Birthing in community with culturally safe maternal care

Sade Von Stanke faced many challenges before becoming pregnant with her first child. The experience made it very important for her to find the best available maternity care. She listened to other mums and families carefully.

One of the themes that came out was the need for continuity of care, having people around you who know your story,

explained Sade.

Fortunately, Sade was able to connect with Birthing in our Community, a program which offers culturally safe maternal care to over 750 First Nations families in South-East Queensland each year. 

The program offers wrap-around services including psychology, dieticians and fitness classes.

For Birthing in our Community staff member Amanda Gray, it’s all about supporting and empowering families to make them stronger

“We love building and empowering our mums and our families to speak up for themselves and their babies.

“One of the biggest impacts we have is keeping families together,” Amanda said.

The service began as a partnership between the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH), the Brisbane Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service, and the Mater Mothers’ Hospital. It’s funded by the Commonwealth as an important Closing the Gap initiative. Importantly, the service is community based.

“I love this program, and what we offer families,” Amanda said.

We are a family, throughout the whole 3 years they are linked in with us, even after, because we are mob, working with mob, alongside mob, and we are a community.

Sade and her baby, Lenny, have certainly felt the positive benefits of the Birthing in our Community program.

“It absolutely has been life-changing,” said Sade.

For more information

• Find out more about the Birthing in our Community program: Birthing in Our Community – Institute for Urban Indigenous Health
• Read the Closing the Gap Commonwealth 2024 Annual Report and 2025 Implementation Plan: Closing the Gap | NIAA