CDU’s Birthing on Country Program gets Federal Government backing

CDU have been backed to find a solution in how to save Indigenous mothers and their children. Why ‘maternal health justice’ is at the core of the program.

Professor Kildea and Professor Roe, of Charles Darwin University, are involved in the Birthing on Country program.

Charles Darwin University’s mission to save Indigenous mothers and their babies from dangerous birth deliveries has been given a major lift.

CDU’s Molly Wardaguga Research Centre has received $5 million from the federal government’s Medical Research Future Fund to expand its support for Birthing on Country services, aimed at enabling First Nations women to undergo childbirth in rural, remote and very remote locations.

Centre director Professor Yvette Roe said the research would be “informed” by First Nations people and support “maternal health justice”.

“Preterm birth is one of the largest causes of stillbirth, infant and child mortality, and a significant contributor to lifelong disability and chronic diseases in First Nations Australians,” Prof Roe said.

Indigenous women face greater risk in childbirth than other Australians. Picture: Supplied.

Alice Springs and Galiwin’ku have been nominated, to evaluate the remote and very remote demonstration sites respectively.

Nowra, NSW, was selected as the rural location.

“Our goal in these three demonstration sites is to reduce preterm babies,” Prof Roe said.

“This has already been done in an urban setting where a study has found a 38 per cent reduction in preterm babies.”

As part of the new funding, the centre will look to develop and evaluate an educational program on supervision, cultural safety and trauma-informed care as well as a clinical midwifery program.

Deputy director Professor Sue Kildea said the funding would support future efforts to provide Birthing on Country services.

“The goal of this next stage is to help organisations and communities implement Birthing on Country services that are underpinned by evidence, and for them to be able to transition to, and sustain these services into the future,” she said.