About CAPEA

The foundations of organised childbirth education emerged in the early to mid-20th century. Dr Grantly Dick-Read challenged prevailing medical approaches and proposed that fear was a major contributor to pain in labour. French obstetrician Dr Fernand Lamaze introduced psychoprophylactic methods emphasising breathing techniques and structured antenatal classes. These international influences contributed to a growing global movement toward childbirth education.

In 1961, the Association for the Advancement of Painless Childbirth was established in Victoria by physiotherapists Marcelle Frame and Jean Webber. The organisation provided structured antenatal classes based on Ivan Pavlov’s theory of conditioned reflexes and the psychoprophylaxis method. The organisation was later renamed the Childbirth Education Association (CEA).

In 1970, the Childbirth Education Association actively championed the ‘right to choose’ and promoted the concept of personal responsibility for birth. CEA brought the influential film Naissance to Australia, helping to broaden public awareness of alternative approaches to childbirth.

In 1986, the Victorian Association of Childbirth Educators was established as CEA transitioned toward a more professional structure. In 1987, the first biennial conference ‘A Movement on the Move’ was held, contributing to the establishment of the National Association of Childbirth Educators (NACE). In 1997, Childbirth Educators Australia ran its first Melbourne conference.

In 2013, NACE was renamed CAPEA — Childbirth and Parenting Educators of Australia — recognising the expanding scope of childbirth education to include parenting education. The change reflected the evolving role of educators within maternity and family health services and marked a new chapter in national professional leadership.