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Pregnancy Birth & Beyond where stories, science, traditions and new ideas meet. We work and live on Bundjalung Country, Australia.
Visit us at www.pbbmedia.org
Visit us at www.pbbmedia.org
Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond
Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond
15 SEP 2024 · Welcome to Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond: Contemporary Conversations where stories, science, traditions and new ideas meet. I’m Oni Blecher and your host today. Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond Media, our development team and contributors pay our respects to indigenous elders past, present and emerging.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land, the Arakwal people, the Minjungbal people and the Widjabul people of the Bundjalung Nation and the many other tribes that frequented this land. I pay my respects to elders past and present and emerging. As a team and organisation, we acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and waters whose cultures and customs have nurtured and continue to nurture this land. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and recognition of culture, connection to land and waters and sovereignty of all aboriginal/indigenous peoples across Australia is a matter of current and vital importance.
Today, Oni Blecher speaks with Kirilly Dawn. Kirilly is a Barkanji woman, a doula, and she runs the postpartum postpartum care program for The Returning Indigenous Corporation. Kirilly has also been on the development team with us here at PBB Media for the past 5 years. The work of the returning relies on the generous support of donations from the community and if you support their work and what they’re doing, you can go to their website, http://www.thereturning.com.au and find many different ways to support this amazing NFP.
Find The Returning here:
www.thereturning.com.au
@the_returning_
Thanks for tuning in ! Feel free to be in touch with us at
@pbb_media
hello@pbbmedia.org
27 AUG 2024 · Today Oni Blecher interviews Jenny Blyth.
Jenny has supported parents in natural birth for over 40 years. She is an independent birth educator, bodyworker, Associate Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy, Spinning Babies® Approved Trainer, Spinning Babies® Aware Practitioner & Trainer, & Internal Pelvic Release Work Practitioner & Trainer. Her particular focus is on body preparation for birth & recovery, & encouraging greater self-responsibility in parents - to realise potential in birth & reduce birth trauma. She specialises in pelvic bodywork for wellbeing, balance, comfort & healing. Jenny regularly facilitates workshops in Australia & overseas. She is project co-ordinator for Lao Birthwork, teaching hands-on & emergency skills to health staff in remote areas of Northern Laos. She is also an author – The Down to Earth Birth Book, Birthwork, The little book of Pelvic Jiggling - & filmmaker -The Big Stretch films & A World of Birthworkers.
We are so happy to have Jenny on the show today. She is such a deep well of wisdom in the pregnancy, birth, postpartum and female health continuum. Jenny will be speaking at the upcoming Postpartum Conference which will be a great way to hear more of her lessons and wisdoms. Us from PBB will also be there and will be be doing interviews and taking comments from the participants. So if you’re there and want to meet us, come and say hello !
Jenny Blyth
http://www.birthwork.com/
Postpartum conference:
https://www.gentletraditions.xyz/professional-conferences-well-supported-mothers-collective
19 AUG 2024 · Today Oni Blecher speaks with Anna Watts. Anna is the Founder of Celebration of Birth, and has been guiding women and their partners through the journey of pregnancy and birth for over 30 years. Anna believes in honouring and celebrating birth as a ‘rite of passage’ for mother, father and baby, supporting empowered birthing choices and strengthening the spiritual connection in pregnancy and birth.
Anna’s experience as a Childbirth Educator, Doula Trainer, Prenatal Yoga Teacher, Spiritual Healer, Counsellor and mother of two beautiful daughters both born at home – one a water birth – brings a depth and grounded warmth to her teaching.
Anna also Co-Authored https://www.celebrationofbirth.com/product/birthing-the-spirit-cards-guidebook/ – Guide to Conscious Conception, Pregnancy and Birth – a beautiful set of cards with guidebook offering inspiration and guidance to support the spiritual connection at this transformative time.
Anna is a passionate traveller and has spent time teaching, learning and assisting in birth communities around the world, including the https://www.facebook.com/SupportFreMo/, Nairobi, Kenya; https://www.facebook.com/DaALuzOasis/, Andalucia, Spain; Midwife & Doula Community, Queretaro, Mexico. Sharing women’s wisdom with a diverse range of birth professionals has greatly enhanced Anna’s birthing knowledge and the way she passes on holistic skills to both pregnant women and doulas alike.
Anna recently became a Grandmother; which was an inspiration for this episode. We have had Anna on the show before and we were keen to hear about her transition into grandmotherhood. In the Maga season of her life, Anna is delighting in supporting her family to blossom and flourish by holding true holistic care at the centre of wellbeing for future generations. The red thread lineage continues to be grounded in deep trust for birthing wisdom.
