11 December 2009

Seeking Canberra Mother to be Interviewed re Childbirth

| Eby
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Hi everyone,

I am a female Canberra-based amateur writer, writing a fictional piece. In this piece there will be a scene depicting the birth of a child in a Canberra Hospital. Having not given birth myself, I cannot realistically articulate the experience. While there is plenty of information on the internet about the general experience of giving birth, I specifically need information on having a baby in Canberra.

Interview Criteria:
I would like to interview a Mother who has given birth in Canberra. I am seeking an interviewee who has given birth to their first child, through vaginal birth (i.e. not a Caesarean) within the last three years, and is under the age of 35.

Interview Details:
The interview will be located in a cafe or restaurant in the town centre closest to the selected interviewee, at a mutually agreed time and date (after Christmas). The interviewee will receive coffee and cake / lunch (depending on the time of the interview) and a $50 cash reimbursement for their time and expertise. The interview should take no more than 1.5 hours.

Please note that the interview will be quite explicit. The interviewee will be required to share information not only relating to the process of their birth at a Canberra Hospital, but also how giving birth felt, the act of giving birth (all the gory details) and the physical/mental/emotional effects in the months following the birth. An outline of the questions will be emailed to the interviewee prior to the interview.

Mothers who would like to express their interest in being interviewed are asked to email me at Canberra_writer@hotmail.com by Friday 18 December, with the subject line Mother Interview (so I don’t accidentally delete your email as junk).

Emails should provide the following basic details:

  • Name (surname is optional)
  • Age
  • Email address
  • Location of Residence (specific address is not required; a suburb/town centre will suffice)
  • Month/Year of birth of first child
  • Hospital
  • General availability (e.g. weekends. A specific time will be negotiated)
  • Any significant birth complications

Please note that only one person will be selected for an interview; but all expressions of interest will receive a notification of receipt; and a further email as to whether they have been selected. All details provided by interested Mothers will be kept confidential and will be deleted after the interview.

Please feel free to email Canberra_writer@hotmail.com with any questions, prior to submitting an expression of interest. Thanks for your time!

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astrojax said :

can ‘canberra’ include queanbeyan hospital?

Yep, definitely.

Also, (i-filed) it will be in the first person; and is fine if they were doped up – I’m interested in hearing their first person perspective, even if they were completed off their face! Excellent idea though.

Can I also just say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised by both the comments on this post, and also the emails that have been sent through; from people with supportive ideas or who are interested in participating. It’s much appreciated.

can ‘canberra’ include queanbeyan hospital?

eby are you writing in the first person? If not, you might find that interviewing a partner present in the labour room might be a better source of info … besides the fact that mothers are usually so chock full of dopy chemicals – natural or otherwise – they don’t remember the experience clearly at all!

s-s-a said :

Are you sure that you are going to get the full story while sitting in a coffee shop or restaurant? I am not sure I’d want people at adjacent tables overhearing some of the less glamorous details.

Very good point – that occurred to me yesterday while I was thinking about where it could be – the intention I guess was to choose a public space and (try) to make it a semi-enjoyable experience. I’ll discuss the particular venue with the person I interview, but of course will try and choose somewhere that is public but offers a bit of privacy / space / quiet corners.

If nothing else, I reckon this process will scare me off having children myself!

Actually make that last “deeper than you thought you ever could”. And I think that might apply for most fathers too. Tears were shed.

I miss the criteria on the age score and time since.

Are you sure that you are going to get the full story while sitting in a coffee shop or restaurant? I am not sure I’d want people at adjacent tables overhearing some of the less glamorous details.

Hmmm imagine the anticipation of doing something you’ve known is coming for 9m, that you’ve never done before and (in most cases) not witnessed beyond the odd TV dramatisation
WHICH QUICKLY MORPHS INTO
The worst period pain you’ve ever had (in the biggest uterus you’ve ever had) and the most exhausting hours of your life
FOLLOWED BY
The burn of pushing something not much smaller than a watermelon out of your fanny
FOLLOWED BY
The elation of a massive lottery win crossed with falling in love at first sight deeper than you ever have.

grunge_hippy5:44 pm 11 Dec 09

i miss the criteria by 1 year and 1 extra child…

oh well….

i would have picked somewhere nice in manuka for lunch….

If you go to http://www.newlives.com.au and get in touch with Ingrid she could probably provide you with a rich vein of potentials. Or rather, get them to contact you.

I hear you Rosebud … I hear you!!

Errggg, childbirth. Arrrrgggghhhhhh.

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