Baby Coming You Ready? – equipping Pilbara midwives to tackle communication barriers

Pilbara-based midwives are preparing to roll out an app-based tool that’s breaking down communication barriers between Aboriginal women and their healthcare provider, before, during and after pregnancy.

Baby Coming You Ready? (BCYR) is a culturally responsive platform developed with input from research and advisory groups representing Aboriginal communities across WA.

Developed by Murdoch University’s Ngank Yira Institute for Change, it’s used by midwives to conduct a mental health and well-being assessment that combines the mother’s self-reflection with therapeutic intervention to support client-directed follow-up care.

BCYR – a licensed app which is only accessible via WA Health smart tablets – will be introduced to WA Country Health Service antenatal care clinics in the Pilbara later this year after a successful rollout in the Wheatbelt.

Ahead of the move, regional staff recently attended a ‘train the trainer’ workshop at Murdoch University.

The group included three midwives from Karratha Health Campus, as well as Aboriginal Health Workers and Aboriginal Liaison Officers, who will use their newfound knowledge to train their colleagues in the region.

Participants were familiarised with the app during the two-day course and educated on how to use it to support the provision of culturally safe care.

This included using techniques such as motivational interviewing – an important technique to help expectant women make healthy lifestyle changes.

Planning is also under way for a state-wide roll out.