Business Fit Magazine November 2018 Issue 1 | Page 18

Interview
“support” implies that she needs somebody
else around to be able to manage. Whereas
if you use the word protect, it changes the
conversation completely because a woman
who is fully protected, can be aware, present
and engaged, and she knows what she and her
baby need during that birth.
What was the inspiration for
Birth Forward?
Birth Forward is a non-profit NGO in Cyprus
(www.birthforward.com). I was inspired to
start Birth Forward, through my work as a
chiropractor, and seeing the situation in Cyprus
through the experiences of my own children’s
births. In Cyprus we have very high rates of
intervention, low rates of breastfeeding, and
very high rates of Caesarian section. Almost
two thirds of babies are born through surgery
instead of naturally. Clearly, sometimes
medical intervention is needed but the aim
should be the best possible experience
for mothers and fathers even in these
circumstances, making sure their wishes and
needs are met, and that they are fully informed
and part of the decision-making. When I took
the initiative to create Birth Forward in 2013
I brought together professionals: midwives,
colleagues, obstetricians, general physicians,
psychologists, psychotherapists and – most
importantly – mothers who had had many
different birthing experiences. My aim was
to bridge the gap between professionals
and parents, and to bridge the scope of the
subject itself, by addressing the issue from
preconception through to childhood. At the
same time, I wanted to bridge the divide
between the two communities of the beautiful
island of Cyprus (divided politically since 1974),
by bringing together people from across the
whole island to focus on what we can do to
change the situation. The idea is to do this in a
compassionate way and in a multidisciplinary
way, bringing everybody together to make a
positive change.
Can you tell us more about the
work of Birth Forward?
It’s been an amazing journey! We work
together with other professional bodies,
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with the Cypriot Ministry of Health, with the
department of Midwifery and Nursing at the
Cyprus University of Technology, and with
organisations in the UK, Germany and Greece.
At the moment our big focus is introducing a
web-based app which informs parents from
the first day of pregnancy until the baby is six
months old. This is a fantastic product called
Baby Buddy Forward, based on Baby Buddy
in the UK. The web app will be adjusted to
the Cypriot culture and translated into Greek,
Turkish, Arabic and Russian. It is an EU funded
project and is the biggest project we have had
so far. Meanwhile, we work for advocacy and
the Ministry of Health has promised a strategy
for improving birthing in Cyprus, so this is
already in motion based on our work. We
provide regular support groups for mothers to
revisit and discuss their birthing experiences,
IVF and loss of baby support groups. We
also provide educational materials, informing
the public of European evidence-based
guidelines through our Scientific Advisory
Board. I believe it is extremely important as
leader of any organisation to make sure that
all the information that's going out is fully in
line with the latest evidence and fully in line
with the human rights aspects of healthcare.
In just three years the organisation has been
recognized on a national level and is the
leading organisation in Cyprus on this subject,
representing both parents and professionals.
Birth Forward operates with up to six paid
staff depending on the project we work on
and about 60 volunteers. I'm extremely proud
to have been elected President of such an
amazing organisation.
What is next for you and for
Birth Forward?
In the immediate future what's on the agenda
for Birth Forward is to follow up with the
Ministry of Health’s strategy for birth in Cyprus.
We're also working on bringing together
mothers, fathers and children from the two
sides of this politically split island by having
a Birth Forward presence in the north of
Cyprus. We’ve arranged family gatherings and
breastfeeding events, in collaboration with
professionals from both sides, and already see
more collaboration happening across the two
communities. Our monthly meetings are always
held in the “Green” buffer zone at the Home
for Cooperation (www.home4cooperation.
info). This is a Norwegian funded project to
support collaborative initiatives, and I love the
fact that we can use this building to hold our
AGM, monthly meetings and other events.
Beyond this, I am working on implementing a
research project with specialists from around
Europe and the world, on a concept where we
want to investigate the potential benefits of
protecting the first breath of life. I see society
and the world suffering, we have more sickness
and more mental health issues as time goes
on, and in light of research supporting the idea
that the most critical time period for our mental
and physical wellbeing, may very well be the
moment of birth, my question is: if we protect
the first breath can we save our society? There
are so many things that have to fall into place
and it requires multidisciplinary collaboration,
which respects both mothers and babies,
physical bodies and feelings. What if we protect
our future generations’ first breath? If every
child could take its first breath fearless, relaxed
and open, would this child grow up healthier,
more confident and more resilient? It’s a bold
question and there has been a lot of interest. I
hope we might see not just a documentary but
also the seeds for many new collaborations,
research and guidelines to improve birthing
culture around the world. The first step is to
bring together a crowd of profoundly different
professionals to discuss the concept. Apart
from the obvious health professionals involved
with birth, chiropractors, and osteopaths, we
are inviting top researchers from a diversity
of fields. The first event will be arranged in
collaboration with the Laszlo Institute of the
New Paradigm http://www.laszloinstitute.com/
in Italy this year and I’m really excited see what
will come of this.
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