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2007 off to a busy start

This year has begun with a rush. The usual hard work in putting the Birth International catalogue together (click here if you want a copy posted to you) has been followed with the first “tour of duty” workshops.

My first program of the year was for a group of midwives and eductors in Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is tropical monsoon season in the north right now, a very spectacular time of massive storms, lots of heavy, sharp rain showers and high humidity. Everything is very green and lush – you can almost see the plants growing as you watch!

The first workshop was on Active Birth. In this part of remote Australia, there is a largely transient population, with many people staying for a period of around 2 years and then moving on. There is a stable group of “old timers” who have made this part of the country their home for many years and one result of the isolation of this region is that there is a tendency for these stalwarts to get stuck in a routine, unless they get regular exposure to developments in other parts of the country. This is true of maternity care to an extent, although as a reaction to the rather medicalised hospital birth system, there is a flourishing home birth population, who have been assisted by a fantastic team of midwives, who have extensive experience of home and water births.

One thing that is always notable about the “Top End” is that there seems to be plenty of Government funding for community based projects. The Territory has a young population, and a high percentage of children and young couples. Community services are available for a whole range of needs and my group had representatives from the YWCA and Anglicare, both of whom are providing programs for the young and pregnant. These women were well trained in group work and group facilitation, and were looking for specific birth information and activities to incorporate into their work.

The Childbirth Education Association in Darwin has been energetically and comprehensively supporting pregnant and post natal women for many years and is well funded by the Government. They have undertaken a number of outreach projects, including establishing new groups in nearby satellite towns, whilst leading the push for better birth services in Darwin itself, offering a range of pregnancy and birth classes and a comprehensive postnatal services.

The new Birth Centre is being constructed at the Darwin Hospital and is due to open in a few months. The policies that will underpin its services are still to be finalised, but it will at last offer a real choice for women who want neither a home birth or a birth in the private or public hospital. I should think it will be especially popular with Aboriginal women who can meet their entry criteria (many have underlying health issues that would exclude them from using the service), as for this group, giving birth near the land rather than on the 6th floor of a tower block is very important. I look forward to checking it out when I next visit.

The final day in Darwin offered me the chance to make a presentation on The Essential Educator kit which many educators have been keen to see. I took them through the extensive components of the pack and there was general agreement that this comprehensive set of teaching materials would be invaluable for many of the programs that are being run in Darwin. Many facilitators don’t have formal training in either childbirth (midwifery) or group facilitation, so a package that enables them to effectively present a variety of teaching activities (with full instructions and scripts) is very attractive and practical.

After a great morning with an enthusiastic bunch of childbirth educators, I headed for the airport and the long trip to the UK.

Posted by andrea at February 15, 2007 06:37 PM