Business of Being Born - More Brisbane Screenings!
I've just heard that tickets for additional screenings of this fantastic birth documentary have just gone onsale through the Home Midwifery Association store.Seat numbers are limited, so get in quick! The last screening sold out fast.
* Gold Coast - Thursday 21st February (Griffith uni, GC Campus) 6:30pm start
* Brisbane - Sunday 24th February (Dendy Cinema, city) 10am start
* Brisbane - Thursday 28th February (Dendy Cinema, city) 7pm start
Labels: media
Posted by Tina at 1:37 PM | 0 comments read on
The Business of Being Born
Doing some reading recently, I was a little shocked to find that up to 45% of Australian women report that either all, or some aspects of their birth experience were traumatic when evaluated against recognised criteria for a "traumatic event". That is alot of women who are starting motherhood from an injured, distressed and difficult place.Something is very wrong with the way birth is viewed today, by both the medical profession and by ourselves as women. "The Business of Being Born" is a new film which examines the questions we should all be asking to find our way back to a place where birth is viewed as more than just a risky endeavour with the primary goal of extracting a baby.
I attended a screening of TBOBB couple of days ago and it was truly amazing. I would encourage anyone who is pregnant, or even thinking about having a baby to see it. In a nutshell, it addresses some of the "big issues" surrounding birth today - how it is that we've arrived at a situation where trained surgeons are handling normal births and what that means for women who are low risk or who want a normal birth, why maternity services are NOT driven primarily by the needs of mother of baby, and what mothers, babies and society as a whole are losing because of this (which as it turns out is quite a lot). It also touches on questions about why women are so afraid of birth and the role cultural influences play in perpetuating that fear.
Don't let the fact that it was made by Ricki Lake put you off, nor the fact that it's focus is on the US hospital system - Australia actually has a slightly higher rate of caesarean than the US so it is just as relevant to us. It is well researched, factual and in parts beautifully filmed. The homebirth scenes had me in tears - both for the beauty of seeing these women give birth on their own terms, and also because sadly it's so rare for birth to be allowed to unfold undisturbed as we see with the mothers in this film. The contrast between some of the homebirth scenes and the hospital birth scenes was stark.
It's a fantastic film and I really hope the message gets out far and wide. You can view a preview here, and it will be out on DVD shortly.
Labels: media
Posted by Tina at 1:32 PM | 0 comments read on
Childbirth Choices Seminars
The CEA (Childbirth Education Association) have a "Childbirth Choices" seminar coming up in Brisbane on February 10 and 24th. The seminar is a great opportunity to access unbiased information about the variety of options for birthing in Brisbane. Topics covered include: choosing where to birth, what kind of care you can expect from different providers (an examination of the role of midwives, obstetricians, doctors and doulas), and birthing on your terms. Full details are available here.Increasing pressure on maternity services means that some women find they need to book with popular OB's or have their name down at birth centres by six weeks pregnant. And if you want a homebirth...in some areas, you'd better have a midwife lined up when you ovulate and even then you would be lucky to get one at all! This leaves so little time to compare your options or give serious thought to what your needs are. As a doula, I support mums birthing in many different settings with different types of care (both public and private, with midwives and obstetricians). Through these experiences I've witnessed first hand how a mum's choice of careprovider and birth place can influence what happens during her birth. Deciding on care is one of the first decisions we make when we find out we're pregnant and our choice will affect multiple aspects of our experience - but due to the pressure to even "get in" to the type of care they've chosen, too many women feel rushed and unable to take the time to consider their options. There are many philosophical differences between the midwifery and obstetric view of birth. Understanding these differences and what they mean for the kind of birth you are planning is a positive step towards taking an active role in your pregnancy care.
Labels: birthing options, careproviders
Posted by Tina at 7:30 AM | 0 comments read on
