Vicki Hobbs - Back to Basics Birthing

16/04/2026

For many years, immediate cord clamping has been treated as routine practice, yet growing evidence tells a very different story. In this article, Dr Sara Wickham explores the research behind what is often called “optimal” or delayed cord clamping, highlighting how leaving the cord intact for even a few minutes can significantly benefit a baby’s transition to life outside the womb. Drawing on systematic reviews and recent studies, she challenges long-held assumptions and brings attention back to physiology, showing that what has been labelled as “delayed” is, in fact, the body’s natural process, one that supports better blood volume, iron stores, and overall newborn health.

What's the evidence for optimal cord clamping? Dr Sara Wickham shares a summary of the research in this area.

09/04/2026

Invitation to share your birth experience if you had a doula and what the interaction was between them and the midwife at your birth.

I’m preparing a presentation, and I would love to include the voices and experiences of women who were supported by both a doula and midwives. This could be a private midwife or a hospital midwife, either public or private.

I am particularly interested in hearing about:

• Times when midwives and doulas clashed and how that impacted you in your birth experience.

• Times when midwives and doulas worked together beautifully, and what the highlights of that collaboration were.

• Ways your doula advocated for you, protected your space, or supported you in the hospital environment.

• Anything else you feel is important for others to understand about having both a supportive midwife and a doula on your team.

Your stories will help illustrate how these dynamics can shape birth experiences, and why collaboration (or lack of it) matters so deeply.

Please let me know if you’d like to share your experience. Your contribution could make a real difference in helping others understand the value of supportive and respectful care during birth and working collaboratively, not in competition.

Please send me an email to vicki@vickihobbs.com and I will respond to you.

06/04/2026

One of the best workshops I have attended, and I have done a lot over the years, so I say this with integrity. Ginny Phang-Davey delivers clear, evidence-based information and, more importantly, shows you exactly how to apply it. This is about supporting women in pregnancy, labour and birth in a practical, meaningful way…..understanding roadblocks, recognising what is happening in the body, and having real tools to work with rather than just theory.

If you are a birth worker, this is a must-do training. We can spend thousands attending conferences and listening to people talk, but this is where you listen, watch, learn, practice and then actually do. The Perth workshop is Sunday, 19th April 2026, so get in quick to book your ticket and add another tool to your services.

Looking beyond baby’s position: learn Optimal Maternal Positioning Birth professionals across Australia have a rare opportunity to attend Optimal Maternal P ...

06/04/2026

If you can register for the webinar to hear a panel discussion with Larissa and her lawyer I think that would be really informative, particularly if you are a birth worker, even more so if you are one of those birth workers who try and force women to do things they don’t want to do during pregnancy, labour and birth!

30/03/2026

I am so thrilled to see that this woman was awarded $275,000 plus costs for being "forced" to have a vaginal exam in an Australian hospital.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1H6mZa2BKw/

Forced vaginal exam = battery and assault and negligence

There was a significant decision made in the Supreme Court of Victoria last week.

A woman had been forced to have a vaginal exam when presenting at hospital. The hospital midwife had withheld access to her continuity of care midwife, birth suite and pain relief until she complied.

The court found that consent cannot be obtained under coercion and found Bendigo Health liable for battery and assault and negligence. A likely precedent in this space. The health service was ordered to pay $275K + costs.

Far too often, strong-arm tactics are used to get women to comply to vaginal exams, including refusing admission to birth suite, to water immersion, or to pain relief. Many women, advocates, lawyers and staff have been saying for a long time that this is not okay; no does in fact mean no, and a yes under coercion /= consent. The court agrees.

Let's address the unfounded rhetoric we have already heard from factions of the maternity space
- women just need to be more educated in the antenatal space. [errrh, no. Yuck. Victim blamey. Just don't digitally pe*****te someone without cosent?!]
- drs need to be more involved in conversations in the antenatal period [errr, for what purpose? No means no, whether it is to a midwife or dr. Women don't need any additional pressure applied to them before they even get to hospital].

