Midwifery Cafe: public discussions about midwifery with advanced Slovene midwives
Midwifery Cafe (in Slovene: Babiški kafe) organised by Natural Beginnings Society, Slovenja Two of six Midwifery cafes - public discussions about midwifery: 25th of September and 15,h of October 2004 In preparation: two publications about contemporary midwifery in Slovenia (in Slovene and English), they will be published in November 2024.
Background: Midwives play a crucial role in guiding women and families through one of the most significant transitions in life. Beyond their health čare responsibilities, midwifery holds an important cultural and social role.
Objectives: In the Midwifery Cafe, we shed light on the complex significance of midwifery for individual woman, families and society. We revive, safeguard, and raise awareness about its roles of midwives within various communities.
Activities: We organize discussions with advanced midwives from Slovenia under the title Midwifery Cafe (in Slovene: Babiški kafe), open to the public, altogether 6 of them in 2024. These are lively and engaging talks about the cultural and social aspects of midwifery as intangible cultural heritage, exploring midwifery knowledge, skills, and practices with distinguished guests from different parts of Slovenia. The guests are modem, forvvard-thinking midvvives who eloquently present their work and thoughts. These are the first such events in Slovenia, intended for a broad audience, particularly future parents, the midwifery community, and those interested in birth culture, physiology, natural processes, women’s rights, quality of life, cooperation and support among people, motherhood, parenthood, babies.
We are preparing an e-publication about the cultural and social significance of midwifery in Slovenia, focusing on living midwifery knovvledge, skills, and practices, with an introductory chapter on midwifery as cultural heritage. Each of our guests write a chapter introducing her thoughts about contemporary challenges women and midvvives face, about her vvork, taking about the special aspect of practice and ideas about pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding,women’s rights, future of midwifery, midwifery community etc. It vvill be published and distributed online. We also preparing an English version of publication vvith summaries from the Slovenian e-publication to share internationally and straighten the knovvledge about contemporary midwifery in Slovenia and connections among different countries.
Through extensive public outreach, vve engage midvvives, midwifery organizations, and the public via social media, email, the Natural Beginnings Society nevvsletter, and online announcements of planned and completed discussions, as well as information about both publications. We keep the media informed and actively collaborate vvith them.
These activities target three main groups: the midwifery community in Slovenia, the general public, and the international community.
Each meeting is unique, as the midvvife presents herself as an individual, vvith her knovvledge, Vision, and personality. The events are very well attended, and the discussions are lively and fruitful. We are looking forvvard to to continue holding similar meetings in the future to strengthen the connection betvveen midwifery and communities.
Project Midwifery cafe is co-financed by Ministry of Culture of Slovenia.
