About

Online Antenatal Classes for women with higher risk pregnancies

Welcome to Prepared for Birth – online antenatal classes for women with higher risk pregnancies.

These courses have been developed for you by Jodie Adams and Emmalee Pepar.  Jodie and Emmalee have been friends for ever (or it feels that way!).  Over many discussions and lots of research, they came to the conclusion that there were no comprehensive online antenatal classes being offered specifically for women who have a higher risk pregnancy, so Prepared for Birth was born!  Currently we focus on two main groups: women who want a VBAC and women who have Gestational Diabetes.

 

How can we help women who want a VBAC or who have Gestational Diabetes prepare for the birth of their baby?

A positive birth experience is when a woman is feeling safe, listened to, that she understands what’s going on around her, that she is clear about the choices she has and feels supported in the decisions she makes. At the end of the birth experience, she can look back with no regrets. It is less about her actual choices on the day, whether she chose one option over another, but more that she felt prepared for what came as the day unfolded.

There isn’t a ‘right’ way to give birth. Everyone’s context will be different… each woman brings to the birth of her child an individual set of circumstances that are hers alone. Her options might be different to those women around her, and that is perfectly ok.

For those women whose pregnancies carry a higher level of risk with situations like having had a previous cesarean, or having gestational diabetes, there is more to consider.  For those who have had a previous Caesarean, they might start right at the beginning… asking ‘can I have a VBAC?’

Our online antenatal programs are all about helping women with higher risk pregnancies feel safe, informed and most of all prepared for the birth of their beautiful newborn.

We currently have two antenatal courses for women with higher risk pregnancies.

Click on the links below to see more details and download some samples of the program materials.

 

 

These programs offer a unique opportunity for you to prepare for the birth of your child, specifically tailored to address the challenges of your situation.

 

Jodie Adams

Jodie has been a midwife for NSW Health for over 15 years.  She has delivered thousands of babies, run hundreds of antenatal classes and also runs a clinic for women with more complicated pregnancies. She is passionate about helping these women have the best possible experience during the birth of their beautiful baby.  Jodie believes when a woman is well informed and prepared for birth, she will feel safe and empowered.  This then leads to a positive birth experience where, despite the challenges she may face, she will be ready to make good choices, for her and her baby.

Jodie is married to Malcolm and is mum to two gorgeous kids and Scout the dog.  She lives by the beach and loves a swim on a sunny day.  Jodie is an Australian Open tragic and secretly (ahem) has a ‘thing’ for Stefan Edberg! The family loves a good ski holiday and are all football tragics (soccer for the rest of us ). She doesn’t have much spare time, but she always makes time for good times with friends and family.

Emmalee Pepar

Emmalee has a background in human resources, change management and small business strategy. For the last five years she has worked for herself consulting to various clients and also built the website and online learning platform for her husband’s coaching business.  Emmalee is thrilled to be working with Jodie bringing women with higher risk pregnancies a set of tools and strategies to help them have the best birth experience possible.

Emmalee is married to Andrew and is mum to three gorgeous kids and Billie the dog.  She also lives by the beach and loves a swim on a sunny day. Emmalee loves to paint, but is quite terrified of getting it ‘wrong’! She reads whenever she can sneak some time and has a very strong ‘inner geek’ that loves hearing about all the latest technology, especially news about eco friendly discoveries or something with a positive human interest impact.