Birth.expert Summit 2024

Stuart J. Fischbein MD is a community-based obstetrician and an Associate of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology, published author of the book “Fearless Pregnancy, Wisdom & Reassurance from a Doctor, A Midwife and A Mom” and peer-reviewed papers Homebirth with an Obstetrician, A Series of 135 Out of Hospital Births and Breech birth at home: outcomes of 60 breech and 109 cephalic planned home and birth center births. After completing his residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, Dr. Stu spent 24 years assisting women with hospital birthing and, for the last 13 years, has been a homebirth obstetrician who works directly with midwives. Dr. Stu travels around the world as a lecturer and advocate for reteaching breech & twin birth skills, respect for the normalcy of birth and honoring informed consent. Follow him on Instagram @birthinginstincts and at The Birthing Instincts Podcast with midwife Blyss Young as he offers hope, reassurance and safe, honest evidence supported choices for those women who understand pregnancy is a normal bodily function not to be feared.

Dr Sarah Buckley is trained as a family physician/GP with qualifications in GP-obstetrics. She has been writing and lecturing to childbirth professionals and parents since 1997 and is the author of the internationally best-selling book Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering. Sarah has a special interest in the hormones of physiological labour and birth and the impacts of maternity-care interventions. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland, researching oxytocin in labour and birth and the impacts of interventions. She has co-authored several papers on oxytocin in labour, birth and breastfeeding, and is the author of the 2015 report Hormonal Physiology of Childbirth. Sarah is also the mother of four adult children, all born at home. She lives on the semi-rural outskirts of Brisbane, Australia.

Jane Hardwicke Collings is a grandmother, former homebirth midwife for 30 years, a teacher, writer and menstrual educator. She gives workshops on mother and daughter preparation for menstruation, the spiritual practice of menstruation, and the sacred dimensions of pregnancy, birth and menopause. Jane founded and runs The School of Shamanic Womancraft, an international Women's Mysteries School and she has created the first holistic menstrual cycle charting app – Spinning Wheels.

Women/Female Diseases and Obstetrician, LCCE (Pregnant Trainer with Lamaze certificate), HP (HypnoBirthing® Trainer), Active Birth Trainer. 1990 Istanbul Medical Faculty, 1994-MD-Taksim First Aid Hospital, 2005 Training Course for Pregnant Before Birth by 9th September University, 2007 Lamaze International Certificate, 2009 Hypno Birthing Certificate-England, 2010 Active Birth Certificate, 2010 May Founder of Istanbul Birth Academy, 2012 Member of Mother-Baby Friendly Hospital Commission of the Minister of Health.

Senior facilitator and guardian of the Birth Into Being Method, Nicole Moore lives on Gumbaynggirr Country, northern NSW Australia. She is a healing practitioner & speaker, sharing on the impact of birth & early life experiences on human development & potential. Nicole runs retreats and trainings internationally and online. Her sensitivity is her superpower. As a healer, she sits in the role of Magician, ready to make change by sharing what she knows about the impacts of early life, with other healers. She believes that together we can share this information to effect change while coming to understand that birth is a doorway to deep healing. Individual and collective.

Shellie trained in Osteopathic and Naturopathic medicine in 2005 and has been working as a doula and cranio-sacral therapist, mentor and lecturer for 19 years. She teaches birthing biomechanics and trauma informed, non-violent communication courses. Shellie is a physiological birth activist. You can find her on social media @theserenitydoula or on her website www.theserenitydoula.co.uk

Sarah Thompson is the author of Functional Maternity - Using Functional Medicine and Nutrition to Improve Pregnancy and Childbirth Outcomes and Beyond Results – A Practitioner's Guidebook to Functional Lab Analysis in Pregnancy. She is a certified functional medicine practitioner, licensed acupuncturist, board-certified herbalist, birth doula, and educator with a passion for pregnancy care. She is a leader in the practice and education of maternity functional medicine. Sarah combines evidence-based research in prenatal and maternity nutrition with functional medicine and traditional Chinese medicine principles. Sarah's clinical experience spans nearly 20 years.

Maha al Musa is a mother of three beautiful children (now /at 2024/ 26, 23 and 14) a doula, birth mentor, international educator and the founder of EmbodyBirth and Bellydance For Birth® since 1997. She has released two award-winning resources—a world first book on Bellydance for birth, entitled Dance of the Womb, endorsed by Sheila Kitzinger, Dr. Michel Odent, Dr. Sarah Buckley and NACE (Aust.) and a follow on video series voted by about.com readers choice award for Best Pregnancy Fitness Product. She was presented with the One World Birth Hero National Award in 2011. She also has on offer her online 4 modules/ 21 chapters, wise conscious birth preparation program and her highly acclaimed EmbodyBirth teacher training menotred certification as well as other powerful resources.

I'm the founding director and lead educator at Newborn Mothers, a global postpartum education business. I've worked in postpartum care for fifteen years and trained thousands of postpartum professionals in over 60 countries. I've written a bestselling book called Newborn Mothers: When a Baby is Born, So is a Mother. I provide postnatal education to the world so that parents receive the respect and reverence they deserve. I am committed to postnatal education that is based on both scientific evidence and cultural care. I live by the beach in Fremantle, Western Australia, with my family and our three chickens, and I'm obsessed with tea—it's gotta be loose-leaf, STRONG, and served in a teapot. My favourite thing to do on the weekends is hike on the Bibbulmun Track.

Nathan is a home birth doctor and holistic gynecologist living in Louisville, KY. He received his MD from Temple University. Completed his OBGYN residency at Kaiser in Los Angeles. And completed his fellowship in Hospice & Palliative at UC San Diego. He is dual-board-certified in allopathic medicine, and brings in tools from other modalities like functional medicine and nutrition, exercise science, anthroposophic medicine, lifestyle coaching, and midwifery to optimize the care of his clients. Nathan is married to his high school sweetheart, and they have two beautiful little girls, the second of whom was born at home.

My name is Kaja. I have a Master's Degree in Clinical Hypnotherapy and am a certified instructor of KG Hypnobirthing. I devoted my master's thesis defended at the University of West London to hypnobirthing, examining the impact of hypnobirthing on women's belief that their bodies are capable of giving birth. My main goal is to train midwives and people working with pregnant women in hypnobirthing. I created an instructor course that has been accredited by the renowned London College of Clinical Hypnotherapy International, and I put all my energy into promoting it, because midwives who know the method and how to use it will not only gain an important tool for working with women but will also know how else they can support women in labor. I have also published a book about hypnobirthing, which you can read more about on the dedicated website. On a daily basis, I work with couples in Krakow, preparing them for hypnobirthing. I am the organizer of the 'International Interdisciplinary Conference on Holistic Maternity Care" which led to the idea of creating the birth.expert platform.