Calmbirth Educator Cherie Chugg

17/12/2025

Another beautiful birth story, thanks Paris for sharing & welcome baby Sydney.

"Calmbirth was everything. The breathing techniques carried me through every surge, and the hip squeeze (oh my word, that hip squeeze!) was pure magic. If no one was pressing my hips during a contraction I’d get genuinely upset – it was the one thing that made intense pressure feel bearable. Calmbirth gave me unshakeable confidence in my body and the tools to stay calm and powerful, no matter how the path changed."

Even though my birth didn’t go exactly as I’d dreamed, it was still utterly magical, deeply special, and overwhelmingly positive.

We had planned the most gentle home birth with our incredible independent midwife Michelle from Her Choice Midwifery. But at 42 weeks we chose to have a check-up ultrasound, just to be sure everything was okay. The scan showed low amniotic fluid, and after a long conversation with Michelle we decided to transfer to hospital for further monitoring and to discuss next steps. In the end we chose the cautious path and agreed to an induction that night.

They started with the balloon – I was already 1.5 cm dilated – and it fell out within an hour. Next came the prostin tape, and wow, did that kick things off! I was offered a sleeping tablet so I could rest, but by 2:30 am I was in full-blown labour. Panadeine Forte did absolutely nothing, so the midwife suggested a hot shower. Around shift change the new midwife realised the tape had worked a little too well – I was having six contractions in ten minutes. Thank goodness for the TENS machine; it was a lifesaver in those early hours.
At 6 am I was transferred to the birth suite. They removed the tape and found I was already 4 cm. Finally I could call my dream team: my doula Sharni, Michelle, and my husband Ben. Half an hour later my waters were broken and – surprise! – I was already 6 cm. The hot water of the shower and the gas took the edge off beautifully.

By 9:30 am I started involuntarily pushing. At 10:30 Michelle began gently coaching me because little Sydney’s heart rate was dipping with each contraction. We tried every position, but by 11 am it was clear his big, beautiful head (38.5 cm!) needed a bit of extra help to navigate the final stretch. With full trust in the calm team around me, I agreed to an episiotomy and vacuum assistance. At exactly 12:00 midday, Sydney entered the world weighing a very healthy 4.42 kg. The room filled with tears, laughter, and the most incredible relief and love.

Physically, the intensity was unlike anything I’d ever experienced, yet my body knew exactly what to do – labour progressed so quickly and powerfully with almost no medical pain relief at all. Emotionally and mentally I went deep inside myself; I became almost completely non-verbal, totally focused and calm. Even though we’d left our home-birth dream behind, the hospital birth suite felt surprisingly peaceful and respectful – dim lights, quiet voices, and a team that truly honoured my wishes.

Calmbirth was everything. The breathing techniques carried me through every surge, and the hip squeeze (oh my word, that hip squeeze!) was pure magic. If no one was pressing my hips during a contraction I’d get genuinely upset – it was the one thing that made intense pressure feel bearable. Calmbirth gave me unshakeable confidence in my body and the tools to stay calm and powerful, no matter how the path changed.

Sydney’s birth taught me that “your birth” doesn’t have to look like the picture in your head to be perfect. Mine was strong, surrounded by love, and filled with trust – in my body, my baby, and my team. I’ll remember it as one of the most empowering, sacred days of my life.

Paris & Ben

16/12/2025

2026
Calmbirth with Cherie

I’ve been teaching Calmbirth since 2015 and supporting families as a Doula since 2008. My passion comes from my own three positive birth experiences — and from being honest about birth. I don’t sugar coat it. Birth can be tough and unpredictable. I prepare you for any birth — physiological, with interventions, or when things don’t go to plan. I won’t promise calm or peaceful, but I will give you the tools, confidence and support to get through the marathon of birth.

Calmbirth helps you understand your body, your mind and your choices, reducing fear and building confidence through evidence-based tools.

Calmbirth Group Course | 4 Nights
Monthly group classes (max 5 couples) covering Calmbirth tools, breathing, relaxation, meditation, visualisation, partner support and informed decision-making.
These classes sell out quickly - book early.

