#BeyondBirthLivingLibrary is a peer support programme for parents who have encountered difficult experiences around birth.
Beyond Birth Living Library
How do parents make sense of their personal journey, especially when their birth experiences were not as they had hoped? What support can they access? Who can support them?
Beyond Birth Living Library was created to address an unmet need. It aims to support the emotional wellbeing of parents by tapping into the insights and reflections of those who have lived through similar experiences.
A Living Library uses the concept of ‘living books’ – people with lived experience, working with ‘readers’ – people currently going through similar experiences, to help make sense of what they are going through. It fills a gap that the medical model of postnatal care cannot always provide for.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone in one way or another. It has placed additional challenges on parents. Physical distancing has also restricted the support that friends and family members could have offered.
This living library team wants to provide support to all parents who need it and thus includes grandparents. You can receive or offer support irrespective of where you live in the country.