Supporting birthing women to find the information, services and strategies they need to make informed and empowering 'next birth after Caesarean' choices.
Whether you are considering your 'next birth after Caesarean' options, would like to know more about recovering from a Caesarean, or have already decided to plan a VBAC, One Mother to Another has been created to support you.
30/08/2024
The NSW Birth Trauma enquiry elicited responses from thousands of women across Australia. Whilst it is promising to see NSW committing to continuity of care and other basics, like respecting women's choices, I do have some concern that a focus on 'informed consent' may manifest as coercion wrapped in compassion. Time will tell.
The article links to the final report, if you'd like a read.
"The final report, delivered in May, called for urgent efforts to address avoidable lack of continuity of care, lack of trauma-informed practices, inadequate antenatal education, inadequate informed consent practices, a lack of respect for women’s birthing choices and experiences, and a lack of inclusivity and culturally appropriate services."
Ryan Park pledges to fast-track a number of initiatives, including to improve access to continuity of care and ensure informed consent
26/08/2023
If you've read the research on CTG and would like to know what other options there are, check out this post by Dr Kristen Small - it's all about intermittent auscultation. 👇
Back to basics: What is intermittent auscultation and how is it done?
25/07/2023
Ha! Baby-lead weaning for the... win? 🤣🤣
20/05/2023
You may not have known that you needed to know about what happens to umbilical nerves after you are born, and why belly buttons feel gross when touched for most people...
.. But, now you do! 😅
16/03/2023
Check out that Rhombus of Michaelis! It's doing its thang cos it is has room to move. 👌
This is a great visual to demonstrate how being on your back impedes your body's natural ability to open your pelvis.
Sara Wickham and Jean Sutton describe the Rhombus of Michaelis, an area of bone which plays an important role in labour and birth.
19/02/2023
This is a great opportunity to share your experience of maternity care. Please feel free to also share this within your networks.
"Do women in Australia receive maternity care safely and respectfully with access to appropriate services of their choice? If you have received all your maternity care in Australia for at least one baby since 1 January 2020 we are keen to hear about your experiences. Access the survey in the link below to let us know. Deakin University ethics approval (HEAG 2022-217)."
Do women in Australia receive maternity care safely and respectfully with access to appropriate services of their choice? If you have received all your maternity care in Australia for at least one baby since 1 January 2020 we are keen to hear about your experiences. Access the survey in the link below to let us know. Deakin University ethics approval (HEAG 2022-217). https://researchsurveys.deakin.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_1RCynNQ2PUVGWOi
30/01/2023
Back when we used to meet as part of CARES, a local peer-led group which supported women to plan next births after Caesarean (and all this glorious journey entails!), we used to acknowledge National Caesarean Awareness Day by bringing out the 'purple hearts'.
💜 These hearts were made from purple card and hand decorated by the women of CARES as a way to document the births of their Caesarean babies.
💜 Initially, the hearts were displayed on sticks in the grass. However, as time went on, these were then strung together as a complete and connected set of shared experiences of Caesarean birth.
💜 Of course, these hearts also represented the deeply personal experiences of each woman whose Caesarean was captured by a purple heart.
🌸 Whilst our upcoming Sunday, 5 February Re:Meet Adelaide Birth Community event is open to everyone in the community with an interest in birth, informed decision making and personal empowerment, our guest speaker, Hazel Keedle PhD VBAC researcher, literally wrote the book on 'Birth After Caesarean: Your Journey to A Better Birth'.
As such, it is a wonderful honour to be able to offer attendees a beautiful, handmade purple heart memento brooch to take home with them as they reflect upon Hazel's research and insights into Caesarean birth, VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean), and how we can support normal birth... Whether as consumers or healthcare providers.
By the way, this exclusive keepsake is made possible by the support of our wonderful event sponsors:
Many of us will know that when it comes to seeking care for pregnancy and birth we have a few options:
🌸 Midwifery or obstetric models
🌸 Public or private birth settings
🌸 Labour and Delivery wards or Birth Centres and Midwifery Group Practices
🌸Home or hospital birth
🌸Doulas or student midwives
🌸Private midwives and private obstetricians
.. But did you know you can also hire a private midwife as your very own Maternity Concierge?
25/01/2023
🌸Got a chance to take Katrina Zaslavsky's book out for a coffee at Tell Henry this afternoon.