Refresher Course | 2 Nights
For second (or more) time parents. Run on demand.

Caesarean Course | 2 Nights
Preparation, breathing, visualisation, recovery and conscious parenting. Run on demand.

Extra Support:
Pregnancy Support Groups
Run every two months, open to the community, with guest speakers such as lactation consultants, doulas, acupuncturists and osteopaths.

Monthly Morning Teas
A relaxed monthly catch-up in my home to reconnect, share stories and bring your babies along.

Ready to book or have questions?
Register via my website or get in touch.
www.calmbirthlaunceston.com

16/12/2025

THANK YOU!

11/12/2025

Zariah's Home Birth Story - Thanks Holly & Sean for sharing.

Here’s our baby girls birth story - everything we learnt in the Calm Birth Course helped us to achieve such beautiful, peaceful, and empowered birth 💗

Sean and I went out for breakfast on a beautiful sunny spring morning at 10:30am, Saturday 18/10/25. During breakfast I felt an uncomfortable, crampy feeling and had to stand because sitting didn’t feel great. I brushed it off and we continued our day running errands in town. We got home around 1pm and I snuggled up on the couch.

The crampy feeling kept returning. Even though I was 39+4, I expected to go over my “due” date, so I didn’t think much of it. The cramps were coming every 15 minutes, but I ignored them and actually expected them to go away lol.

By 8pm they were still coming and getting slightly stronger. I started to wonder if this was labour or just a false start.
When we went to bed, the cramps intensified again and were 10 mins apart. I tried sleeping but they kept waking me. I stayed awake all night just resting with my eyes closed, while Sean slept soundly beside me.

Around 5am I went to the toilet and noticed I had started to lose my mucus plug. I told Sean and he got up with me. I felt this crazy urge to clean the floors, but standing was too uncomfortable so Sean vacuumed and mopped whilst I sat on the birth ball haha.

We put the TENS machine on and I laboured downstairs until around 8am, then Sean suggested we head to our beautiful birthing room upstairs. We got into bed and we snuggled whilst I breathed through each contraction.

At 10:30am my waters broke while I was on the toilet. Sean kept saying he thought we should call our midwife, Michelle. My contractions were 3 minutes apart but only 40–50 seconds long. I still didn’t feel like I needed extra support yet and told her it wasn’t time.

I laboured in bed while Sean filled the pool for me. Getting into the warm water felt amaaaaaazing!

Around 1pm I felt ready for Michelle to come and check on us. She arrived around 2pm, checked my blood pressure and baby’s heart rate, and everything was perfect. I only wanted reassurance so I said she could go home, but she decided to stay, knowing she’d be called back soon anyway.

Throughout the entire day I needed Sean close. Every contraction, he touched me, reassured me, rubbed my back, kissed my head. I actually thought I wouldn’t want to be touched in labour, but all I wanted was him.

The contractions became intense with barely any breaks and the pressure felt like my body was splitting open. I started thinking of how I could escape the sensations, an epidural or a c-section, but I had made it clear pre-labour that no matter what I said in the moment, Sean and Michelle were not to take me to hospital. I even considered calling an ambulance for myself lol. Looking back, this was transition and it was the hardest mental and physical phase.

The burning and splitting sensation become way more intense. I told Michelle, she checked with a mirror in the water and said, “Yep, her head is right there.” She called Lauren, our second midwife, and Lauren arrived shortly after.

I was so shocked because I didn’t push once! It never even occurred to me to push. I literally breathed her out and let my body do the work.

I felt her head crowning and coming further out with each contraction, then slide back when it ended. Her head finally emerged. I had a three-minute break, then with the next contraction her body followed. Guided by Michelle, I reached down, lifted her out of the water, and brought her to my chest.

She didn’t take a breath immediately and after about a minute, the energy in the room shifted. Michelle and Lauren assisted her and she required some oxygen to help her take a breath, and she was then placed back onto my chest.

We then got out of the pool so I could deliver the placenta on the toilet, and it came easily and naturally. I had a really long cord and a true knot.

