Episode 17 - Pip Wynn Owen - "How to be Birth Savvy"
Hi, I am Pip Wynn Owen and I am most proud to call myself is a Certified Childbirth and Early Parenting Educator and a NDC (Neuroprotective Developmental Care) Accredited Health Professional because what I most want to do in my work is help parents have the best possible birth and early parenting experience they can.I am also immensely proud of being a Mum of 4. Not just because they are all awesome but because I have learnt so much from becoming their mum.
I started my career as a registered nurse which I loved (especially as I got to travel and work around Australia and the UK) and thought I would never want to be anything else. But after the birth of my first baby, with an incredible midwife in Porirua New Zealand, I decided I had to be a midwife.
And then it was the birth of my fourth child, my first with an obstetrician in the private system, that propelled me to create an independent childbirth education service.
I have always been committed to being the best educator I can be. This is why even though I was a registered midwife I did Childbirth Education Training with Birth International in 2004, HypnoBirthing – Mongan Method Training in 2012, Hypnobirthing Australia™ Training in 2013 and NDC Accreditation in 2019. I have always said it is this extra (and up to date) training that makes me the educator I am today, not my midwifery training.
To be really honest, I am quite horrified at some of the things I was taught to do during my midwifery training, and I do worry about the harm I may have done to women’s birthing and early motherhood experiences and their breastfeeding journeys. However, I often remind myself of the wonderful Maya Angelou quote: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." I now know better so I am dedicated to doing so much better.
One thing I do so much better now is understanding that although I have done all this training and keep up to date with the latest research, I know I am not the expert on any individual woman’s body, on any individual baby or any particular family. I now know it is my job to share my knowledge on birth, breastfeeding, and babies in general so that individual parents have the confidence to make their own decision in their unique circumstances.
I also believe in educating and encouraging midwives of the future to do better and as such I am a Guest University Lecturer and Speaker at Study Day’s and Conferences.
And, because I am older and know better (or maybe just thicker skinned), I am now prepared to speak out and call for all birth and early parenting professionals to do better. So, I never shy away when asked to comment on these issues, or make appearances on National Radio and TV, or write opinion pieces for national newspapers. It is not good enough to keep doing what we were taught during our training (especially if that was over 20 years ago). The evidence is clear. We do know what is better for women, babies, and families now, so it is time we all did better for them.
Want to connect with Pip? Find her at.....
https://www.facebook.com/BirthSavvy
https://birthsavvy.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/PerthHypnobirthing
Dr. Sarah Buckley's Report On the Hormonal Physiology Of Childrearing
Why things hurt: Prof Lorimer Mosley
Matrescence: A new way to think about the transition to motherhood: Alexandra Sacks
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2745875
