Amma Birth Companions has been awarded Maternity Service of Sanctuary status, recognising its support and welcome for people seeking sanctuary. The title, the first of its kind in Scotland, was awarded by City of Sanctuary UK, a nationally coordinated network of organisations and services, including councils, universities, theatres and libraries that welcome and support refugees and people seeking asylum.
Ten years of nannying and nursery school teaching stood Sam Morgan-Hutchings in good stead for supporting people as they become new parents. The essential skills remain the same; nurturing, caring, cheering people on and helping them to find their own way knowing that one day they will no longer be there to hold hands.
When Angelina Edwin arrived in Glasgow from Sri Lanka, she didn’t know that her experience would see her support new parents as they found their own feet in a new country.
When Morag Riddet discovered Amma, she knew immediately it was an organisation she wanted to be part of. But having missed the first intake of volunteers, the doula, massage therapist and yoga teacher had to wait patiently before coming on board.
A “random” application for an Amma volunteer post through a Glasgow-wide website for volunteering opportunities turned out to be one of the “best decisions ever” for mum-of-one Gemma Dool.
When retired trauma nurse Maureen Gallagher trained as an Amma volunteer she looked around the room and felt like the odd one out.
Without our incredible team of volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to provide our broad range of inclusive and trauma-informed services on such a large scale.
We’re delighted to announce the appointment of Amma’s inaugural CEO, Maree Aldam. The appointment of a CEO marks an important milestone for Amma, as we set our sights on opportunities for growth.
On March 8, 2022, Amma Birth Companions is taking part in the Big Give ‘Women and Girls Match Fund’ campaign, with an ambitious target to raise £20,000 in just one week. All funds raised will go towards the creation of the Amma Access Fund: a new grant designed to make training in birth work more accessible to women from underrepresented groups.
In Scotland we have a proud history of protest, of raising our voices against the injustices that blight our society and speaking truth to power.
We – the undersigned – are proud to work in a country that values compassion and fairness. Though across our communities and sectors we work to achieve different things, today we are united in our opposition to the UK Government’s Nationality and Borders Bill.
Volunteer postnatal companion, Evelyn, spoke to us about the process of applying and training to be an Amma volunteer, giving an insight into what’s involved and why she is motivated to support our clients in their journey to parenthood.
When Yvonne arrived in Glasgow six months pregnant, she felt totally alone. Thankfully, that changed when she connected with Amma Birth Companions. Through Amma, Yvonne gained the support of a
When Vongayi found out she was expecting twins, she never could have anticipated the difficult journey that would unfold. When her son, Rylan, passed away at just 19 days old, Vongayi turned to Amma for support in navigating life after loss.
It’s so important to have someone by your side. You don’t realise how important it is until you go through it. When I look back — two children, pregnant, nobody to talk to, moods up and down — I’m not so sure I would have survived without Amma. The love Amma is giving… you can’t equate it to money. Someone being there for you in that way imprints on you for life.
If implemented, the proposed guidance would undoubtedly lead to even higher rates of induction among our client group, who already feel disempowered to make decisions within a cruel and inhumane asylum process. For their sake—and the countless other birthing people this will affect—we call upon NICE to stop pathologising race and retract this proposed guidance.
The tragic death of Sarah Everard has sparked widespread outrage and debate about violence against women. But why are we only starting to pay attention now, when the experiences of
Written by Jenny Block In my work as a postpartum doula and mentor to Amma’s postnatal volunteers, I always try to gaze at each family I support through a holistic
On March 25, Angela Maclean from BBC Eorpa reported on the effect of the pandemic on refugees and asylum seekers in Glasgow. During the first lockdown many were moved into
On March 24, Home Secretary Priti Patel unveiled the government’s ‘New Plan for Immigration’ policy paper. It proposes that only people arriving to the UK through official routes, like resettlement
In December 2020, MBRRACE-UK released its Perinatal Mortality Surveillance Report which showed that Black and Black British, and Asian and Asian British babies are up to twice as likely to
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