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Mother of Sam, Ellie and Jackson, stepmother to Ella and grandmother of Bentley. Jane is married to Paul and they live in the country in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia.

Jane is an Independent Midwife and has been attending homebirths since the early '80's.

She leads Women's, Mother's and Maiden's circles and teaches the wisdom of the cycles to high school girls and boys in her local town. Jane with her husband Paul are founding members of the EarthDance community in the Southern Highlands that gathers to honour and celebrate the sabbats.

Jane has founded The School of Shamanic Midwifery which commenced in 2009 and offers programs around Australia.
For more information see "http://www.moonsong.com.au/SSMpage01.html".
Jane facilitates seminars and workshops and speaks at conferences and festivals.

"WOMEN'S MYSTERIES - Crack the code through connection with the cycles" This 2 to 3 hour seminar will illuminate the connection between our menstrual cycle, the moon phases, our life seasons and the Earth's seasons, and how these shape our experience. Remembering this information and practicing it in rites of passage and in our daily lives, helps heal the wounded feminine of our time.

"MAIDEN MOONSONG" and "SUNSONG" are full day experiential workshops for high school girls and boys (separately) teaching the wisdom of the cycles.

"MAIDEN MOONSONG" is also offered as an afternoon or evening session for girls, pre and post menarche with or without their mothers, to demystify the menstrual cycle and understand the spiritual and physical opportunities inherent in the cycle.

"MOONSONG - Reclaiming Feminine Power Through Reconnection with the Women's Mysteries" teaching the wisdom of the cycles, the power of rites of passage, and the sacred nature of the menstrual cycle. A two day workshop for women.
Every woman's life is hugely effected by where she is in her menstrual cycle, the phases of the moon and the earths season as well as where she is in her life seasons, whether she pays attention to it or not.
In fact if she doesn't pay attention, she (her body, her soul) may create symptoms and signs to get her attention, to bring her to noticing what's going on.
Moonsong teaches you about these cycles and energies so you can understand why you feel the way you do, so you can go with the flow of the differing and changing energies instead of against them. Its a much easier way to live.

"PREGNANCY- THE INNER JOURNEY" the best preparation for birth is a conscious pregnancy, spending time contemplating and updating your inner beliefs and attitudes, connecting with your baby inside you, hearing the voices, feeling the feelings, seeing the visions, all the while developing your natural mothering essence. Sitting in a sacred circle with women, invoking the ancient birth Goddesses, connecting with the Earth and the sacred feminine, using art and shamanic journeying. A two or three day workshop.

Jane produces a seasonal newsletter. To sign up for this contactjanecollings@bigpond.com and self-publishes her books and helpful tools for women, all available from this website.
  • The 'how to chart your cycle handbook and journal' titled "THIRTEEN MOONS - a woman's guide to the four main cycles that influence her year", and ...

  • "SPINNING WHEELS - a woman's oracle of truth" - a unique and innovative tool allowing women to unravel why they feel the way they do as they see the influence of the Earth's season, their life season, the moon phase and their menstrual cycle on any particular day.

    Thirteen Moons and Spinning Wheels is also available from Amazon and in selected outlets in USA.

  • "HERSTORY - knowing this will change the way you see things" - a look at the development of our current patriarchy and its influence on women.

  • "TEN MOONS - The Spiritual Journey of Pregnancy, Preparation For Natural Birth".

  • "BECOMING - A WOMAN, a Guide for Girls Approaching Menstruation".

email Jane
OR snail mail
331 Kirkland Road, East Kangaloon, NSW 2576 Australia
PO Box 290 Robertson, NSW 2577
(+612)4888 2002, 0408 035 808

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Southern Highlands News, Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia


Homebirth mums plan protest rally

PROTEST: Jane Collings, Pip and Amelia Cooper, Sophie and Eva Cece, Aureliah and Amy Fisher, Finley and Kylie Woods, April and Olive Love
in front of the banner they are making to hold at the
Mother of All Rallies on Monday.

By Leah O'Brien

POLITICIANS won't know what hit them when a contingent of mostly mums and bubs protests legislation which could make homebirth midwifery unlawful.
It is estimated thousands of people will march on parliament in the rally called the Mother of All Rallies on September 7.
More than 30 Highlands residents will make the trek down to Parliament House in Canberra.
The fuss is that currently the House of Representatives is debating the Health Legislation Amendment (Midwives and Nurse Practitioners) Bill 2009 and two related bills to create Medicare funding, access to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and indemnity insurance support for midwives.
However in its current form, if passed into legislation, they will not provide funding or indemnity for homebirth midwives.
The legislation then will intersect with National Health Registration legislation, which comes into force in July next year.
This will require all health professionals to hold indemnity insurance.
However after the collapse in 2001 of the health insurance market and a landmark obstetric birth injury payout case of $11 million in 2002 privately practising midwives can't get an indemnity

