Season 2 Episode 4: Annabel Farry on finding the sweet spot

Birthing and Justice with Dr Ruth De Souza

Episode Synopsis:
Annabel Farry's forte is in finding a balance between the personal and political, theory and practice, embodied time and clock time, and the physiological and spiritual. She's a midwife, parent and academic, and a third generation Lebanese immigrant to Aotearoa who considers herself Tangata Tiriti. In this episode, she talks about facilitating cultural safety in birthing services as well as in midwifery education, validating the anxieties of birthing people whilst ensuring equitable care, and ensuring her children can claim their birthright of Te Reo – whilst acknowledging the loss of her Lebanese ancestors' names and language.

Episode notes:
Comparing perinatal outcomes for healthy pregnant women presenting at primary and tertiary settings in South Auckland: A retrospective cohort study: https://www.midwife.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Jnl-55-article-1-Comparing-perinatal-outcomes.pdf

Midwives’ decision-making around artificial rupture of membranes in low-risk labour: https://www.v2.i3-uat.nz/our-work/resources/halo-tool-artificial-rupture-of-membranes-poster/

Pasifika women’s choice of birthplace: https://www.midwife.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Jnl-54-article-2-Pasifika-women.pdf

Music in this episode includes ‘Can We Be Friends’ by Lobo Loco, used under a Creative Commons license from Free Music Archive.

Birthing and Justice is written and produced by Dr Ruth De Souza on the traditional and unceded lands of the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nations. Sound editing by Olivia Smith.