Do you know that whether a woman breastfeeds her baby—or not—can affect the lifelong health of both? Breastfeeding is the normal biological extension of pregnancy and childbirth. Women wear the emotional burden when they do not breast feed, yet often it is the over-medicalised maternity care systems that impact on breast feeding rates. Given the

Greetings from Maternal Health Matters. We hope you have all had a fruitful year.  Read about our work over the past year. In 2023, MHM will continue our focus on the impact of disrespectful maternity care on maternal and newborn health, the role of midwives in maternal and reproductive health, and gender equity for childbearing women.

The story of Christmas, reminds us of the importance of mothers. Mary, as mother, is central to the Christmas story, without her there is no infant, no Christmas. Christmas is a poignant time to reflect on the pivotal role mothers have in growing and nurturing new life. As a society we need to honour this

Dignity is a foundational value It’s an interesting word ‘dignity’. Dignity is a foundational value in human rights, ethics, politics, philosophy and respectful maternity care. Dignity is a guiding value in medical ethics and features prominently in  codes of medical ethics - the Declaration of Helsinki, the World Medical Association International Code of Medical Ethics.

Giving Tuesday Today is Giving Tuesday, "a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world." We know that the health and wellbeing of infants and children is critically connected to the health and wellbeing of their mother.  By defending women's dignity, safety and rights – we raise

16 Days of Activism The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence runs from 25 November to 10 December annually. It begins each year on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until Human Rights Day. The aim is to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women

Dignity is to maternity care, what justice is to law A little about us.  Maternal Health Matters Inc. (MHM) is a non-for-profit incorporated organisation and registered charity that is working to improve maternal health by promoting and advocating Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) for all women during maternity care - pregnancy, childbirth, and in the time

2022 Theme: Inclusion, For Every Child World Children’s Day is celebrated each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare. In 2022, we commemorate the 68th anniversary of the World Children’s Day.  On this day November in 1959 the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the

Health literacy is a societal responsibility Key determinants in someone's pregnancy are their knowledge of how to be healthy, and how to find their way through a health system. The idea that society—not only an individual—is responsible for this 'health literacy' is central to a new World Health Organisation report. This report reflects what women

New standard to reduce the pain and silence of stillbirth Stillbirth is the most common form of perinatal death in Australia, accounting for 7 in every 1,000 births. For families that experience a stillbirth they often grieve in private because of the culture of silence around the loss of a baby. The Stillbirth Clinical Care