Rural childbirth program to be reborn on January 19
January 4, 2010Due to popular demand, a panel-style Rural Health Education Foundation program about childbirth in rural and remote areas has earned an encore screening on January 19th.
Birthing in the Bush, a highly-regarded program which initially screened in March 2009, will return to the Foundation’s nationwide satellite broadcast network at 8pm (AEDT) on Tuesday 19th January 2010.
The 74-minute program looks at the latest research on the care of pregnant women and their babies and possible medical complications, and explores the implications of such research for rural women and their health caregivers. It also examines models of patient care for women with low-risk pregnancies that enable them to give birth in local communities.
Birthing in the Bush also discusses principles of good antenatal care and appropriate management of labour and birthing, and considers the various roles and responsibilities of the rural maternity health care team, along with appropriate risk management strategies.
Story of diminishing childbirth services resonates with rural women
“The feedback we received from our initial screenings of this program was so strong we’ve decided to air it again,” says Rural Health Education Foundation CEO Don Perlgut. “More than 130 maternity units have closed down across country Australia in the last 10 years, so it’s not surprising that a program which explores childbirth in rural and remote areas within that context has struck such a chord.”
“Another aspect of Birthing in the Bush which proved popular is the help it provides health professionals in understanding the experience of birthing for Indigenous women, and in devising health care strategies which are more culturally responsive,” says Mr Perlgut. “It’s only 10 months since it premiered, but the viewer response convinced us to make space for this important program in our 2010 broadcast schedule.”
Presented by a panel of experts
The format of Birthing in the Bush is a live panel discussion led by Dr Norman Swan and featuring leading medical practitioners including: Dr Peter Bland, Staff Specialist Obstetrics at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney; Ms Sue Dunning, a Team Midwife at Southern Flinders Health in Crystal Brook, SA; Sue Kildea, Associate Professor of Midwifery at Charles Darwin University, NT, & Vice President, of the Council of Remote Area Nurses Australia (CRANA); and Dr Christine Tracey-Patte, a General Practitioner from Beaudesert, QLD.
Presentation details
The hour-long program will be broadcast across the Rural Health Education Foundation’s satellite television network on Tuesday 19th January at 8pm (AEDT), with repeats at 8.00pm Perth time that same evening (two hours later) and 12.30pm on Friday 22nd January.
Available on DVD and the web
DVD copies of this program are available for purchase via the Foundation’s website.
The program is also available free on the Internet for viewing via web-streamed video or listening via an audio podcast.
Program funding
Birthing in the Bush is produced with funding from the Australian Government Department of Health & Ageing.
Childbirth challenges in rural and remote Australia
An estimated 29% of all babies in Australia are born in rural and remote areas. However, the diminishing support for rural women to give uncomplicated birth in their local communities has meant that increasingly women are faced with having to leave their communities in pursuit of good antenatal care and a safe birthing experience.
Some women feel pressed to choose unnecessary medical intervention - such as induction or caesarean section - for no other reason than to minimise uncertainty, cost and disruption to family life. Such pressures have major social and psychological impact, not just on the mother and her baby, but also on families and on rural communities generally.
More information
For more information on Birthing in the Bush - including presenter details, access instructions and associated educational resources - visit the program page or contact the Foundation.