Michelle helped us back to bed where Sean, Sapphy (our hairless Chinese Crested), myself and our baby girl all snuggled together, and we were in total amazement of this beautiful little girl we had created together.

I got the birth I dreamed of: at home, in water, with calm music, fairy lights, and most importantly, a completely natural and physiological birth. No cervical exams, no coached pushing, no drugs. Just me, my intuition, my body, my baby, and Sean’s unwavering support.

Bringing our daughter into the world was the best day of my life. I’m eternally grateful for Sean and our amazing midwives for helping make it everything I envisioned. And a special shout out to our Calm Birth teacher, Cherie. Everything we learnt in the course, especially the breathing techniques, equipped us with the knowledge and confidence to help us achieve our dream birth 💗

Interested in booking a class with me?
Jan/Feb SOLD OUT
February - one spot left
March - some availability
April - dates coming soon

Register here:
https://www.calmbirthlaunceston.com/registration-form

10/12/2025

Pregnancy Support Group with Lactation Consultant Dianne

All pregnant mums welcome!! New mums with babies under 3 months also welcome. Share with your friends open to everyone.

Saturday 10 January, 10:30am–12pm at Stillwater
Cost: $25 - Includes a drink and morning tea
Tickets available online until 7th Jan. or until sold out

This group is for pregnant mums looking for support, connection, and practical tips on how to feed your baby. Join us for a relaxed morning with Dianne Haworth, Lactation Consultant of 28 years.

Topics include:
▪️ Infant feeding
▪️ Antenatal preparation
▪️ How birth interventions can affect feeding
▪️ Early days “hibernation”
▪️ Signs baby is well fed
▪️ Milk supply—what’s normal, increasing or decreasing
▪️ What to expect in the first 6 weeks

Please let us know if you’re bringing your baby.
We can’t wait to see you there!

(Group max: 14)

https://www.trybooking.com/DICIN

08/12/2025

Calmbirth Class review just in:

"I have nothing but good things to say about this course, Cherie made me and my partner feel so welcomed in her home and was very professional. Me and my partner thought we were pretty prepared before taking this class but the skills we were taught we wouldn't have thought to do to help assist with our birth without taking this class.
We realised how important it is to be education on each step no matter which way your labour goes. I definelty feel this is not only a great class for the birthing mother but for your partner to feel confident on what to do to assist with the birth and what to prepare. I will be recommending Cheries calm birth classes to anyone and will defiantly be attending future Classes with future pregnancies."

Thank you Connie & James, I loved having you in the last class for 2025!

08/12/2025

Celebrating 10 Years of Calmbirth!!

To say a huge thank you, I’m giving away a Calmbirth Class! This year I taught 60 couples, and over the last 10 years nearly 400 couples have joined me for a class. The monthly Morning Teas and pregnancy support groups have grown so much, and have allowed me to get to know some of you more 💚 which I have loved!

So thank you once again for letting me be part of your birth stories over the years, here's to the next 10!

To enter head over to my Instagram account, all the details are there.

1,367 Followers, 1,216 Following, 369 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Cherie | Calmbirth Educator | Doula (.launceston.tas)

07/12/2025

Mae & Arnold - How their births unfolded.

I’ve just uploaded two new birth stories to the website Mae’s birth (2021) and Arnold’s birth (2024).
Both so different. Both so powerful.

Highlights:

⭐ I don’t think I can do this anymore… I know it looks like I’m coping but I’m not
⭐ Having a doula in the more intense stages was incredibly helpful for both me and Tom
⭐ The pushing phase humbled me… I needed to approach this birth differently
⭐ Not having the bath was messing with my head — but I kept breathing.

These stories explore the emotional side of birth — the doubts, the wobble in transition, the surprise of a fast pushing phase, and the power of having people around you who really understand what you want and why. And they also show just how different two births can be… even for the same woman. (And yes, Arnold arrived at 5.23kg, 11 pound 5 ounces!)

Nat and Tom, thank you for allowing me to be your doula for Arnold’s birth, and for the opportunity to teach you both Calmbirth and the Calmbirth Refresher course. Being part of your journey for both births has been incredibly special to me. Thank you for sharing your stories so openly.

