PRE & POSTNATAL TEACHER TRAINING - INSTRUCTORS

Lisa Wilkinson

As course director I have been working as a birthing educator for over 5 years. I have trained with many renowned teachers including Michele Odent the pioneering French obstetrician, Janet Balaksas, the author and one of the founding members of the Active Birthing movement, Andrea Robertson, a leading birthing educator from Australia and Ina May Gaskin, the mother of midwifery. I have taught pre and postnatal yoga for many years and has assisted many couples and as a birthing assistant. Having worked in all the Dublin based maternity hospitals and at home births, I have a fair idea of the reality of what birthing is like in most situations.

Developed over the last 4 years, this training has come from a huge personal journey I have made in the birth arena. I have consumed, studied and put into practice, teaching from wonderful people and birthing mothers all over the world. And now I have developed, what I feel, to be an excellent course. I will be teaching the modules along with Melissa curtis, who has a wealth of experience and we have guest teachers from the midwifery world, physiotherapists and other complimentary practitioners.

I personally feel that the social and personal relationships formed in pre and post natal classes are just as important as the yoga techniques you teach. To build on this, we are including important information to empower, inform and enhance your mothers' pregnancy and birth experience. Information on alternative sources of help and complimentary therapies, nutrition, and support organisations. The reality of the Irish maternity system can be quite shocking for first time mothers and they really do need all the help and support they can get. I firmly believe this teaching does make a difference.

Lisa is mother to Tuilelaith, born in the Rotunda hospital, August 2003.

For more information on Lisa's work as a birth assistant, please see here

Mellisa Curtis

Melissa is a trained Pre Natal Yoga Teacher and has been teaching at the elbowroom since 2004. Taught and certified by Robin Sale, founder of Wholebirth Resources, in Santa Cruz, California. She has also taken workshops with Colette Crawford, one of West Coast of America's most renowned Pre Natal Yoga Teachers. Melissa's Pre Natal Yoga classes support a healthy pregnancy, combing a mixture of postures, breath work and relaxation in a positive, safe and comfortable environment. Her classes are a wonderful opportunity for the Mother-To-Be and Baby within to connect and also give the mother time for herself on this very special journey.

Melissa brought all of her Pre Natal yoga knowledge into her own labour and with great support around her had a very positive experience giving birth to Robyn on Christmas Day 2005 in a pool at home!

Another of Melissa's passions is food and is in training to become a nutritionist. Once qualified, as well as teaching, she plans to focus on and help the diet in a Family as a whole, meaning pre conceptoin, pregnancy, post pregnancy and from babies to adults.

Helen Murray

Helen Murray, has been a midwife for over 25 years. Recently with the Midwifery Led Unit in Our lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Helen help set up this pioneering unit. There she introduced Ante-natal workshops including Active Birth and Waterbirth classes. Her philosophy is to empower women to enjoy the most natural birth possible, within safe guidelines. She furthered her studies, with hypnobirthing, massage, accupuncture, reflexology and baby massage.

Her great wealth of experience as a midwife and midwifery lecturer, gives us a valuable source of knowledge for our training course.

Guest Lectures

We have a wealth of wonderful guest lectures throughout the course including a midwife, a homeopath, a physiotherapist and mothers with birth experiences to share.