'Parturescence' and the birth of a parent with midwife Ella Kurz

·52 min·5 clips

Midwife Ella Kurz coined 'parturescence' to describe the transformative power of childbirth in her PhD research.

Host Rose Rickardson interviews Dr Ella Kurz, a midwife and maternal health researcher from Canberra. Ella introduces her PhD concept of 'parturescence,' derived from 'parturition' and 'essence,' to describe childbirth as a rite of passage with transformative opportunities. She developed this term after observing stark contrasts in women's birth experiences—some emerging empowered, others traumatized—during her midwifery training. Ella critiques the vague use of 'empowered' in birth contexts and emphasizes the need for precise language. The discussion shifts to systemic challenges in Australian maternity care, where only 8% of women have access to continuity of midwifery care, leading to high dropout rates among midwives facing burnout in under-resourced hospitals. Ella expresses concern over the mismatch between holistic midwifery education and hospital realities. She highlights birthing on country models for First Nations women as examples of effective, culturally safe care with better outcomes. Ella shares two personal birth stories: a long, difficult hospital birth where surrender led to rapid delivery, and a calm home birth where midwives' presence felt more supportive. She reflects on the intensity of motherhood, contrasting her idealized expectations with the constant demands. The conversation explores postpartum needs, with Ella recommending doulas and continuity carers for better support. She mentions her current research on gestational diabetes and hopes for policy impacts. The episode concludes with Ella's vision for localized, community-based maternity care inspired by Indigenous models and climate resilience.

As heard by us

A thoughtful conversation on childbirth, transformation, and the care women are expected to accept.

Childbirth is treated here as more than a medical event: it becomes a threshold, a point at which identity, care, and power can shift. Midwife Dr Ella Kers brings a clear frame through her term "parturescence," developed in her PhD, and the episode uses it to open a wider…

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Why you'd press play

You want to rethink childbirth as a rite of passage, with a midwife who has language for the transformation it can open up.

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