A new program will begin this month encouraging pregnant Aboriginal women in Western Australia’s Pilbara to bond with their children while still in the womb to prevent neglect and abuse.
Port Hedland’s Wirraka Maya Health Service will trial the Dreamtime Journey program with up to 15 women in their first trimester of pregnancy.
Wirraka Maya chief executive June Councillor said a lot of families the service worked with were affected by child sexual abuse, alcohol, drugs and domestic violence.
Staff had noticed new mothers were often not bonding with their children.
In what is believed to be the first program of its kind, the women will be encouraged to read, sing and tell stories to their unborn children to forge a strong bond between them.
“What we want to prevent is another wave of the Stolen Generation, where if the mum and bub isn’t connected there is that chance the baby could be neglected,” Ms Councillor said.
“So what we want to try and do is prevent that because we are trying also to prevent our children going into care.
“We need to start now and need to start while the baby is still in the womb.
“If the mother and the baby [are] more strongly connected, when the baby is born, the mother is more likely to nurture the baby and to look after the baby and less likely to neglect the baby.”
Link to Stolen Generations trauma
Nationally, Indigenous children are more than 10 times as likely to be placed in out-of-home care for their own safety than non-indigenous children, according to a Productivity Commission report on government services released in April.
Wirraka Maya counsellor Itay Lahav said attachment problems could be linked directly to the trauma caused by the Stolen Generations in many instances.
“Most of my clients, the greatest majority didn’t have that [close] parenting,” Mr Lahav said.
“Most of them spoke about a mum who was not available, who could be harsh, you couldn’t go to her if you felt distressed.
What we hope will happen is the more the mums will start to love the baby, the more they will be attached to it, the more difficult it will be to drink
Counsellor Itay Lahav
“Many of them have the awareness it all went back to the Stolen Generation. The problem with relationships seems to go all the way [back] there. That’s when things go wrong in the family.”
Staff will work with the women to ensure they are living in a stable environment where they can turn their attention to their baby.
As well as all the natural activities like preparing the baby’s bedroom or nesting, they could read the unborn child a bed time story or write them a few lines in a diary each day.
Aboriginal mentors and cultural advisors will be provided to ensure the mothers and their families are in an environment they feel comfortable with.
Talking about identity important
Midwife Angela Geddes said the program would include “yarning” appointments.
“We talk about who they want to be, what their dreams and hopes are for their child and themselves,” Ms Geddes said.
“Thinking and talking about who they are and where they’ve come from and what stories they’ll be telling their child about where they come from.”
Mr Lahav said issues like alcohol would also be discussed.
“What we hope will happen is the more the mums will start to love the baby, the more they will be attached to it, the more difficult it will be to drink,” he said.
“In other words, the more you love somebody, the more difficult it will be, normally, to [harm them].”