Optimal Maternal Positioning Workshops For Central Coast Parents: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How To Get Involved

If you're pregnant on the Central Coast and you've been doing all the things to get ready for birth (the birth classes, the meditation, the yoga) but nobody's talked to you about how your pelvis actually moves during labour, this one is for you.

Optimal Maternal Positioning (OMP) is one of the most underrated and underused pieces of birth preparation available to pregnant women right now. You can learn it all with me in my OMP for Parents workshops held right here on the Central Coast —> check out the dates here.

Here's everything you need to know.

What Is Optimal Maternal Positioning?

Optimal Maternal Positioning is a series of exercises, movements, positions, stretches, massage tools, and specific pressure applications that help create space, alignment and mobility within a mother's pelvis, with the goal of facilitating labour progress.

Think of it this way: getting a baby through the pelvis is like putting a key through a keyhole. If the key isn’t entering straight or it can’t turn, labour will not progress. OMP is essentially the process of making sure the keyhole is as open, mobile, and well-aligned as possible — before labour begins!

Why Does My Baby's Position Matter So Much?

Most people have heard of a "posterior baby" (where the baby's spine sits against the mother's spine) and know it can make labour harder and longer. But what fewer people understand is that how the mother moves is just as important as where the baby is sitting.

When midwives Jean Sutton and Pauline Scott wrote Optimal Fetal Positioning, they found that the ideal fetal position is ultimately dependent on the shape of the mother's pelvis — and how the baby navigates through it depends on how she moves in labour. However, the message that was received was that LOA (left occiput anterior) was the “best” position for birth. This led people to obsess over having a baby in LOA rather than working with their baby and the space they are provided.

This is why OMP is such a game changer. It's not just about getting your baby into a good position — it's about creating a pelvis that moves well, so your baby can do what it needs with the space it has on the day.

What Does an OMP for Parents Workshop on the Central Coast Actually Cover?

In my Central Coast OMP for Parents workshop, we cover the practical, body-based preparation that most birth classes simply don't have time for. You'll leave knowing:

• How Your Pelvis Actually Moves (And Why It Matters)

Your pelvis is not a fixed, rigid structure. It's dynamic. The way you sit, stand, move, and position yourself during pregnancy (and in labour) has a direct impact on the space available for your baby. We go through this in detail so it actually makes sense in your body, not just in theory.

• Daily Movements, Habits and Routines for Pregnancy

Modern lifestyles take a toll on our bodies, making pregnancy uncomfortable and birth more difficult. We look at the daily movements and positions that support good pelvic alignment throughout pregnancy, including the habits that are quietly working against you (yes, the couch is on the list!!!).

• Active Birth Positions for Labour That Facilitate Labour Progress

You'll learn active birth positions that statistically reduce tearing and give you more power in birth, as well as counter pressure, massage, and rebozo techniques that provide comfort and relief in labour while also helping your baby move down. The best part about all of this is that we practice WITH your partner so you can get real time feedback.

• How Your Birth Partner Can Actually Help (Rather Than Feeling Like A Spare Part)

This workshop is for you and your partner. We cover what they can actually do with their hands, with positioning, with support so they feel useful, capable, and genuinely part of the process. A lot of the OMP protocols require a partner’s support, and I’ll make sure they’re confident in how to do all the moves and stretches so you really feel like a team.

Who Is This OMP Workshop For?

This Central Coast birth preparation workshop is ideal for you if:

• You're in your second or third trimester and want to get your body physically ready for labour

• You've done birth education classes but want the body-based preparation piece to add on

• You've had a previous birth and want to approach this one differently

• You're planning a physiological birth and want to give yourself the best possible chance

• You’re planning an epidural and want to avoid further cascades of intervention

• Your partner wants to feel genuinely useful — not just a bystander — in the birth room

Why OMP Isn't Taught in Standard Birth Education Classes

Here's the honest answer: standard antenatal classes need to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. There's information on stages of labour, pain relief, newborn care, breastfeeding, and usually these kinds of classes are run over 2 days. OMP however is a specialist topic that requires hands-on, practical teaching to be genuinely useful.

It's not that birth classes on the Central Coast are getting it wrong. It's that OMP is its own deep skillset, and it deserves dedicated space and time to be taught properly.

That's exactly what this workshop is designed to do.

OMP For Parents Workshop - Central Coast

I’m a Central Coast doula and in 2025 I became a certified OMP educator. I use OMP with all of my birth clients, and LOVE to teach it to anyone and everyone who will listen! My workshops are hands-on, in-depth and super practical so that pregnant couples can walk into birth feeling physically prepared — not just informed.

Check out the dates for a workshop on the Central Coast here!

Can’t make it in person? You can check out the online offering for parents here + save 10%

Are you a doula or birth worker who wants to learn more about OMP? Check out the OMP for Professionals course here + save 10%!