Don’t throw the birth plan out with the bath water! This welcome article explores the concept of legal consent and the use of birth plans to inform the consent process. The article reflects Safe Motherhood for All’s view of consent.  A woman always has a right to informed consent and the right of refusal of care.  Women

Women Deliver Conference 2016 Attending the Women Deliver Conference in May 2016 was an amazing experience and Safe Motherhood for All members met with others working to promote respectful maternity care. It was reinforced at Women Deliver that maternity care can either protect or violate the fundamental human rights of women.  The concept of safe motherhood is usually

Skin-to-skin contact after birth reduces stress levels March 31, 2016 The benefits of skin-to-skin contact for babies after birth have been well documented. But what about for mothers? After all, they, too, have been on quite a journey. New research to be presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition suggests maternal

The characteristics of compassionate maternity care A better understanding of compassion can improve the quality of maternity care women receive.   Compassion is making meaningful connections with women Using good interpersonal skills - combined verbal and non-verbal communication and active listening Providing dignity and respect Establishing trust - through establishing a partnership, being nonjudgmental and

I’m an Obstetrician. Home Births Can Be Perfectly Safe. We could not agree more. When the death of a newborn occurs it is a tragedy. However when it happens under the care of a doctor, it’s often treated as inevitable. Whereas, when a midwife is in charge, especially in a home birth, people are quick

The BESt study. We at MHM are very excited to share with you the Birth Experience Study (BESt), being conducted by the School of Nursing and Midwifery Western Sydney University The survey has ethics approval and is now live and available at this link: https://surveyswesternsydney.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d7lb1dyOczveOxw    

The good, the bad and the possible A public lecture on the Strategic Directions for the Australian Maternity Services Plan on Wednesday, 24 March 2021 at 1700 to 1900 by Zoom. Canberra Mothercraft Society and Western Sydney University are proud to be supporting a FREE public online lecture by Professor Hannah Dahlen AM, followed by

Consent, what matters to you most? We know that how support pregnant women in making truly autonomous decisions in accordance with current consent law is poorly understood and problematic for both the woman and maternity care professionals (MCPs). Consent law requires that a woman’s preferences, values and what she believes important, be considered by the

The characteristics of compassionate maternity care Compassionate care can improve the quality of maternity car women receive. Making meaningful connections with women Displaying good interpersonal skills - combined verbal and non-verbal communication and active listening Conduct based on dignity and respect Establishing trust - establishing a partnership, being nonjudgmental and creating a strong sense of

Birth, the forgotten feminist issue By Alecia Staines Alecia has compiled a series of podcasts, that explores the on going disadvantage women experience when they become mothers. Here is the link to the podcasts.