Dr Jess Michaels

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Woolgoolga, NSW
Dr Jess Michaels

Osteopath, Birth Doula and HypnoBirth Educator (IBCLC in training)

24/08/2026

✨ Our next Pregnancy Day Retreat is here ✨

We’re so excited to announce our next Pregnancy Day Retreat with Kiran from Kiran | Coffs Harbour Doula | Birth Education | Pregnancy Yoga and myself, happening Sunday 11th October in the beautiful Coffs Hinterland.

A whole day dedicated to slowing down, connecting with your pregnancy, preparing for birth and filling your cup before your baby arrives. 🤍

Come and spend the day learning, moving, connecting and being completely nourished alongside other pregnant women.

🌿 Sunday 11th October
🌿 Coffs Hinterland
🌿 Early Bird pricing is LIVE now

And yes… there’ll be a pretty incredible goodie bag waiting for you too, including your very own Birth Sling. 😉

We cannot wait to do this again.

Spaces are limited — book via the link in bio. 🤎

21/08/2026

Well… I went looking at research on labour and birth positions and somehow ended up down an entirely different rabbit hole 😂

In the conclusion of this paper, the authors suggested that regardless of whether labour was spontaneous or induced, or whether an epidural was used, upright and flexible sacral positions were associated with physiological birth.

And I immediately thought… hang on!?

If labour has been induced, or an epidural is being used, are we still technically talking about a physiological birth?

Generally, physiological birth is understood as birth in which labour begins, progresses and culminates primarily through the woman’s own physiological processes, with minimal or no medical intervention.

So now I’m questioning whether the terminology in this paper is actually correct… or whether physiological birth is being used here to mean something closer to spontaneous vaginal birth, despite medical intervention occurring earlier in the process. 🫠

And apparently this is the tangent I’m on today 😂

So, fellow birth nerds, I want to hear from you.

What exactly constitutes a physiological birth?

Can an induced labour ultimately become physiological?

Can a birth with an epidural be described as physiological if it culminates in an unassisted vaginal birth?

Or should we be much more precise with this terminology? Is it any wonder women often mistake there very medicated birth for a “natural birth” when peer reviewed medical journals don’t seem to have it clear!?

Dr Melanie Jackson (PhD) … I’m looking at you 👀😂

Because if we’re going to use the words physiological birth in research, surely we need to be really clear about what we actually mean by them!?

15/08/2026

It’s so hard to watch, but somehow so hard to look away.

I keep coming back to the same impossible question…how could a mother who so clearly loved her children have done something so horrific?

There are so many theories circulating about Lindsay Clancy’s husband and about what was happening inside their home. I don’t know what is true. And then there is the other devastating possibility…that a mother was so profoundly unwell in the postpartum period, and that somehow the systems around her failed to recognise just how much danger she and her children were in.

Watching the videos of Lindsay with her children is heartbreaking. You see a mum who appears to adore them.

And then there are her diary entries. The worrying. The analysing. The questioning whether she was doing enough or doing it right. She was devastated to turn to sleep training, heartbroken she had to wean, terrified to return to work so soon… So much of it is painfully familiar to all mothers. That constant mental load..

And yet we know how this story ends.

I’ve wept for those three beautiful children all painfully close in age to my own girls. I’ve wept thinking about the lives and futures that were taken from them. And I’ve also found myself thinking about what it must be like for Lindsay to wake up every day and confront what happened… what she did(?!)

Compassion for a profoundly unwell mother does not require us to minimise the horror of what happened to her children.

And grieving those children does not mean we shouldn’t be asking difficult questions about postpartum mental health, postpartum psychosis, medication, medical care, family support and whether there were opportunities to intervene before an unimaginable tragedy occurred.

Maybe that’s why this case is so difficult to look away from.

Because motherhood and love are supposed to make this story impossible.

And yet somehow, it happened.

Three children lost their lives. A family was destroyed. And whatever the court ultimately determines, I hope we are willing to look closely at every part of this story and ask what could have been done differently

12/08/2026

I had the absolute honour of taking some photos of this goddess of a women… my beautiful cousin Lily Elsom

You are such a natural beauty!

I still can’t quite believe you’re about to have a baby… and to be born a mother! The most incredible, wild and expansive journey is upon you…. And we, your village are here to support you always!

If only you could see yourself through our eyes!

❤️

10/08/2026

A minute with a midwife 🎙️

09/08/2026

I found this one really hard to post.

