Birth Sovereignty Panel

What does birth sovereignty, and decolonising the maternity care system, look and feel like? How does the current patriarchal birth culture impact First Nations women and marginalised communities? How can we re-imagine a birth culture that centres and supports women and birthing people? And how can we all embody the change we wish to see?
This episode is a recording of a live panel on 'Birth Sovereignty' by PBB and hosted at the Returning on Bundjalung Country in November 2020. PBB presenter, Barkindji woman Kirilly Dawn, speaks with four incredible birth keepers, mothers and change makers: Bronwyn Bancroft, Angela Coe, Mei Lai Swan and Aimee Aroha, who explore birth sovereignty, the context of modern birth culture through a decolonial lense, and share their stories , experiences and their visions for change.

Panel members include:
Bronwyn Bancroft, Bundjalung elder, artist, mother and sovereign birth advocate;
Angela Coe, Wiradjuri midwife and founder of @birthingourway
Mei Lai Swan, co-founder of Birth for Humankind and Yoga for Humankind
and Aimee Aroha, Maori Australian birth keeper and transpersonal therapist. Each of these women share their knowledge and perspective on what decolonising the dominant birth culture and maternity care system looks & feels like, and offer their vision for change.

This panel was recorded at The Returning, and Aboriginal owned and run not for profit wellbeing event that occurs twice a year on Bundjalung Country. Over 75% of tickets for this event are exchange or scholarship, for Indigenous women, single mothers, refugees and women in need, with the ethos that no woman is left behind, opening up cultural and healing spaces for all in the community. To learn more visit www.thereturningthegathering.com

The songs of kookaburras, cicadas, other winged ones and bubs and children can be heard in this episode as they added to the soundscape of the event on the day (and contributed to the panel in their own way).

To connect with panel members:
Bronwyn Bancroft, Bundjalung artist and elder: www.bronwynbancroft.com
Angela Coe, Wiradjuri Midwife: @birthingourway on Instagram
Mei Lai Swan, co-founder of Birth for Humankind: www.birthforhumankind.org
Aimee Aroha, birthkeeper and transpersonal therapist: www.www.thestonedchrysalis.com or @ripsnorter on instagram

Organisations mentioned in this episode are:
Waminda South Coast:
Birthing on Country - Best start to life — Wamindahttp://www.waminda.org.au and their Go Fund Me: https://au.gofundme.com/f/birthing-on-country

Sisters Inside: https://www.sistersinside.com.au
And their Go Fund Me: https://au.gofundme.com/f/bfvnvt-freethepeople