I think all staff and services should be on notice. If thousands of women's stories to multiple maternity inquiries across the country hasn't shifted the dial, perhaps it will be the litigation payouts that will.

Thank you to the brave woman that persued this. It was just as much about her own justice as it was for every other woman that has been subjected to forced procedures during maternity "care".

26/03/2026

Just a reminder to book in for the upcoming OMP workshop with Ginny Phang-Davey ..... I honestly can’t tell you what a difference this work makes. It completely shifts how you understand prodromal labour, stop/start patterns, and those “roadblocks” we talk about.....and more importantly, what you can actually do about them. This is where the biomechanics of the pelvis really start to make sense.....how the baby navigates through, what might be getting in the way, and how to gently work with the body when there are restrictions. In Module 7 of Doula Training Academy, I introduce the 6 OMP protocols.....but there is so much more depth to this work. This workshop brings it all together in a practical, hands-on way that you can immediately take into your doula support. Here’s the link to book one of the sessions being held across Australia, and if you use the code VICKIOMP you’ll get $50 off the full price..... And I’ll say this.....if you’re weighing up where to invest your money, between a conference with lots of speakers or a workshop that actually teaches you skills you can use.....choose the one that gives you tools you can take into the birth space. This is the kind of learning that changes how you show up.....and how women experience their labour. Honestly.....I believe every care provider and every doula should be learning this.

Optimal Maternal Positioning enables the babies cardinal movements to facilitate Labour progress so mothers can have an easier more comfortable and relaxed birth experience

18/03/2026

Calling the Irish....
Alleycats TV in Derry N Ireland are keen to hear from doctors, midwives, nurses, medics, fire fighters, police officers, teachers and any other professionals from Ireland for a possible new documentary series focused on Irish professionals living in WA. We would love to connect with people who've made the move for an initial research chat. Please contact deirdre@alleycats.tv

16/03/2026

At Back to Basics Birthing, my classes go beyond standard antenatal education to help women and their partners truly understand how birth works. We explore the physiology of labour, practical comfort measures, and how to navigate the maternity system with clarity and confidence. A unique part of my classes is learning about Optimal Maternal Positioning (OMP) and the biomechanics of the pelvis, often described as the “lock and key” of birth. When we understand how the baby (the key) moves through the mother’s pelvis (the lock), it becomes much clearer why movement, positioning, and balance in the body matter during pregnancy and labour. By understanding these concepts, families gain practical tools to help create space for the baby to find a good position and for labour to progress more smoothly. The goal is simple: balanced information, practical strategies, and knowledge that helps women work with their bodies during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. April classes start on 8th April from 6pm till 9pm in Maylands.

These classes are designed to provide women and their partners with knowledge and skills relating to pregnancy, labour, birth and beyond to create a positiv ...

12/03/2026

What better way to capture your birth than with your home security camera 🙌🏼

10/03/2026

It really does make you shake your head a little. We have known for a very long time that when women are upright and able to move freely in labour, birth is more likely to unfold physiologically. Gravity helps the baby descend, the pelvis can move and open more effectively, contractions often work more efficiently, and women are able to respond instinctively to what their body is asking them to do.

Yet despite decades of evidence, many maternity settings still default to women labouring or birthing on their backs or semi-reclined on a bed, positions that are often more convenient for the care provider rather than the physiology of birth.

Research like this continues to reaffirm something very simple: when women are supported to move, follow their instincts, and birth in upright or forward-leaning positions, outcomes tend to be better. There are often fewer interventions, labour can progress more smoothly, and women frequently report feeling more in control of their experience.

Sometimes it feels surprising that we still need studies to confirm this, but each new piece of research strengthens the evidence base and makes it harder for outdated practices to continue unquestioned. And like everything…there will be women who find it more comfortable being on their back to labour and birth, so do what feels right for you!

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