To get in touch with Anna's offerings, see below
https://www.celebrationofbirth.com
@sacredbirthsacredearth
7 AUG 2024 · Today, Oni Blecher speaks with Fiona O'Shaughnessy. Fiona is a mum of 3, doula, childbirth educator, independent consumer representative for the Northern NSW LHD and a consumer advocate, representing the charity Hygieia Health. She's speaking to us today in her capacity working with Hygieia.
This is an update episode from our last episode with Fiona titled 'Proposed Changes to Homebirth in Australia' around one month ago. If you haven't listened to this episode, we recommend that you do. This episode is an update on the survey that Homebirth Australia, and Hygeia Health circulated to advocate for optimal consumer access to privately practicing midwives and hombeirth. Today, Fiona shares the results of this sruvey as a part of the consultation process that is happening on a federal level. Have a listen and hear how you can best support the next steps.
Below are some useful links to be updated on this issue.
Survey results: https://actionnetwork.org/user_files/user_files/000/110/933/original/Homebirth_Australia_survey_report.pdf_2024-07-29_11_11_56.pdf
History of issue: https://www.homebirthaustralia.org/professional-indemnity-insurance.html
Donate to support our travel: https://www.homebirthaustralia.org/donate.html
Petition for birth trauma reqs: https://www.betterbirthsillawarra.org.au/birthtraumapetition
Hygieia Health is dedicated to the sacred work of birth and the impact it has on the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of women, their families, and birth workers. We believe that “Peace on Earth begins at Birth,” as Jeanine Parvarti Baker so poignantly stated. As a non-profit organization with a charitable purpose of promoting the prevention and treatment of birth trauma, we strive to provide birth workers, obstetricians, midwives, and doulas with the knowledge and skills necessary to care for themselves and others, and to return birth to its rightful place as a profound rite of passage.
Their mission is to support women on their journey to childbirth, ensuring that they receive safe and trauma-free birth services and support. We aim to raise awareness of the occurrence and consequences of birth trauma and provide women and birth workers with the tools and support they need to prepare for and experience a safe, positive birth.
Advocacy groups such as HH, Homebirth Australia, Maternity choices Australia, and us here at PBB Media spend a considerable amount of time translating some of these deeply rooted political stirrings or changes in to smaller bite sized information segments so that we can all come together in our united aim to ensure optimal freedom of choice in childbirth, however that may look for you.
We always welcome your feedback and thoughts. Leave us a review, rating, instagram comment or DM, or simply be in touch via email through mailto:hello@pbbmedia.org
Thanks for tuning in !
25 JUL 2024 · Today, Oni Blecher and Naomi Jannsen both speak with Dr. Oscar Serrelach. Naomi joins us as a guest interviewer for this conversation with Oscar Serrelach for the upcoming Postpartum Conference hosted by Well Supported Mother.
Dr Oscar specialises in postnatal depletion and his medical expertise centres around optimising Mothers health and wellness. “He deeply believe that if Mothers are well, families can be well. And if families are well, then society has a much better chance of being well." Researching Postnatal Recovery for almost 10 years, Dr. Oscar Serrallach has shared his knowledge on Postnatal Depletion and fourth trimester healing with his revolutionary book, “The Postnatal Depletion Cure.” Today, Dr. Oscar Serrallach continues to offer medical consultations and retreats around Byron Bay New South Wales in Australia, whilst building the resources and community for the MotherCare Project alongside his partner Caroline.
For those of you who don’t know or are new to Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond; Dr Serrelach, his wife Caroline, and The Health Lodge have also been long time supporters of us here at PBB Media and have also contributed greatly to Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond podcast since its inception. Big thanks to you two for being such active, supportive, and generous members of our community.
Naomi is a traditional medicine practitioner, with over 20 years of experience. She weaves a wealth of expertise from diverse healthcare settings to provide clinical care and education. She is dedicated Advocate for Traditional Medicine especially in Women's Health and Birth/Reproductive Health services. She holds the vision of Culturally oriented and Mother centred experiences for Women during childbearing and rites of passage. Naomi often speaks at conferences and for podcasts to inform on the importance of Cultural Practices and Medicines in Women's Health. Pertinent to this interview, Naomi is hosting a postpartum conference in Coolangatta, Tweed in December.
Today, Naomi and I speak to Oscar, and each other about some of the sciences and themes that will be highlighted in Naomi’s upcoming conference where Oscar will be a key note speaker. This was a really enjoyable conversation that reiterated my own sense of purpose or re stoked the fire of advocating for mothers and families with young children.
Please see their website details below !
POSTPARTUM CONFERENCE DETAILS:
https://www.gentletraditions.xyz/professional-conferences-well-supported-mothers-collective
https://www.droscarserrallach.com
https://www.gentletraditions.xyz
8 JUL 2024 · In this epsiode, Oni Blecher speaks with Edie Barltey. Edie is a Sexologist and Art therapist with a background in psychotherapy. Edie has also complted her doula training and has assisted birth. Her approach as both a therapist and a human being is open minded, non-judgmental and heart centred.
