A Somalian mum of five daughters is one of hundreds to benefit from an Australian-first refugee midwifery program run at a nearby hospital.
Springwood’s Fartun Hussein, aged 27, said the one-on-one care she received at Mater Mothers’ Hospital was “memorable” and “completely different” from anything she would have received in her country of birth.
Mrs Hussein moved to Australia from Somalia in 2005.
She has since birthed five daughters – Sundus (5), Sidra (4), Sakina (3), Sahar (2) and Sabah (1) – and is now expecting her sixth.
“Back home, in some situations women die during childbirth,” Mrs Hussein, a childcare worker, said.
“For me, what is special about the service in Brisbane is having the same midwife for each of my pregnancies and also that one-on-one care.”
The refugee group practice service provides women with direct access to a midwife, pregnancy check-ups, support through labour and birth, and up to six weeks postnatal care.
Every year, around 160 refugee women are supported.
Those with refugee backgrounds are more susceptible to suffering from perinatal mental illness, and are less likely to seek help, according to the hospital.
“During my pregnancies, if I had any pain, wasn’t feeling well or had any questions, my midwife would guide me through everything,” Mrs Hussein said.
“During my births, my midwife advocated for me and each time goes out of her way to make sure I have a positive experience.
“The last time I gave birth, I was home the same day.
“When the kids came home from childcare they had another sibling – I trusted my midwife and she knew I was safe to be at home.”
Clinical midwife Michelle Steel said the program helped address the challenges facing refugee women.
“Women in the care of the Refugee Midwifery Group Practice (RMGP) have fewer emergency caesareans than those receiving care from any other model of maternity care,” she said.
“They are less likely to have complications in pregnancy and birth and are less likely to use epidural analgesia or have a preterm baby.”
According to Ms Steel, female refugees who resettle in high-income countries like Australia have poorer perinatal outcomes when compared to the general population.
“Refugee women have higher rates of pre-eclampsia, postpartum haemorrhages, gestational diabetes, postnatal depression, preterm birth, low birthweight babies, caesarean sections, and neonatal nursery admissions,” she said.
“But thanks to this model of care we are seeing things turn around.”
Ms Steel said the RMGP showed positive improvements in natural birth rates, attendance to antenatal care, VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean section) rates, and breastfeeding rates.
“The RMGP midwives have been well received in the refugee community and have developed high levels of trust in the care being provided,” Ms Steel said.
“We know this group of women have other stressors in their life including homelessness, financial stress, visa stress, war trauma, are victims of domestic violence, or survivors of torture”.
The care provided also includes access to an interpreter, social worker, and meeting cultural requirements.
So far, Mater’s midwives have cared for refugees from around 80 countries, including Sudan, West Africa, Tanzania, Afghanistan, and India.
