Lareen NewmanLareen Newman, BA (Hons) PhD, has spent nearly 30 years researching pregnancy, birth, parenting and breastfeeding. Born in England in 1964 and emigrating to Australia in 1988, she had three children between 1996 and 2000. Through her voluntary work wth various birth support groups she has heard firsthand the birth stories of many women, men and midwives. Lareen was South Australian State President for the Maternity Coalition (Australia's national maternity consumer advocacy group) from 2005 to 2010; she has presented ante- natal classes for the Australian Breastfeeding Association, and classes on Natural Birth & Waterbirth at the South Australian WEA. From 2005-07 Lareen was a member of the working group that wrote the South Australian Government's Policy for Planned Birth At Home and in 2008 helped review the SA Government policies on labour and birth in water. In 2009 she was a consumer representative on the Adelaide Women's & Children's Hospital's Homebirth Service Implementation & Evaluation Committee. In 2006 she received the Consumer Advocate Award from the SA Branch of the College of Midwives for her efforts to improve maternity care. Also in 2006 Lareen completed a PhD at The University of Adelaide on how parents' experiences of pregnancy, birth and parenthood affect their desire for more children. This research was reported in radio interviews (including the ABC), in The Weekend Australian and Adelaide Advertiser, and was published in academic journals. Lareen is now a Senior Research Fellow at Flinders University in the Southgate Institute for Health Society & Equity and the SA Community Health Research Unit, where her work includes investigating the impact of health services on people's health and wellbeing. She also works with Professor Liz Eckermann of Deakin University to encourage research on improving maternity care in developing countries from women's perspectives. Read More Read Less