Edie’s work aims to normalise conversations around sex and pleasure and the social and cultural discourse around both. She sheds light on topics relating to nervous system health, navigating stress and overwhelm, self worth, self compassion and acceptance, dealing with chronic pain or illness, menstrual cycle health, consent, boundaries and relationships. In this interview we also cover menstrual shame; the topic of Edie's thesis. Edie’s work expands into realms of the grater human experience, with healing and wellbeing. She offers a safe space, where anything and everything can be spoken, acknowledged, seen and accepted
In this conversation, we span many topics and curiosities; all aligning to embracing the body at many different life stages.
Enjoy this conversation and check out Edie's work here:
https://www.ediebartley.com
@with.edie
16 JUN 2024 · Today I speak with Sali McIntyre and Naomi Jannsson.
Sali is an antenatal educator, author midwife, Arvigo practitioner and teacher, and mother of four adult children, all born at home. She also runs Heart and Soul of Wellness which is a wellness centre in Murwillumbah where she runs pregnancy and postpartum groups, amongst many more offerings.
Naomi is a traditional medicine practitioner, with over 20 years of experience. She weaves a wealth of expertise from diverse healthcare settings to provide clinical care and education. She is dedicated Advocate for Traditional Medicine especially in Women's Health and Birth/Reproductive Health services. She holds the vision of Culturally oriented and Mother centred experiences for Women during childbearing and rites of passage. Naomi often speaks at conferences and for podcasts to inform on the importance of Cultural Practices and Medicines in Women's Health.
Together, these two run a festival called Birth Wellness festival, which is a coming together of parents, families, and practitioners and clinicians in the area for greater connection of community and services relevant to the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period. In this interview we speak a lot about the importance of gathering in real life embodied spaces to create greater sense of care and togetherness in community.
Birth Wellness Festival:
https://events.humanitix.com/birth-wellness-festival-2024
Sali:
https://heartandsoulofwellness.com.au
Naomi:
https://www.gentletraditions.xyz/
10 JUN 2024 · In this episode, Oni Blecher speaks with Fiona O'Shaughnessy. Fiona is a mum of 3, doula, childbirth educator, independent consumer representative for the Northern NSW LHD and a consumer advocate, representing the charity Hygieia Health. She's speaking to us today in her capacity working with Hygieia.
Hygieia Health is dedicated to the sacred work of birth and the impact it has on the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of women, their families, and birth workers. They believe that “Peace on Earth begins at Birth,” as Jeanine Parvarti Baker so poignantly stated. As a non-profit organization with a charitable purpose of promoting the prevention and treatment of birth trauma, they strive to provide birth workers, obstetricians, midwives, and doulas with the knowledge and skills necessary to care for themselves and others, and to return birth to its rightful place as a profound rite of passage. Their mission is to support women on their journey to childbirth, ensuring that they receive safe and trauma-free birth services and support. They aim to raise awareness of the occurrence and consequences of birth trauma and provide women and birth workers with the tools and support they need to prepare for and experience a safe, positive birth.
Advocacy groups such as Hygieia Health, Homebirth Australia, Maternity choices Australia, and us here at PBB Media to name a few, spend a considerable amount of time translating some of these deeply rooted political stirrings or changes in to smaller bite sized information segments so that we can all come together in our united aim to ensure optimal freedom of choice in childbirth, however that may look for you.
You may have a relative, a friend, a neighbour who is interested to birth at home. You may know a midwifery student who has the aim to become a privately practicing midwife. Even if home birth is not on your radar, you may even just empathise with the right to choose a birth environment that feels safe and right. Advocacy groups do so much work, but lets not forget our own capacity to advocate for our fellow human beings, even if their choices look different to ours. The meaning of advocacy is ‘public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy’.
We always welcome your feedback and thoughts. Leave us a review, rating, instagram comment or DM, or simply be in touch via email through mailto:hello@pbbmedia.org We have left some great links below in relation to information sources that Fi mentions throughout the interview.
Thanks for tuning in !
@hygieiahealthltd
@bumps_birth_and_beyond
@homebirth_australia
@bornathomefilm
Survey link:
https://tr.ee/pENQCpTihh
Excerpt from Hygieia Health Instagram regarding proposed changes:
“You may have seen a video circulating yesterday where Senator @larissawaters asked the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer (CNMO) about proposed changes to insurance for homebirth during Senate Estimates - we’d like to thank Senator Waters for her questions.
If you're wondering what this all means, please keep reading.
We feel the collective anger, fear and in some cases hopelessness about this issue, understanding it's deeply rooted in the lived experiences of women and midwives who have had to fight for women’s rights in childbirth for decades.