As a book which has inspired - and continues to inspire - many, many women to plan empowering births over the past 12 years, the aesthetic (and delish!) coffee and cake pictured here are worthy companions. 😁
P.S. Katrina has kindly donated this signed copy as a door prize for one lucky attendee at our upcoming Re:Meet Adelaide Birth Community event. We appreciate your support!🌸
MORE 👇
23/01/2023
If you're not yet familiar with Dr Sarah Buckley's work, it's worth looking for podcasts etc. on her 'hormonal blueprint' research.
This will help you to understand the types of conditions which support normal labour and birth, and how each hormone is responsible for a different part of this picture.
How lucky we are to have to offering your services, Elemental Beginnings • Adelaide Doula . 🌸
🌟Warriors🌟
Some clients just leave you in tears of awe. I am writing up all of Lea's story that she has shared on my blog, but for now, I wanted to share this part with you all.
"nothing turned out as expected but having Kelly around to support me during a long and traumatic birth was amazing.
She held my hand the whole time, encouraging me and telling me I was strong and I could do it. I remember looking at her while I was pushing, trying so hard to get my baby out, and feeling her calm energy, making me feel safe and heard.
What I am the most grateful for is that she stepped in when the doctor was about to give me an episiotomy (without asking for consent) before trying forceps. I remember the doctor not being happy about it but they ended up not doing it and since I had a c-section shortly after, I will be forever grateful for Kelly's intervention that saved my va**na!!
My husband or I would have never been able to advocate for me considering the state of stress we were in at the time."
It is grossly unfair to expect anyone to fully comprehend what is happening around them when they are exhausted, overwhelmed and stressed. Let alone be able to advocate for themselves when they may feel vulnerable or frightened with the power dynamics that can happen in hospitals 💙
As a doula it is my job to ensure you understand what is happening as much as possible and that you have had the opportunity to make your own decisions about your child's birth.
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when One Mother to Another posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Whether you are considering your 'next birth after Caesarean' options, would like to know more about recovering from a Caesarean, or have already decided to plan a VBAC, One Mother to Another has been created to support you.
As a mother who has both birthed by Caesarean and VBACed, I well understand the complexities of unplanned birth outcomes and birth trauma, and what it is like to heal from these and plan for empowered birth.
I have written The VBAC Series to help other birthing women better connect with the information, services and support available to them as they embark upon the 'next birth after Caesarean' journey. My aim is to support you to make choices for yourself, both as a consumer and a mother.
As a Chief Learning Officer at a software start-up company, former secondary teacher, and consumer adviser of ten years, my experience in both Education and Health sectors offers me a unique, intersectional perspective.
I am an international speaker and present on a range of consumer-related topics, such as value-based healthcare (VBHC).
I presented on VBHC and the patient perspective at the:
Utrecht Medical Center 2016 Birth Care Symposium, Utrecht.
International Consortium of Health Outcome Measurement (ICHOM) 2016 conference, London.
ICHOM 2017 conference, Washington.
Medical Technology Assocation of Australia Conference, Sydney, 2018.
I am published in the Australian Midwifery News and VBHC Thinkers magazine (Netherlands). My educational video, The Importance of Patient Perspective in Outcome Measurement, premiered in Utrecht (2016) and forms part of the UNSW Masters of Health Data Science course.
I am an active consumer leader, and hold formal roles with WHA (special purpose director) and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (council member). I also run the VBAC Chat | South Australia consumer group, I chair WHA’s Consumer Special Interest Group, and I provide consulting services.
In all of my roles, I work to build partnerships through strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, presenting and educating in both on- and offline spheres. This results in consumer engagement projects, such as the 'Birthing Stories' project (2017), and workshops for consumers and professionals, such as my VBAC webinar for the Australian College of Midwives (which is offered to members for CPD credits).
I have developed and continue to develop numerous educational resources, including The VBAC Series program (for consumers and professionals), videos and literature, and I harness social media and other online platforms to keep these resources relevant and readily available.
For more information about the public speaking, consulting, eduction and support services offered by One Mother To Another, please connect with Tessa via PM or email: tessakowaliw@gmail.com.
__
Disclaimer
Please note that I am a qualified teacher and a mother with personal experience of Caesarean birth and VBAC. I am not a doctor, midwife or trained health professional. If you require medical advice, please speak to your health professional.
