanks Julie!

Approximate cost: $395

My husband and I attended the 2 day Calm Birth class held by Julie Clarke. The class was great - I feel it has prepared me for childbirth and for the first time in my life I can say that I'm excited about giving birth! Julie is lovely and is happy to discuss anything - no matter how small or big your question is. I highly recommend this course to all prospective parents.

Approximate cost: $495.00