What We Do Know: The Government will conduct a consultation process in the coming months, aiming to have details finalised by the end of the year. The proposed insurance would only be available for midwives providing homebirth care to women with 'low risk' pregnancies. This could mean that midwives might not be legally able to provide homebirth services to women outside this definition.
Currently, the definition of ‘low risk’ and who defines it is yet to be determined. However, comments made by the CNMO suggest it could exclude women with common risk factors such as previous c-section, high BMI, gestational diabetes, lack of social support and more. The CNMO also stated that if women deemed ‘high risk’ still want a homebirth, they will need a consultation with an obstetrician to be told to give birth in a hospital.
Our Goal: It’s not too late to influence this process and protect the choice to homebirth as a right for all women. HBA has been promised a seat at the table and we are pushing for this to be a public consultation.
Urgency: Women who will become pregnant from September onwards will be directly impacted, so we will reiterate the urgency of this throughout the consultation process.
Your Feedback Matters: We’ve put together a survey as a first step to gather your feedback so we can head into the consultation process and represent the needs of our community.
Who Should fill out the Survey: • Have you had a homebirth previously? • Are you planning a homebirth? • Are you a homebirth midwife?
Take Action: Complete our survey (link above)
6 JUN 2024 · "This is so needed!" PBB weaving love into our community
In this episode, Annalee and Sally, two of the founders of PBB Media and former presenters of our show, get together to discuss the history of our Outreach Hub, how it started and how it has evolved over time and all that it has to offer our community.
The PBB Outreach Hub offers free baby and toddler clothes every Friday from 10am at the CWA Hall in Mullumbimby (corner of Tincogan and Gordon Sts). We welcome any good quality donations of clothes to keep them circulating.
We also hear from two mums, Calindy and Hope, who have found some clothing treasures for their little ones. Alice also shares her story of being supported by the hub in the early days after the 2022 floods when her first child was only 6 months old. Alice still loves to come and visit, catch up with friends and swap some kids' clothing, now with her second child in tow.
And finally we hear from one of our volunteers, Jess, a mum of 3 who gives her time to help run the hub and play with the little ones while mums look through the clothes and shoes.
We thank everyone who contributed to this podcast and look forward to seeing you at the Hub!
If you are interested in volunteering at the hub, we just ask for 4 hours of your time per month and in return you have a lovely social time, making cups of tea and sorting the donated clothes into the boxes. Enquiries: mailto:sally@pbbmedia.org
25 MAR 2024 · In this episode, Oni Blecher interviews Tallulah and Xanthe. Both are Bachelor of Midwifery students in the final year of their studies.
Tallulah grew up on Bundjalung Country and was immersed in a community that favoured an integrative approach to healthcare and wellness, Tallulah felt an innate pull to participate. Along her journey, she felt a deep calling to support women and families, naturally falling into midwifery.
Xanthe first felt the calling of midwifery at 14 years old. She spent the next decade thinking about the seed that was planted from such a young age, eventually realising that this calling could no longer be ignored. She truly loves midwifery with her whole heart, and feels incredibly privileged to be walking into a profession that is so rich in culture and practice since the beginning of humanity.
Tallulah’s philosophy is to be led by women and families. As Culturally Safe care is inherently defined by the perspectives of those receiving care, Tallulah aspires for the women she serves to feel the power handed back to them as the primary decision makers. Tallulah hopes to fulfil a graduate position in Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) and go on to facilitate home births as a private practice midwife, whilst offering a sliding scale of cost to make safe birth more accessible.
Xanthe hopes to work alongside some of our most vulnerable people groups in the community as a midwife, also within a continuity of care model. She is driven by the desire to provide holistic care, where women, birthing people, and families feel deeply respected and heard. She strongly believes in the potential of the childbirth continuum being a time that can have deep and lasting positive change for families and communities when care is provided well.
Both Tallulah and Xanthe had the privilege of undertaking an overseas placement in remote Papua New Guinea in November 2023 of which they talk about during this interview. It was here that their love for midwifery was solidified. They were reminded of the role of midwifery as primary healthcare, servicing families and communities. Being remote and without basic resources or staffing, the two learnt the value of teamwork, being resourceful and acting on instinct.
Tallulah and Xanthe cherish the relationships they build with women and their families and see the art and profession of midwifery as an immense privilege, they can’t imagine doing anything else!
If you have any questions for these two, feel free to send us an email at hello@pbbmedia.org
Pregnancy Birth & Beyond where stories, science, traditions and new ideas meet. We work and live on Bundjalung Country, Australia.
Visit us at www.pbbmedia.org
Visit us at www.pbbmedia.org
Information
Author | PBB Media Incorporated |
Organization | Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond |
Categories | Health & Fitness |
Website | www.pbbmedia.org |
hello@pbbmedia.org |
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