insurance policy.
Midwife Jane Collings said the rally had been organised by Homebirth Australia to bring people together to show the government the level of support for women's choices around birth.
"The legislation that is being debated at the moment is effectively making it illegal for midwives to help women with homebirths," she said.
"It doesn't make homebirth illegal, but I can't come and help.
"Both of them (legislation) are really good...midwives will have prescribing rights to order blood tests and basic stuff that is pregnancy related.
"They are going to be Medicare refundable but only in the scenario of hospital births, not homebirths.
"Then over here (the bill) midwives as well as a whole lot of other health care professionals are going to be required to have professional indemnity insurance to register.
"Which is great, however I have been practising without professional indemnity insurance since 2001 when it ceased to be available.
"We were one of the smaller packages that they (insurance companies) said 'we can't do that anymore". "Insurance is not available, there is no product."
"We would have bought it-if there was.
"If I practise as a midwife and

I am unregistered then that will actually be against the law.
"It won't be illegal for you to have a homebirth but if I go and 1 get caught I have to pay a $30,000 fine.
"And the person asking me to come has to pay a $30,000 fine.
"If this goes through it puts homebirth underground.
"It is going backwards."
The Highlands has one of the highest rates of homebirth in NSW.
A lot of people will rally not only about homebirth but because the legislation will affectively take away a woman's choice.
In February, Bowral resident Amy Fisher gave birth to her first child a daughter, Aureliah, in a homebirth.
Her partner Andrew, two independent midwives and her sister supported her.
Ms Fisher said she chose homebirth as it provided an environment where she felt safe, comfortable and familiar.
"It was important for me to be surrounded with loving and familiar people in whom I trusted and for my baby to be born in such an environment," she said.
"Having the freedom to choose how and where a woman gives birth is a personal choice and a women's prerogative.
"It concerns me that I may not have that freedom of choice for my next baby or that my daughter may not have a choice."



Southern Highlands News, Friday, November 3, 2006
Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia

HOME-BAKED: Midwife Jane Hardwicke-Collings (far right) with mothers and residents visiting the stand.


Sharing
the joys of
homebirth

Midwives and mums gathered at Bowral to let women know about the miracle of birth in the comfort of the home, JULIE-ANNE ADAMSKI writes…

Women in the Southern Highlands have been enlightened on the old-fashioned tradition of homebirth.
Mothers and women of all ages visited an information stall held by midwife Jane Hardwicke-Collings.

The Bowral mother of three has been delivering babies at home for 22 years and shared her knowledge with residents on Wednesday.
About 100 women and a couple of men visited Corbett Plaza to collect pamphlets and ask questions.

Bowral mother April Love delivered all three babies at home. "It's private, intimate and labour was easier each time around," she said.
"The feeling of having the entire family there is beyond amazing and something that every woman should experience."

Some women find that having their baby in the comfort of their own home provides a supportive environment and consequently they have an easier birth.

Other women choose a homebirth, as they believe in their body's ability to give birth and wish to decrease the chance of needing intervention in their labour.




FUTURE MIDWIFES: Victoria Kleeberg, Darienne Boyd, Maureen Mattick and Nicole Foder with Jane Hardwicke-Collings.


Colo Vale mother of two Melissa Perrot and her husband Andrew are expecting the birth of their baby at home any day now.

"The two boys were born at hospital so this is going to be a whole new experience for me and the family," Melissa said.

Midwives have a supply of oxygen, emergency drugs and a device for monitoring heart rate at the time of birth.

"It's in the event of an emergency but it's rare for healthy women to have complications," Jane said.

The following was for November and December, 2006.
Go to Menu and click Workshop Information and check each item to find scheduled workshops.
Jane will hold three-day homebirth workshops on Thursday, November 30th, Friday, December 1st and Saturday December 2nd.

Top 10 homebirth reasons

  • Less use of medication.
  • No separation from the baby.
  • Babies have fewer problems after birth.
  • Women have fewer complications in labour.
  • Increased success rates with breastfeeding.
  • No separation from partner or other children.
  • Decreased need for interventions during labour.
  • Being in comfortable and familiar surroundings.
  • Women have the choice of who is present at the birth.
  • Less risk of infection during a homebirth, as homes generally are not a haven for bacteria, unlike hospitals.

For further information about the workshops
Contact Jane on 4888 2002 or 0408 035 808.



Mother: April Love with daughters
Iris (5), Mimi (4) and Cedar (2).

‘The feeling of
having the entire
family there is
beyond amazing’

 

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