Because if I’m honest, I’m already bracing myself for the comments about why I haven’t night weaned, boundaries, sleep, “bad habits” and what I should be doing by now.

But weaning has probably been the hardest part of breastfeeding for me. Yes I’m an IBCLC but I’m still deeply “”in it” and figuring things out for myself aswell.

I’ve been incredibly fortunate that initiating breastfeeding with both of my babies came relatively easily. But the other end of the journey? That has been much harder.

I used to hear mothers say, “Oh, they just stopped one day” or “they just lost interest” and I would think…

WHAT?! 😂 How?! What do you mean they just… stopped?!

Because that has definitely not been my experience.

But this reel is most about the mother tax.

I went away for ONE night. A work trip. Just over 24 hours away.

And I forgot my breast pump. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Which meant I couldn’t just shrug my shoulders and go, “Oh well.” If I wanted to be comfortable, avoid becoming painfully engorged and actually get some sleep, I had to go out and buy a cheap crappy pump that I absolutely did not need or want.

And I couldn’t help thinking about how beautifully simple it must be for dads to go away for work and just… pack a bag and leave. 😂

I love breastfeeding. I’m incredibly grateful for these years of feeding my babies.

AND I’m allowed to occasionally feel completely bloody over the logistics that come with it.

Both things can be true.

Every breastfeeding and weaning journey is different, and I’d actually love to talk more about mine because I don’t think we talk enough about how complicated this end of breastfeeding can be. 🤍

06/08/2026

It’s WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK 2026 🎊

Just a few of the incredible things we love about breastmilk

04/08/2026

Let’s celebrate World Breastfeeding Week 2026 with some incredible facts about breastfeeding. 🤱💛

Did you know one of the main ingredients in breast milk isn’t actually there to feed your baby?

Instead, it’s there to feed the beneficial bacteria living in your baby’s gut.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are one of the many reasons breast milk is so much more than nutrition. They’re helping build your baby’s microbiome, support immune development and lay the foundation for lifelong health.

Nature really is incredible.

Microbiome Newborn EvidenceBasedParenting

27/07/2026

Pain relief in labour is not the problem.

Making decisions without understanding the benefits, risks and trade offs is.

Every birthing woman deserves access to effective pain relief if that’s what she chooses. An epidural can be an incredible tool and for many women it is absolutely the right decision.

But informed consent means understanding how that choice may influence the rest of your labour.

An epidural doesn’t just reduce pain. It can also change how labour unfolds, how your baby is monitored, how you move, and the likelihood of other interventions becoming part of your birth.

That doesn’t mean an epidural automatically leads to a caesarean. It doesn’t.

It does mean that understanding the evidence before labour begins gives you the best chance of making decisions that feel right for you in the moment.

Knowledge isn’t about telling women what they should do.

It’s about making sure no woman is ever left saying, “I wish someone had told me.”

Whatever birth you choose, let it be an informed one. 🤍

EvidenceBasedBirth TheBirthSling FirstTimeMum PositiveBirth

22/07/2026

✨ Feeding your baby to sleep isn’t a bad habit. It’s biology.

If you’ve ever been told, “Don’t let your baby fall asleep on the breast or you’ll create a bad habit,” this is your reminder to take a deep breath.

Human milk is far more than nutrition. It contains bioactive compounds that change throughout the day and night. Evening and nighttime breast milk contains higher levels of melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate sleep and circadian rhythms. It also contains other sleep promoting components that work together to support your baby’s developing nervous system.

In other words… your breast milk was beautifully designed to help your baby relax and drift off to sleep. 🤍

From an evolutionary perspective, feeding to sleep also makes perfect sense. For most of human history, babies fell asleep in the safety of a caregiver’s arms, at the breast, or being carried. Close contact, warmth, feeding, and sleep have always gone hand in hand.

The idea that babies should routinely fall asleep alone, without comfort or support, is a relatively modern cultural expectation, not a biological one. While every family has the right to choose what works for them, feeding your baby to sleep is not something that needs “fixing.”

So if your little one melts into sleep at the breast, know this…

You are not creating a bad habit.
You are responding to a biological need.
You are helping your baby feel safe, regulated, and deeply loved.

If no one has told you today… you’re doing an incredible job. 🤍

NewMum NormalInfantSleep BiologicalNurturing Motherhood

Address

4/16 Hawke Drive
Woolgoolga, NSW
2456

Telephone

+61450535183

Website

http://www.drjessmichaels.com/

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