Event description
The 35th Annual Homebirth Australia conference is an opportunity for homebirth professionals, birth enthusiasts and homebirthing families to meet, network, learn and connect.
The theme for our 2023 conference is 'Radical and Responsible'.
Homebirth can be viewed as a 'radical' choice by some, because it goes against the status quo. When you choose to give birth at home, you choose to take 'radical responsibility' for yourself, your baby and your birth experience. Homebirth can also be viewed as a 'responsible' choice, because there is so much evidence available supporting homebirth as a safe choice for mother and baby, often with better physical, emotional and psychological outcomes.
There are so many aspects of homebirth that can be explored under the umbrella of this theme, and we look forward to hearing the perspectives of our presenters at our first in-person conference since 2019.
Our MC for the conference will be Jerusha Sutton, a homebirth mama, doula, birth photographer and one of the makers of the film 'Birth Time'. Jerusha has photographed previous conferences and we are so excited to have her host the conference this time.
We are so pleased to Introduce our keynote speakers:
- Gloria Lemay is an author, teacher and grandmother. She has worked in the childbirth field for the past 40 years,(17 of those as a midwife) and has had experience with over 1500 births. Gloria's film “Birth with Gloria Lemay” has sold over a thousand copies. Gloria has written many articles and has been published in Midwifery Today magazine and she is a popular online blogger at www.wisewomanwayofbirth.com. Gloria is a passionate advocate for the bodily integrity of boys and girls. She lives in Canada and travels all over North America in her role as a teacher and speaker.
- Robin Lim (named Ibu Robin, meaning 'Mother Robin' by the women she cares for in Indonesia), is a Filipina~American~Micronesian grandmother midwife, Doula and founder of Bumi Sehat NGO which maintains clinics in Indonesia and Philippines. In 1990, Robin lost her younger sister, Christine, to a complication of pregnancy which could have been prevented with better care. Her sister’s passing cemented Robin's destiny to become a BirthKeeper. Robin's passion is cultural safety, respect, in Childbirth, and healthcare as a human right. Robin has helped thousands of women give birth and is the author of many books, including 'Eat, Pray, Doula', 'After the Baby’s Birth', 'Wellness for Mothers', 'Ecology of Gentle Birth', 'Awakening Birth', and "Placenta - The Forgotten Chakra'. Robin was awarded CNN's Hero of the Year in 2011 for her tireless dedication to improving birth outcomes for women through the work of her clinics and foundations. Robin is a mother of 8 and a grandmother of 6 children born gently into her hands.
- Stuart J. Fischbein MD (aka Dr Stu) is a community-based practicing obstetrician and an Associate of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology, published author of the book “Fearless Pregnancy, Wisdom & Reassurance from a Doctor, A Midwife and A Mom” and peer-reviewed papers Homebirth with an Obstetrician, A Series of 135 Out of Hospital Births and Breech birth at home: outcomes of 60 breech and 109 cephalic planned home and birth center births. After completing his residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, Dr. Stu spent 24 years assisting women with hospital birthing and, for the last 13 years, has been a homebirth obstetrician who works directly with midwives. Dr. Stu travels around the world as a lecturer and advocate for reteaching breech & twin birth skills, respect for the normalcy of birth and honoring informed consent. Follow him on Instagram @birthinginstincts and at The Birthing Instincts Podcast with midwife Blyss Young as he offers hope, reassurance and safe, honest evidence supported choices for those women who understand pregnancy is a normal bodily function not to be feared.
Stay tuned for more speaker announcements to come!