Midwifery

Lead: Professor Kathleen Fahy

The Midwifery research program, led by Kathleen Fahy, is concerned with research which contributes to midwifery's core business of promoting holistic wellbeing for women and babies during the childbearing year, taking into account the physical and social environment. This involves research and theory development about the safety and effectiveness of midwifery models of care. Within that we have a focus upon continuity of midwifery care as it affects the experiences and outcomes of women (and families) who are at risk of poor outcomes.

Current studies include:

• 'Identifying women at risk of premature birth'
• 'Evaluating the safety and effectiveness of Birth Centres'
• 'The Relationship Between Birth Environment and Birth Outcomes'
• 'Factors Affecting Woman's Embodied Sense of Self During Childbearing'
• 'Factors that Enhance Women's Energy Levels After Birth'
• 'Midwifery Intervention aimed at Enhancing Wellbeing in Women who are Smokers at the Beginning of Pregnancy'
• 'Enhancing Inter-professional Collaboration'
• 'Maternal Mortality in Rural PNG: A qualitative study'

We have particular expertise with critical, feminist and post structural methodologies. Drawing upon expertise within the Faculty of Health and the Research Centre for Mothers and Babies we also embrace logical-empirical, quantitative methodologies.