Birth: the forgotten feminist issue

Dr Heather Mattner, psychologist and midwife, joins me to discuss birth trauma. Studies suggest one third of women experience birth trauma. In the current maternity system, she believes 100% of birthing women are experiencing birth trauma. We discuss symptoms, prevention, the overall maternity system, previous trauma's impact on birth trauma and what women and the system can do to reduce birth trauma. Heather says: Birth trauma is preventable harm. And, birth trauma does not favour/disfavour any women regardless of age, culture, spirituality, religion, parity, gestation, intellectualism, status etc etc. That in itself is probably evidence enough to say it is a systemic issue against women - all gestational women.

Dr Heather Matter's qualifications: 

Perinatal Health Psychologist 

PANDA Clinical Champion

Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer (Psychology)

The University of Adelaide

heather.mattner@adelaide.edu.au

Although Rachael and I have never spoken on the phone or via Zoom before, we worked closely together during the 2018-2020 Bush Baby Media Campaign. It was the largest maternity campaign the country has ever seen- at least 8 Front Page stories, National morning TV, nightly news, The Project and international interest. It was an national award-nominated media campaign. As a result of this campaign, Queensland created a Rural Maternity Taskforce and subsequent report to ensure some sustainability of our rural maternity services. In this episode, we discuss what the evidence says for rural births, what were the results of the Bush Baby Campaign, the service capabilities of hospital maternity units and some tips on running a good media campaign to lobby for maternity services. 

Liz Wilkes is Australia's first private midwife to have access to Medicare. Prior to this, she worked in private practice in Toowoomba, Queensland. She now has several private midwifery practices under the My Midwives brand. 

In this episode we have quite nuanced discussions about private midwifery, what medicare has meant for women and midwives, the obstacles and requirements of private midwives including visiting access and collaborative arrangements. We discuss how all of this impacts women and ways forward to ensure care remains woman-centered. 

Professor Nicky Leap is currently the Adjunct Professor of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing Midwifery and Health UTS Visiting Professor, Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kings College, London 2010-2012 International Francine Gooris Chair for Midwifery, University College Arteveldehoge school, Ghent, Belgium.   

Nicky went into midwifery as she saw it as a ultimate feminist issue. We discuss midwives role in ensuring birth isn't the forgotten feminist issue. 

For over twenty-five years, Nicky has worked across midwifery research, education and practice in both the UK and Australia. She was integrally involved in the development and implementation of the Australian Bachelor of Midwifery programs in South Australia and at UTS and has had a leadership role in developing national standards for midwifery education and practice in Australia. Nicky has played a pivotal role in both Australia and the UK in the development and evaluation of midwifery continuity of care models, including the implementation of NSW's first publicly funded homebirth program.   Nicky led a two year pilot study to develop, implement and test Centering Pregnancy, an innovative program combining antenatal care, education and support for pregnant women in small groups. Nicky was the Professor of Midwifery Practice Development and Research for South East Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service from 2006 - 2010 (Director of Midwifery Practice 2002 - 2006 in the same area health service)Nicky completed her Professional Doctorate in Midwifery at UTS, her dissertation examining the role and culture of rhetorical innovations and intentional strategies in the development of Australian midwifery. Nicky has held a visiting researcher position at Kings College London since 2005.

Some of Nicky's published work:

https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/handle/10453/17562

https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/handle/10453/127727

Carolyn is a mother, grandmother and midwife with qualifications in adult education, counselling, lactation, primary health care, reproductive and sexual health. She has been at the leading edge of midwifery practice and education for four decades. Now a midwifery lecturer at Griffith, having wide-ranging national and international experience in diverse settings, including commissioning and managing a quality award-winning stand-alone midwifery service in NSW, her work is well known. Her passion is strengthening midwifery and improving care for childbearing women, partners and babies; her focus is on the neurophysiological intersection of growth, development and relationships. Areas of interest include neuroscience, epigenetics, the Polyvagal Theory, Barker’s Theory, teamwork, social, emotional and spiritual intelligence, labour, birth, breastfeeding and attachment. She has researched, taught and written extensively on midwifery related subjects. A core aspect of Carolyn’s work is finding ways to optimise students' teamwork skills so midwives, women and families can thrive.

Some of her published research: 

https://www.academia.edu/675921/Midwifery_women_history_and_politics?fbclid=IwAR2lJ6D7C3xrvLxgUonSx2OmkTVZiWmu8GcQdEF3zHXnemWs0okbvhf7suM

https://www.academia.edu/5124477/The_Birthing_Environment_A_sustainable_approach?fbclid=IwAR3cyRMhml7n9sQ_YF-MWdI3rbdBmMYMBAozsDBFfHDATHZGkncpvzLR3pk

https://www.academia.edu/21765916/The_spiritual_and_emotional_territory_of_the_unborn_and_newborn_baby_NOVA_The_University_of_Newcastles_Digital_Repository?fbclid=IwAR3I4YoqceMeJINmRYLOMr-jA-uMk35g-WHE3s-392e1KDtnNF5nl2gzwlM

https://www.academia.edu/7281520/Language_how_understanding_semantics_helps_us_be_with_women?fbclid=IwAR0G24SI3EjuTqkUs6Tro2D4TPGvS5RkJHNYipFPbvwev5IHmLdXfQnMJfA

Susan is a Life Coach, who birthed in a Melbourne hospital. 

She takes us on a journey describing her birth- from lack of informed consent, induction, to a failed epidural that left her unable to speak, instrumental birth (after a cesarean was called), 3rd degree tear and incontinence. 

She describes how important it was for her to unpack her birth story afterwards to help her understand the incompetence of care and the cascade of intervention that contributed to how her birth unfolded. 

Sue Kildea has been a midwife for over 30 years. Her research aims to support women in birth and redesign maternity services to strengthen support for vulnerable women (e.g. First Nations women, women in remote communities, women experiencing stress in pregnancy, teenagers, women from a refugee background). Her latest role is as Professor of Midwifery and Co-Director of Charles Darwin University’s Molly Wardaguga Research Centre in the College of Nursing and Midwifery, with projects focusing on providing the Best Start to Life for First Nations women, babies and families. She is involved in the international movement ‘Birthing on Country’ to return maternity services to First Nations control and communities. In this podcast, I ask Sue about what the evidence says on Aboriginal controlled maternity care and the improvements this offers for women, their babies and whole family.

More here: https://www.cdu.edu.au/mwrc

Kristyn shares why she decided the best place for her to birth her first baby was at home, and how appendicitis late in pregnancy ended up with a huge shift in her birth preferences and how her daughter was born. She shares her trauma, as well as her deep commitment to birth her 2nd daughter at home. We discuss the interest she had very early on in homebirth, how her births shaped her advocacy, and her ongoing commitment to help women heal their own birth trauma through craftism and her Bunting for Birthrights project.  https://buntingforbirthrights.com/