Shining a spotlight on perinatal wellbeing

Meet the women dedicated to enhancing the perinatal wellbeing of the community.

Dr Adi Brown, clinical psychologist, mother, loving partner and fierce advocate for all things perinatal, is leading the charge in perinatal health care on the Surf Coast and beyond.

From her Jan Juc-based clinic, Dr Brown heads a team of 12 practitioners to provide a broad range of evidence-based services in areas such as perinatal psychology, couples therapy, play therapy, child/adolescent therapy, acupuncture, pregnancy/postpartum massage, midwifery/doula support and more.

“Supporting people’s physical, emotional and spiritual health as they prepare for pregnancy and parenthood is essential, not only to protect perinatal mental health and wellbeing but to protect the next generation and beyond,” she said.

Dr Brown has been working as a clinical psychologist for more than 15 years, with a focus on perinatal wellbeing for the past eight years.

“The challenges that arise from conception through to parenthood are so diverse, and continuity of care is essential,” she said.

“People need support at every stage of their perinatal journey, whether it be when they are trying to fall pregnant, coping with challenges in pregnancy, preparing for childbirth, or adjusting to parenthood.”

When asked about her inspiration for the Hub, Dr Brown said: “The Perinatal Hub was a dream of mine for many years. I had even decided on the name!

“My initial vision came about shortly after I returned to work following the birth of my first daughter. At that time, I began seeing increasing numbers of perinatal clients and knew that perinatal psychology was the specialty for me.

“I was so excited to continue this work on the Surf Coast and to have the opportunity to make my dream a reality, particularly as I learned of the dearth of perinatal support services locally and that the services that existed in our region were slowly diminishing.”

The Hub is a cosy and inviting space.

“People are often shocked to learn of the breadth of services we provide to support people at every step of their perinatal journey,” Dr Brown said.

To ensure a high standard of care, she said “all practitioners at the hub have perinatal-specific training and undergo ongoing skill development”.

“I feel so proud and privileged to be able to support women and men in our community through all the difficult transitions faced from pregnancy to parenthood.”

She has this message for those planning a family: “Dedicate time to gaining as much self-awareness as you can prior to falling pregnant, or at least during pregnancy, and become comfortable with asking others for support. The more we understand ourselves and our support needs, the better we can navigate the sometimes beautiful but also rocky terrain of conception, childbirth and parenthood.”

For more information on wherever you are in your perinatal journey, head to theperinatalhub.com.au

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