Full versions are now on the website, link in bio & below.

https://www.calmbirthlaunceston.com/babies/two-birth-stories-mae-2021-amp-arnold-2024

01/12/2025

Looking for a Nanny?

Advertising here for a friend as I thought someone in my community might be needing some help. Feel free to share 💚

"I’m Lucie, and I’m looking for work as a Nanny. I’m 25 years old, with a friendly personality, and steadying presence. I’ve worked in this role before in Germany as an Au pair for a year, and also in Launceston as a nanny for six months, both times with children between the ages of 1 and 4 years old.
I’m looking to accommodate between 15 to 20 hours a week. If you’re interested I would love to hear from you!
Thanks Lucie."

Email
luciecogger@gmail.com
Phone
0448114606

24/11/2025

Ida’s Calmbirth story - told by her dad.

"This story is extra special, it’s not every day I receive a birth story from a dad. Thank you, Mark, for sharing. I think this is only the second dad’s story I’ve ever had come in."

Baby Ida was born on Monday, November 3, almost three weeks early.
I worry she takes after her mum Dani - who is very determined to get things done quickly - and fear I’ve bitten off more than I can chew with two independent and strong women in my life!
I just hope when Ida starts walking, she doesn't walk as fast as Dani because I can never keep up.
Speaking of walking, the name comes from the mountain we got engaged on top of at Lake St Clair. Ida was 16 weeks and the size of a lemon in Dani’s tummy at that stage and it was a special feeling having her there with us and thinking about what her future might look like. Hopefully one filled with love and adventure.
We decided to do the Calmbirth classes with Cherie on the advice of friends to best prepare for a relaxed and informed birth.
As a man, I’ve never liked the dumb dad trope where birth is treated jocularly and you’re expected to be hopeless. I wanted to learn as much as I could to support Dani and Ida.
The course was better than I anticipated. It was informative and I learned so much about the female body and the amazing work it does during labour and birth. The uterus is unbelievable!
Understanding the stages of labour and what to expect built confidence, clarity and calmness for me.
I knew Dani would be fine during birth. She’s a very strong person in mind, body and spirit. As an ocean and mountain lover, she is calm and prepared and she’s also the type of person who can push pain and hardship to the background, having been a competitive rower and hiked the Alps in Switzerland.
In fact, the first hike we did was in Cradle Mountain on a -5c night. I was freezing. She was fine. The next day she took me on an off piste bush bash up Mt Emmett. After 20+ kilometres on the trail, we missed the last bus and Dani ran the last 3km to hitch a ride before the car park emptied for the day!
Emmett was going to be our name for a boy but I’m glad Ida was a girl as the memory of that walk involves a lot less scoparia and crying, from me!
Anyway, back to the Calmbirth classes.
Apart from the physical facts, one of the greatest takeaways for me was that labour pain is meaningful, powerful and purposeful. As a bystander and man, I knew I’d feel a little helpless and be tempted to try and “solve” or “fix” the pain of labour for Dani.
The advice to flip your thinking of labour pain as something pathological to be treated to something that is meaningful and bringing our baby closer with every contraction also gave us both great comfort that we could do it as a team - admittedly a team where Dani did all of the work and I’d cheer her on!
Practical tips like the hip squeeze, pressure points, baby sifting and lifting, massage and sacral rub and the advice to “do it, don’t ask”were great tips for the birth partner and ones we used before and after Dani’s waters broke. I’d just recommend a little more conditioning and gym work for dads because it’s quite exhausting!
Calmbirth gave us the headspace in a busy life to really think deeply about what birth experience we wanted and pointed us towards lots of other fantastic resources like the Great Birth Rebellion podcast, where we learned more about breech births and epidurals. Talking through our birth plan and what we wanted well in advance eased the anxiety about the unknown. We were clear on how we wanted our plan to progress and also where it might divert if plans changed. We knew what we wanted, what we were willing to flex on if needed and our non-negotiables.
Dani's waters broke on the Monday morning of the November long-weekend, ironically after spending the previous day with family friends, one of whom was a midwife and the other who had helped deliver his daughter’s daughter at home. As Ida had been sitting breech for several weeks and was awaiting an attempt at a manual turn, a c-section was mandatory. The obstetrician said, "I don't want to rush you ... but you will have this baby today". Yeah, no rush then. We hadn’t even packed a bag!
Although we were hoping for a natural birth, we were prepared for this eventuality and the classes meant we were confident to communicate or wishes clearly. Without the Calmbirth learnings, I could see how easily one could be overwhelmed by the speed of the situation and the noise and light of theatre and shrink away from your plans to just let the medicos take over.
Cherie’s lessons gave us a voice that we used to explain we still expected many of the Calmbirth principles: music, quiet voices, positive language, no personal talk (we didn’t want a conversation about their long weekend, we wanted this to be Ida’s day!)
The lessons and meditations also gave us the knowledge to remain calm via breath work and meditation. When things became a little stressful, we’d just say “deep breaths” and turn our brains from sympathetic flight or fight to parasympathetic rest and digest state.
So why it was technically an emergency Caesarian, it was still calm and relaxed and the theatre team were just amazing - so professional and skilled but very kind and funny.
On the day, the theatre team had already done several caesareans, including twins just before Ida, but they didn’t treat her birth as just another surgery. They seemed genuinely excited, with the head obstetrician remarking in awe, “look at that membrane!” as they cut into the uterus without rupturing the caul.
They knew we didn't know the s*x and wanted to discover that ourselves, so the doctor was saying, "nobody say anything" as she was lifted out. I was so surprised she was a girl that it took a few moments to register and even then I was not one hundred per cent confident I’d called it right!
It made for a great experience. We had music. We had delayed cord clamping. I cut the cord (twice). Dani had skin to skin contact immediately and a tummy crawl in recovery.
Dani was just amazing in the lead up, during the surgery and as soon as she held Ida. She is a natural mum.
Ida did her part too, finding the breast for her first feed before we’d even got back to the ward.
Despite being early, she weighed 3520g, which is smack bang in the middle of the growth curve for a girl. The early arrival likely cost me some cash as I bet for a 4.5kg bundle in the baby sweep - Dani was very mad I thought 10 pounds but had she kept cooking, I reckon I would have been spot on.
Ida’s birth story is exactly what it needed to be: she arrived according to her own schedule and had started the birth process on her terms, which feels much better than a planned C-section before she was ready to meet us earth-side. My only disappointment is Dani and I didn’t get to make out in the bathroom like Cherie suggested!
I’ve written this on her due date of November 23 and Ida is doing really well.
We know she’s keen to get out into the big, wide world and we look forward to summiting her namesake one day,
but for now, we're just soaking up this special time with baby Ida who is just a delight.
Mark & Dani

