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98. Birth, Trauma, and Maternity Reform: Alecia Staines on Her Decade of Advocacy

98. Birth, Trauma, and Maternity Reform: Alecia Staines on Her Decade of Advocacy

FromThe Good Enough Mother


98. Birth, Trauma, and Maternity Reform: Alecia Staines on Her Decade of Advocacy

FromThe Good Enough Mother

ratings:
Length:
54 minutes
Released:
Aug 3, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

*Please note that this podcast discusses obstetric violence, rape, and trauma.

** If you would like to lodge a submission to the Birth Trauma Inquiry via The Maternity Consumer Network, head here: https://form.jotform.com/231841360678864

To lodge directly, head here: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/lodge-a-submission.aspx?pk=2965

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Alecia Staines is a passionate advocate for improving the maternity care system and has been working in this space of political advocacy for a decade. She is also a classroom teacher, childbirth educator, yoga teacher, founder of Maternal Consumer Network, and mother of 5.
In this conversation Alecia provides an overview of some of the key problems she sees within the maternity system, how she works both within the system and outside of it, in order to advocate for institutional change. Alecia is active in working to address structural inadequacies, as well in supporting individuals through education, trauma-informed practices, and more. We talk frankly about the challenges in initiating structural and social change, and I ask for Alecia’s insights as to how she’s navigated these challenges and sustained herself over the course of her career and volunteer work.

Alecia reflects on the bureaucratic obstacles that exist in the maternity system, the prevalence of birth and obstetric violence, the importance of respectful communication within healthcare, and the foundational role that birth plays in ‘setting us up’ for motherhood. We talk about the ripple effects of birth trauma on relationships and society and discuss healing, the power of story-telling, vagal toning, social power dynamics, paternalism, hierarchies, and the need for reform.

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Alecia has a range of online and face to face offerings, including her Vagal Toning for Birth Trauma Course. All available at www.aleciastaines.com.au

https://www.instagram.com/alecia_staines/

Reach out to The Maternity Consumer Network: https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/
https://www.instagram.com/maternity_consumer_network/

Australia's first consent training for maternity health professionals: https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/about-6

Better Births presentation from Alecia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7FQtT37XDU

Check out Alecia’s podcast: Birth, The Forgotten Feminist Issue

Show notes for more links and information from the show: https://drsophiebrock.com/podcast98

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If you find aspects of this podcast conversation raises difficult feelings for you, please reach out for support.

Support lines
Australia - https://www.panda.org.au/ - 1300 726 306
@pandanational @lifelineaustralia @13yarn
UK - https://pandasfoundation.org.uk/ - 0808 1961 776
USA - https://www.postpartum.net/ - Text “Help” to 800-944-4773 (EN)
The EU/EEA - Mental health helpline - 116 123
Released:
Aug 3, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

The role of being a Mother offers us the potential for incredible expansion, growth, and power, while also being one of – if not THE – most challenging, undervalued, and taken for granted roles in the world. Motherhood Studies Sociologist, researcher, and single Mother, Dr Sophie Brock hosts The Good Enough Mother (TGEM) podcast with an aim to change how Motherhood is culturally defined and individually experienced. TGEM draws its name from a theorist and pediatrician Winnicott, who highlighted the ways ‘good enough’ parenting is actually what is best for our children – not perfectionism. The podcast centres the Mother as the starting point for conversations with experts and change-makers who are passionate about seeing social, cultural, and institutional change to better support Mothers and therefore our families, and communities.