Birthing centre delivers for mums

Five local women, who will work as doulas at the centre, completed a week-long training course last week, with emphasis on the cultural needs of indigenous families.

Doulas are not trained midwives but develop a relationship with the mother during the pregnancy and help her to develop her birth plan.

They also support the mother during the birth and provide assistance with post natal care.

“A doula does all the bits a midwife would like to do but doesn’t have time for,” Natural Birth Education and Research Centre childbirth and doula educator Margaret Spain said.

“They learn the physiological side, diet, how to prepare birth bags, how massage can help, how water can help, how to support breastfeeding and general care of the whole family.”

The new birthing centre, which is due to open when the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service moves to its new premises in June, differs to other centres around the state in that it is community owned and will incorporate the child’s care up to the age of 14.

The centre will work in collaboration with Orange Base Hospital.

Midwife Carole Doyle said the centre and doula program had been developed because of demand for such a service in the Orange community.

“The women wanted it,” she said.

“They wanted something for themselves that was culturally safe and appropriate and just another option for birthing,” she said.

All women in Orange will be eligible for the service.

Kittani Morgan, who completed the doula training course, said her own experiences as a mother of two motivated her to do the program.

“I like that I’ll be supporting someone because there wasn’t always someone available to help me out,” she said.

Doula student Jo Jones said the new birthing centre would increase the number of options available to local mothers.

“Women will be able to get the birth they want,” she said.

To complete their training, doulas must attend three births and join a national doula register.