11/04/2024
Alka glamming it up for the cause. Who do you know who has rich lived experience to share to make change for partners of women experiencing trauma in pregnancy and birth? Who better to tell us how to support, than those who have lived it - inviting participation in this work over coming months from partners with heart to offer. Link in comments.
Redcliffe Hospital Senior Staff Specialist Dr Alka has always cared about improved health outcomes for mums and bubs – but she cares about partners during pregnancy too, and wants to see more support for them.
Through her research, Alka has interviewed many fathers and partners on their experience in the hospital system during birth and pregnancy and is now looking at how we can offer better supports for partners during what is considered a traumatic birth.
“There can be a range of reasons for a traumatic birth, which might be a physical or medical issue with the mother or baby, or it might be a psychological issue or even due to social constraints – and everyone’s perception of this will be different,” Dr Alka said.
“Birth can be so demanding, but we know that well-informed and well-supported partners are an untapped resource to assist mums and to improving women’s health overall, as well as intergenerational health.
“The next part of the research is that we are now looking to recruit fathers and birth partners to help us co-design resources for professionals and establish what else we can do to support the whole family during the birth process.” 🏥
[Accessibility image description: Alka smiles in front of the Redcliffe Hospital main entrance.]
