Fiona Marlow

Fiona Marlow

Fiona Marlow came to Midwifery 5 years ago after almost 15 year as an Occupational therapist.

She now combines these two careers working as a midwife and as an OT. In 2015 after discovering the horror of the maternal and infant mortality in Timor Leste, she founded an NGO, MotoAid, working on improving access to health care transport in Timor Leste.

During her journey she has discovered the complexities of the traditional birth attendant’s role within maternity care in Timor Leste as in many developing countries.  Respected and needed yet often banned and degraded.

This has led to trying to discover the understanding of birth through the eyes of the traditional birth attendant. What do they do? What do they know? Are they dangerous or are they an asset? What can we learn from them?

Fiona will offer a space to discuss and explore the history, current place and potential place of the traditional birth attendant in improving our understanding of birthing women and potentially reducing maternal mortality for women where there are no roads and no health care.