Books are amazing things. They they can teach, motivate, share stories and allow us to loose ourselves for as long as we are reading. Jodie Millers' new book "What dos it feel like being born?" does all of this and more, and we are fortunate that Jodie will be joining us at the Australian Endorsed Midwife Conference this June, to talk to us about her book and the unfolding events within.

 

It's 1999 and Jodie doesn't want children. When her husband threatens, baby or bust, she resists. But 30 is approaching, and her eggs aren't getting younger.

By chance, Jodie gets access to the only public Birth Centre in South East Queensland; one of two in the entire state. She is profoundly changed by her baby's beautiful birth and becomes an advocate at the hospital while a larger, national campaign for birth reform is growing.

Having babies herself and supporting others in birth, Jodie uncovers the secret women's business that conservative obstetricians deny and resist.

In Australia, one-third of all births are caesarean and one in ten women experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. If reproduction is a feminist issue, welcome to the forgotten women's movement. 

 

Jodie's' book has been described as a memoir of maternity activism and tells Jodie's own story of her journey through the Australian maternity system and her passage into becoming an activist for maternity reform.

Jodie's book is compelling reading for women, maternity consumers, birth advocates and birth workers and will be available for sale at the conference, along with the chance to speak to Jodie about her experiences, her book and her new writing project.

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Born in Central Queensland, but grew up in the Mary Valley, South East Queensland. Jodie love mountains and green grass and wide-open skies. She loves where she lives, and her roots go deep. Jodie is a writer, activist, and businesswoman whose stories tap universal interpersonal themes. She lives with her husband and family on Brisbane’s rural outskirts. She runs a family business from home, and in what spare time there is, she reads and writes and learns. There aren’t enough hours in a day for the garden, the home and business, but somehow writing fits in the cracks.