Woman’s Journey: Baggarrook Yurrongi, Nurragh Manma Buliana

about

This project is a collaborative partnership project developed over a number of years, with each of the six partner organisations having significant input and ‘buy in’. Since funding commenced in 2016, collaborators from each of the four participating health services have been meeting regularly with their working group members. Engagement with all key stakeholders has been a critical aspect of the project. La Trobe’s partnership with VACCHO has been a key driver, and has ensured high level input both in the development and implementation of this work.

Other ongoing key aspects of this project include Aboriginal community leadership on the investigator team and the establishment of an Aboriginal Advisory Committee to provide cultural guidance and oversight, and promote community engagement regarding the project.

This project has been iterative, and we remain committed to this approach; models such as these can only succeed if they are based on the needs of Aboriginal women and their communities, and ongoing consultation is a critical part of this work.

'Baggarrook Yurrongi' 'Nuraagh Manma Buliana'

Thank you to Wurundjeri and Yorta Yorta elders, who following consultations about the project, named it “Baggarrook Yurrongi” (Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people) meaning ‘Woman’s Journey’. In Yorta Yorta, the name is ‘Nuraagh Manma Buliana’ meaning ‘All of us working together for pregnancy”.

partners

The partners in this research project are:

• Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University
• Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) [external link]
• Goulburn Valley Health [external link]
• Mercy Hospital for Women [external link]
• Western Health [external link]
• The Royal Women’s Hospital [external link].

team

Helen L McLachlan, La Trobe University, Melbourne

Della A Forster, La Trobe University, Melbourne; The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville

Sue Kildea, Charles Darwin University, Brisbane

Jane Freemantle, University of Melbourne, Shepparton

Jennifer Browne, Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, Collingwood

Jeremy Oats, University of Melbourne, Parkville

Michelle Newton, La Trobe University, Melbourne

Marika Jackomos, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg

Jacqueline Watkins, Western Health, St Albans

Simone Andy, Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, Collingwood

Sue Jacobs, The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville

Ngaree Blow, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville

Karyn Ferguson, University of Melbourne, Shepparton

Catherine Chamberlain, La Trobe University, Melbourne

Susan Donath, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville

Lisa Gold, Deakin University, Burwood

Jenny Ryan, The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville

Fiona McLardie-Hore, La Trobe University, Melbourne; The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville

Pam McCalman, La Trobe University, Melbourne; The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville

funding

This Partnership Project is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.

The project is due to conclude in 2021.

collaborations

Healing the past by nurturing the future

Professor Helen McLachlan is part of the investigation team on the ‘Healing the past by nurturing the future’ project. This research is a community-based participatory project which aims to co-design awareness, recognition, assessment and support strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal) parents experiencing complex trauma.

Becoming a parent is exciting but it can be hard. Particularly for parents who have experienced difficulties in their own childhood, which can have long lasting effects on physical, social and emotional wellbeing. The effects may be ‘triggered’ during pregnancy and the transition to becoming a parent, causing distress and challenges for creating a nurturing environment for the new baby. On the flip side, growing research shows that becoming a parent offers a unique life-time opportunity to heal from this childhood hurt and provide a nurturing environment for children.

Yet, despite these opportunities for healing and the risk of triggering due to the intimate nature of perinatal care - particularly during frequent contacts with health care providers during pregnancy and the first two years after the baby’s birth - there are currently no systematic perinatal strategies for supporting parents who may be experiencing complex childhood trauma.

This four-year community-based participatory action research project will begin to address this critical gap.

For further information on this project, please visit the Indigenous Health Equity Unit.

This work has been funded by the NHMRC and is due to conclude in 2021