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.

An interview with Justine Caines OAM This podcast provides much historical information and reminds us that there is still a long way to go. Here is the Link to the interview.

Pregnancy is a feminist issue. The economic and cultural oppression of women and girls continues. Throughout history and across the world this oppression is culturally constructed and is predicated on biology.  Only those with a female sex have babies. This discussion explores why Birth is a feminist issue.

Compassion, dignity and respect are fundamental aspects of respectful maternity care. We need to be mindful to remember treating women with dignity, compassion and respect sits at the very heart of good maternity care. If we forget that we are failing those we want to help the most. Health professionals often forget the significance of

Compassion v's empathy At SMFA, we wonder how maternity care would be if health professionals were compassionate rather than empathetic. Compassion is the idea of sharing in suffering, having concern for another, but essentially feeling for and not feeling with the other. It is the opposite of empathy where people feel the pain of others.