[Marie speaks]
So can you tell me what you think are the key components of a healthy relationship?
[Anita speaks]
Baby Makes Three is a primary prevention of Violence Against Women program, which aims to build equal and respectful relationships with families as they are transitioning to becoming parents for the first time. And we also work with the settings where families spend time, so antenatal and maternity services in public hospitals.
[Nicole speaks]
I think the hospital setting is really important in preventing family violence because nurses, midwives and doctors, they are one of the most trusted professions and that's shown year after year.
[Marie speaks]
I think traditionally childbirth and parenting education programs have really focused on labor and birth and the care of the newborn. What we haven't focused on is the relationships that change after the baby's born. How role changes, how tasks change. And I think the best thing that you can give your baby is a healthy relationship.
[Nicole speaks]
I think it's really important to target parents in the antenatal phase because we know that women experience family violence, often for the first time in a pregnancy when they've just had their first baby. So if we can intervene and prevent that from happening in the first place, then we know we're going to impact those long term effects.
The families have really enjoyed the program. And in addition, the staff have found that it's a really good platform to start what has traditionally been a really difficult conversation around respectful relationships.
[Marie speaks]
So parents have given feedback about how they didn't realise how they had come from very rigid gendered expectations of what, what it was to be a good mum or a good dad.
[Nicole speaks]
The Baby Makes Three program altered the way that we use our language when we're referring to gender stereotypes. So, you know, not referring to the mum always changing the nappy, for example.
[Marie speaks]
We often ask parents: what is going to change for you after the baby's born? And the non-pregnant parents will say, "Well, I think I'm going to have to start doing more around the house. I think I'm going to have to do less paid work."
"I'm going to have to actually focus on my family."
[Anita speaks]
And the patterns that are established in families in the first twelve months of a baby's life in terms of who does what with regards to care and housework and paid employment tend to stick for the next twelve years.
So it's a critical opportunity to disrupt patterns in families towards equal and respectful relationships, towards gender equality and ultimately towards the prevention of violence against women and their children.
[Nicole speaks]
It is important for hospitals to participate in programs like Baby Makes Three because it enables them to meet the requirements of the Gender Equality Act. As an organisation, we're committed to not just improving the health of the individuals that access our service, but our society as a whole and our community.
[Anita speaks]
We're really excited for our future in Baby Makes Three. We are continually developing partnerships with health services from across Victoria and as well as Victorian Aboriginal community controlled health organisations, a range of other culturally and linguistically diverse organisations to ensure that the practice of embedding gender equality into systems and structures just becomes the way people do their business.
[Nicole speaks]
We need to look broader than just providing physical care to mothers and babies. This program allows us to have a focus on enabling healthy and respectful relationships, which is the best gift we can give that child.
[End of video]
Updated