Perth Hypnobirthing & Co

03/12/2025

🌿 Why Your Brain Matters More Than Your Cervix in Early Labour

Here’s a little secret I wish more people knew…
Early labour isn’t about your cervix “doing something”, it’s about your brain feeling safe enough to let things unfold.

Your body is beautifully wired for birth, but it relies on a very specific cocktail of hormones. And the biggest player at this stage?
👉 Your parasympathetic nervous system: your calm, “I’m safe” mode.

When this part of your nervous system is switched on, something amazing happens:

Oxytocin (your labour hormone) flows more easily

Surges become more coordinated

Pain feels more manageable

Progress feels smoother and less intense

But when you feel watched, rushed, stressed or “on the clock”, your brain flips into protection mode, and your body quite literally pumps the brakes. That’s not your body failing… that’s your nervous system doing its job.

So in early labour, your mission isn’t to dilate; it’s to feel safe.
That looks like:
✨ Doing whatever relaxes YOU and makes YOU feel safe
✨ And choosing relaxation techniques and sensory input that actually work for your brain

(That's why my workshops go beyond typical neurotypical strategies.)

When your brain relaxes, your cervix follows.

Birth is a hormonal event long before it’s a mechanical one, and this is exactly what we dive into in my One-Day Intensive Workshop.

Want to learn how to work with your hormones in a way that works for YOU?

💛 My next classes are open for booking https://perthhypnobirthing.com.au/classes-with-pip/

24/10/2024

Pip will be giving a talk with her Perth Baby Clinic hat on. Plus there are some other great speakers and exhibitors.
This is going to be good.

SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT
PERTH PREGNANCY, BIRTH & POSTPARTUM EXPO 2024
Check out our incredible speaker lineup at the expo.
Get your FREE tickets to the Perth Pregnancy, Birth & Postpartum Expo at the Rendezvous Hotel on Sunday, 3rd November 2024. Make sure you scan your tickets at the door to go into the draw for some amazing door prizes.
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/.../perth-pregnancy-birth...
EXHIBITORS WANTED
Are you committed to supporting expectant parents and young families? We invite you to be a part of our Pregnancy, Birth and Postpartum Expo 2024, an exciting event designed to connect experts, businesses and organisations with the community.
https://vickihobbs.com/pregnancy-birth-postpartum-expo-2024/

03/06/2024

For anyone who hasn’t seen this yet…

Where and how women choose to birth matters. Born At Home takes viewers on a journey to understand what it takes to have a positive and transformative birth experience. Featuring insights from women's personal birth stories, midwives, medical professionals and researchers, the film explores the impo...

15/03/2024

We are absolutely thrilled to share that Pip is now be offering EFT Tapping as part of our services!

For quite some time, we have understood and taught the importance of not making decisions while in our sympathetic nervous system.

However, Pip has been studying Polyvagal Theory to understand of how our current nervous state—there are actually three, not just two—affects our stories and choices.
Tapping serves as a simple and effective method to reduce cortisol levels and align your nervous system for making decisions that resonate with your unique needs.

During Pip’s Fear Release sessions, you'll work together with her to explore and address your fears, starting with a vagus nerve toning tapping technique to promote a calm nervous system.

You will then brainstorm practical solutions for these fears (because often this is what is needed to release fears), followed by tapping to release any remaining fears(usually hypothetical and/or out of your control) and filling that space with confidence in your innate wisdom and intuition.

Contact Pip at pip@perthhypnobirthing.com.au to book a session

12/10/2023

This will be an awesome webinar with Wholehearted Family Health - Andrea Fallon and Perth Baby Clinic

https://sleep.wholeheartedfamilyhealth.com/toddler-sleep-live-workshop

30/09/2023

It is so important for you to include your "breastfeeding plan" with your "birth plan".... and the best way to organise that is to book in with Pip so she can guide you through that process. So many of our hypnobirthing clients are booking in with her after they have done their birth classes to feel so much more confident about their breastfeeding journey as well as their birth.

Have you written a Birth and Breastfeeding Plan?

Just as it is important to let your care provider know what you want around your birth it is also important to write down how you want them to support optimal breastfeeding.

Don't assume your care providers will automatically do this as hospital policies and guidelines that can get in the way of the birth you want can also get in the way of breastfeeding.

If you create a birth plan, I strongly advise incorporating more than just "an uninterrupted first hour after birth" when it comes to breastfeeding.

Then when you write your Plan B or Plan C think about how deviating from Plan A might impact your breastfeeding journey and what you would like to happen to support breastfeeding in these incidences.

Even in the case of a caesarean section, there are things your care providers can do that will support instead of hinder your breastfeeding journey.

Unfortunately, these are not common practices in most hospitals so you need to do your research and add them to your "Birth and Breastfeeding Plan" (or Map if you are doing Birth Mapping).

https://birthsavvy.com.au/events/breastfeed-with-confidence/

27/09/2023

I am still taking bookings for this webinar.

https://birthsavvy.com.au/events/baby-sleep-class-online/

If you’re feeling tired yet overwhelmed with all of the sleep advice out this is for you!

We are excited to announce that Pip is hosting an online baby sleep workshop this coming Thursday.

Learn…

✨ Newborn and baby sleep science basics… principles to optimise your baby’s sleep

✨ Strategies for addressing sleep challenges without sleep training

✨ Common baby sleep myths and what advice you can safely ignore based on the latest research

PLUS a Q&A session to get your sleep questions answered.

Spaces limited to ensure questions are answered. Register here: https://birthsavvy.com.au/events/baby-sleep-class/

10/08/2023

MONDAY, 14TH AUGUST - BAYSWATER
It's that time again when we need volunteers who are preferably 38 weeks pregnant or more to be models for our training doulas, however, if we are short of numbers then we will consider from 36 weeks.

We have 6 training doulas this time around, so you need to get in quick to book your place. Our doulas will be practicing breathing, massage techniques, acupressure, stretching, and sharing with you some helpful ways to be comfortable during labour.

It's a great way for women to prepare and have a bit of a pamper, and then to be able to practice on a pregnant woman.

If you are interested, please EMAIL VICKI at vicki@vickihobbs.com so she can send you all the details and the volunteer registration form.

26/07/2023

A bit more about Pip’s postnatal support services

30/06/2023

So much great, world leading research has come from this group, so please consider participating.

Are you a Perth based breastfeeding mum of a 1-6 month old baby with some pumping experience?
We are currently seeking mums and babies (6 months and under) to participate in our exciting research. Involves 2+ visits to UWA.
Free parking and a meal in the café provided.

Please contact us for further information via email:
hhlrg-sms@uwa.edu.au or send us a message and we will get back to you asap. Thank you😃