'Talking Birth for Teenagers'

This is a newly developed program called ‘Talking Birth for Teenagers’. Its primary aims is: Exploring the topic of labour and birth with teenagers, and aiming to increasing their confidence by building a better understanding of the natural birth process in today’s birth culture.

My hope is that student’s will have a greater respect for their bodies, a new perspective about birth that may influence positive life choices now and a willingness to take responsibility for them.

The program outlines a detailed teaching plan describing what the aims and objectives are ie:

Give students a better understanding of how healthy natural birth works, what is can look like and understand how it may deviate from the normal.

To provide information and skills that promote a confident and positive mindset about what a woman's body is capable of acheiving and how the partner can support this.

To identify the importance of thinking through healthy values and beliefs regarding future birthing and parenting.

To offer an opportunity for children to identify 'life skills' that may assist them in making positive decisions and taking personal responsibility for them.

It is a flexible program that currently has been written to take up a double period (approx 80min) and takes the students through a fresh, insightful and interactive learning process:

Information sharing from me

Question and Answer time

Touching a model pelvis and feeling for ones own ‘sit bones’

Looking at labour and birth pictures

Small group discussion

Practicing a relaxation exercise

Watching a short and gentle birth dvd.

There is a feedback/reflection form that I encourage the students to complete at home and return to their teachers.

The length of time, content and target age of this program is very flexible and can be adapted to best match the values, beliefs and criteria of your school.

This program has run for the last 2 years for the year 7 students at Mount Evelyn Christian School and year 11 students at Luther College. It was a great success, with positive feedback from both students and teachers. Currently there is very little positive education about birth being offered to children and consequently the media and the well intentioned sharing of birth ‘horror stories’ from family and friends often leaves a fearful and disempowering impression on many people.

I believe strongly that it is worth continuing to offer our teenagers the opportunity to build their knowledge, life skills and confidence in real life situations they are very likely to face one day.

To discuss this further and to see how it may best work within the curriculum you have in place, please contact me. You can also email me at info@birthsupport.net.au

Mount Evelyn Christian School Testimonials

In November of 2009, the Year 7 students of Mount Evelyn Christian School, had the pleasure of attending an interesting, interactive and informative session with Erika Munton.

Prior to this session, much work had gone into the organising of this event. When we approached Erika with our proposal that she come in and talk to our students, we intended to draw on her vast experience in the area of pregnancy, labour and birth. In our proposal we gave Erika a detailed outline of our curriculum objectives. She took this outline away and put together a thorough incursion for our students. Throughout this whole process, Erika constantly involved us in her plans, allowing us to be a part of her final presentation. As teachers, this was refreshing and professional, taking into account the needs and ethos of our school.

The actual event was a terrific success. As teachers we were impressed not just by the content of Erika’s presentation, but also by the way she worked with the students to deliver her information. Not only did Erika put together a program that covered a wide range of topics, but she was able to convey this information through a wide range of mediums, that kept Middle School students engaged.

Overall we found Erika to be professional, easy to work with, passionate about her chosen field and absolutely capable in putting together a high calibre presentation. We would recommend her expertise, and hope to have her back again this year to conduct a similar program.

Yours sincerely

Sharon Rodrigo-Wilson

Mount Evelyn Christian School

To find out more information please Contact Me