Alumni Magazine Issue 5

Beautiful Bumps BESPOKE ARTWORK INSPIRES HEALTH DISCUSSIONS WITH EXPECTANT MOTHERS. Designed to raise awareness about Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), the Beautiful Bumps project supports pregnant mothers and their families to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. The program, coordinated by Notre Dame alumni Katina Coffin and Rebecca Morgan- Dann, together with their colleagues from Kimberley Community Alcohol & Drug Services and Kimberley Population Health Unit, was awarded Most Outstanding Project at the 2019 Western Australian Aboriginal Alcohol and Other Drug Workers Forum. The Award is a continuation of Rebecca’s achievements, having received The Catherine King Scholarship in Nursing in 2014 and the Diploma of Nursing Award for best commitment to study and performance in clinical placements in 2016. Women across the Kimberley have their bellies painted by a local artist and are given a foot spa and massage as a therapeutic means of engaging in conversations with pregnant women and their families. Conversations focus on the harms of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding, promoting healthy behaviours, and access to support during pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. Katina describes the positive impact the program has had on the mental health of expectant mothers they’ve met. “It’s a day where you can actually see firsthand the mums relax and take time out for themselves,” she explains. “I am so lucky to be a part of this beautiful project. It allows me to meet women from all over the Kimberley, to share in experiences and to offer advice to other mums.” The sessions, delivered in Broome, Derby, Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing and Kununurra, concluded with a professional photoshoot of the women and their families, who also received a canvas photograph as a keepsake. If you know a mother-to-be in the North West who would like to participate in the program please contact Katina at katina.coffin@health.wa.gov.au or on (08) 9194 1630. Alumni Magazine – Page 17 B R O O M E