Rhea Dempsey
Birthing Wisdom

birth preparation

embracing the intensity workshop

Weekend workshops for pregnant women, their partners and support people.

  • Understand your own needs and expectations in order to make wise choices for a meaningful birth experience.
  • Identify, reframe and transform your relationship with functional pain.
  • Normalise ‘crisis of confidence’ moments.
  • Explore psychological and relationship dynamics which affect birthing potential.
  • Discover the importance of experienced support to back your intention for normal physiological birthing.
  • Learn how to work with pain to connect with your instinctive birthing self through a dynamic labour rehearsal, breathing, movement, sound release and support strategies.

Ideally, you should attend this workshop when you are between 6 – 8 months pregnant.


Comments from participants

‘We felt that we got more out of Rhea’s course than all our antenatal classes combined’ — Tania & Jim

‘Best part of the workshop … the realness. When you shared the f-word you had me! Love, love, love-hearted it!!!’ — Jane.

‘I want to thank you for me, my partner and for our baby. What an eye-opening, exhilarating, challenging and inspiring workshop! I seriously believe that deciding to do your course was the best decision I’ve made in my life. Armed with this knowledge, with a greater understanding of the reality of normal physiological childbirth, I feel empowered going into my experience’ — Megan

‘I just wanted to thank you for the workshop. Sarah and I found it to be an amazingly positive experience. Your workshop is something I wish we had done before our first birth. What you have showed me as a birthing partner is the necessity to understand what is happening in birth. Explaining the sounds and physiological process. On a personal level, I want to thank you for what turned out to be an absolutely life-changing experience’ — Adam

‘I am so grateful that I was able to attend your birthing workshop with my daughter and her partner. I had the privilege of being present for the labour and birth. It was an incredible experience. Attending your workshop meant we knew what we each expected and knew our roles and were able to work out a strategy which thankfully averted the drip — how easily that could have happened. Thank you for your words of wisdom, advice, and realistic preparation, which contributed to this experience. Highly recommend your workshop, for all attending the birth; it helps with discussions, defining of roles and expectations’ — Grandmother of Rose

Comments from practitioners

‘Through her wisdom and skill, Rhea helps couples recognize the multi-dimensional nature of birth and encourages them to use the experience as an opportunity for profound personal growth’ — Professor Marc Cohen, Foundation Head of Department of Complimentary Medicine, RMIT University

‘Rhea tells it like it is. Best birth education money can buy’ — Annie Sprague, independent midwife, maternal and child health nurse, author: Water Labour Water Birth

‘The confidence Rhea instils in women to trust and work with the pain in labour is surpassed only by the strategies that partners and support people acquire at Rhea’s sessions’ — Jan Ireland, independent midwife, director MAMA

‘An inspirational educator who works well with health professionals, independent practitioners and consumers alike. Her work with couples is of benefit to any couple going through a life event — especially pregnancy, birth and parenthood’ — Melinda Eales, Director Maternity Craft, Past President, National Association of Childbirth Educators.


booking dates and options

  • All in-person couple bookings receive a free copy of Rhea’s Birth With Confidence: Savvy choices for normal birth
  • Concession available for genuine need