Help us create our sacred birthing hospital

Hygieia Health Ltd is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the sacred work of birth and the impact it has on the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of women, their families, and birth workers. We strive to provide birth workers, obstetricians, midwives, and doulas with the knowledge and skills necessary to care for themselves and others, and to return birth to its rightful place as a profound rite of passage. Our vision is to help create a world where birth is recognised and valued as a transformative experience, where the cycles of life are honoured, and the rights of birthing mothers/parents are upheld. Birth is a sacred rite of passage that deserves respect and dignity, and it is our commitment to uphold the sovereignty of birthing women. Our mission is to bring about a transformative change in maternity care in Australia with a primary focus to promote safe and empowering birthing experiences.

We are determined to create a new paradigm: a maternity hospital that can provide support to the majority (physiological, normal birth) and the minority (complicated or higher risk pregnancies). All this, while respecting women’s autonomy and choices every step of the way. Mums want the best for their babies, and we trust them. We believe that all women, with or without financial resources, should have access to this type of care.

We know that birth is best when women and families are in a safe and undisturbed environment so we aim to build a birthing hospital that is a sanctuary, where women can access holistic and woman-centred care including vaginal breech birth, birth after 2 caesarean sections and vaginal births in multiple pregnancies. We believe that however a woman experiences her pregnancy and birth, will influence all of her relationships (with herself, her baby, her partner/family and her community), as well as her ability to parent, especially in the early days. Providing socially and culturally respectful care will help to ensure physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing outcomes for the woman, her partner and their baby.

We plan to work closely with the Indigenous community to develop maternity services that are designed, developed, delivered and evaluated for, and with, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women that is culturally aware, respectful and focussed.

Our sacred birthing hospital will be birthed into the world in 3 phases:

Phase 1: Birth Sanctuary (birth house/centre) for low risk women

Phase 2: All-risk birth centre, with homebirth program and collaboration with homebirth midwives

Phase 3: All-risk birthing hospital with obstetric care and services

We envisage bringing true holistic care services into our sanctuary so women have access to a range of services, including (but not limited to): naturopath, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, doula care, childbirth education, homebirth support, postnatal care, debriefing and counselling.

Our initial fundraising effort is here to support us to fund the development of a Health Service Plan that we can take to investors to support us. We are in the conception phase of this project and we are seeking your help... planning, lobbying, fundraising, and all that goes into it. We know we are dreaming big, and our motto is “Waiting until everything is feasible, is too long to wait.” So with a little help from everyone, we can do this and change the birthing landscape in Australia, for the benefit of the women birthing today but also our children and grandchildren.