18/11/2025

Hello Calmbirth Community,

You are warmly invited to the Calmbirth End-of-Year Morning Tea Picnic.

When: Monday 22nd December, 10:30am – 1:00pm
Where: My home

Come along for the whole morning or just pop in if you are short on time. Enjoy nibbles, tea, coffee, and a glass of bubbles if you like.

This event is for mums, dads, and bubs who have attended a Calmbirth class or morning tea over the last 12 months. (Those registered for a class welcome also)

RSVP is essential by Tuesday 17th December. Please include:
💚 Names of those attending
💚 Any dietary requirements

We will be outside, so even if you have stopped attending because your baby is on the move, you are very welcome to join this one.

Photos will be taken during the morning for social media. Please let me know if you or your baby would prefer not to be included.

Looking forward to celebrating the year with you all.

18/11/2025

Jack and I both enjoyed the Calmbirth program with Cherie!

We were both quite nervous about the labour and birth of our first child and this program has taught us many tools to help us with the process.

Cherie was an excellent educator and is very knowledgeable. Topics were explained very well and no question was left unanswered.

We finished the program feeling much more confident about the pending birth of our baby. We highly recommend this program to first time parents particularly, or parents who would like a deeper understanding of labour and birth, or would like more tools in their back pocket for their next birth.

This program is great!

Luci & Jack

Book a class here
https://www.calmbirthlaunceston.com/registration-form