Greetings, I am Sarah.
To the centre of my being,
I am a midwife.
I feel my journey connecting with practices that are seen as alternative to our modern medicalised system, is a reclaiming of what midwifery truely means for me. Throughout history midwives have been important pillars of a community, supporting the physical and spiritual health of women and their families. Working with plants, massage and holding safe physical and emotional spaces. This is what I return to in my work and how I show up for the women and families I guide.
My experience is varied, having worked across countries and settings, from rural hospitals in Australia, to birth centres in India. Predominantly, I offer support for women choosing to birth their babies at home and this has taken me around Australia.
For nearly a decade I have pursued a passion of connecting with and learning from women, midwives, traditional cultures and birth. I have never been one to take the road most travelled and my midwifery career and how I support women has been the same. I work with plants, nutrition and body work to provide women holistic healing along the childbearing continuum and to support women’s reproductive health and healing. I am passionate about sharing this knowledge with other women and birth workers through my events and mentoring.
Bearing witness to the culture of birth throughout Australia, India, Cambodia, Austria, Vanuatu and Guatemala, I have gained a deep trust and competence for supporting brith in its unique unfoldings. I have witnessed that a well supported woman will connect with her intuition and birth in her power. Time again I have seen how an empowered birth experience will transform a woman’s life.
My experiences have supported the unwavering trust I have in women to grow and birth their babies. I have a deep love for nurturing and nourishing women especially in postpartum, so they can feel confident and thrive in mothering their babies.
Women bear the future and investing in their health and wellbeing during childbearing is an investment into the health and wellbeing of a community. This is the life work that I have been called to do.
Qualifications/
Degrees
Australian Medicare Endorsed Midwife
Diploma of Midwifery as Primary Healthcare (Griffith University)
Bachelor of Midwifery (Australian Catholic University)
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
Active Mama’s pregnancy workout instructor
Appearances
Sarah’s Story: Finding Her Own Way in Midwifery – The Sacred Space Storytelling Podcast
Down to Birth Midwifery with Sarah Smits – Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond
Doing Your Own Research and Trusting your Intuition with Sarah Smits- Be Loud About What Matters Podcast
Ep. 39 Maternity Care Across Different Cultures- Little Yarrow
Ep.10 Midwife Sarah on Continuity of Care- Mount Isa Birth Stories
Ep.2 Midwife Sarah Smits Birthing in Australia- The Red Tent birth podcast
Ep.11 Midwifery, Motherhood and Your Birth Journey with Sarah Smits
Becoming Human with HRVST Podcast | Episode 001 | Down to birth Midwifery | Sarah
Maternity’s ‘gold standard’ of care now available in rural Queensland town-ABC North West QLD
Courses/Workshops
Mayan abdominal massage
Massage Australia: Postpartum Massage
Spinning Babies
The Thompson Method
When Survivors Give Birth
Naoli Vinaver: The Art of Birth
Rachel Reed: Childbirth Physiology
Creative Ways for Making Space: Pelvic workshop
Releasing the Pelvis: Myosacral workshop
Microbirth School:
-The Infant Microbiome and Epigenetics
-Group B Strep
-Breastmilk
Antenatal Educator Training: Da La Luze holistic Midwifery school Spain
Presentations
Preserving traditions and helping to empower the Mayan midwives from Lake Atitlan, Guatemala- International Confederation of Midwives
Sharing of Sacred Maya Midwifery practices in support of
The Midwife Project Guatemala- Virtual International Day of the Midwife
Maternity Care for Women with a History of Sexual Abuse- Virtual International Day of the Midwife
Resistance to Change: The challenges of initiating a midwifery group practice in outback Queensland- International Confederation of Midwives
Pick your Battles- International Confederation of Midwives
Traditional Healer who Holds the Belly- Australian College of Midwives