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Women’s voices matter. Their reproductive rights matter.

It's time for change

Midwives for Women is a platform to discuss the far-reaching impact of midwifery care & how together we can work to make collaborative model of care accessible to birthing families in India.

04 MAY, 2024

8.30 AM - 4.00 PM

Radisson Blu Hotel

Kochi

Event Highlight

Summit open for doctors, nurses, students & those interested in midwifery care.

Keynote Presentations

Covering compelling topics by leaders in maternity care.

Panel Discussions

Hosting a vibrant discussion between care providers and powerful civil society members.

Interactive Workshops

Opportunity to learn hands-on skills from experienced professionals.

Networking

Forging new partnerships with like-minded professionals and organisations.

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Our Speakers & Panelists

Dr. Evita Fernandez

Chairperson
Fernandez Foundation, Telangana

Ms. Priyanka Idicula

Senior Midwife, Founder -
Birthvillage - The Natural Birthing Center, Cochin

Dr. Georgy Eralil

Professor & HOD-OBG
MOSCMC

Dr. Lalitha Regi

MBBS, DGO, FARSI
Cofounder Tribal Health Initiative

Dr. Rathi Balachandran

Nursing Faculty, Dr RMLH

Dr. Usha Ukande

President, SOMI

Ms. Meena Vijayan

Secretary, SOMI Kerala Chapter

Mr. Harish Uthaman

actor, BV dad

Adv. Liz Mathew

senior advocate, supreme court

Ms. Payoshni Jain

Producer, pre-postnatal yoga instructor

Ms. Vanessa Meister

Creative Consultant, BV mom

Ms. Reena Coelho

BV grandmom

Event Schedule

A day packed with the following activities for the delegates.

Shadow

  • 08:00 AM

    Registration

  • 10.05 AM

    Welcome Speech

    Ms. Priyanka Idicula

    Senior Midwife, Founder
    Birthvillage - The Natural Birthing Center, Cochin

  • 10.20 AM

    Keynote Address

    Dr. Evita Fernandez

    Obstetrician who championed the midwifery cause in Telangana.
    Transforming how women birth in India.

  • 10.50 AM

    Panel Discussion

    Ms. Rathi Balachandran / Ms. Meena K/ Dr. Usha Ukande

    Are mother & babies truly benefiting from current maternal care? 
Why we need professional midwives in India more than ever before.

  • 11.30 AM

    High Tea

  • 11.40 AM

    Speaker

    Dr. Georgy Eralil Joy

    Obstetricians and Midwives:
Challenges & Interprofessional relationships in 
collaborative care. Finding scalable models of care.

  • 12:00 PM

    Speaker

    Dr. Lalitha Regi

    Reaching mothers, reaching babies in rural India.
Tribal health / Where no doctors go

  • 12:20 PM

    Tribute

    Ms. Aleyamma Abraham

    Rtd. Asst. Prof. Govt College of Nursing,
    Kottayam Med. College

  • 12:40 PM

    Sponsor's Time

    SuperBottoms®

  • 1.00 PM

    Lunch

  • 2.00 PM

    Panel Discussion

    Ms. Vanessa Meister/ Ms. Payoshni Jain/ Ms. Reena Coelho

    Listening to mothers’ voices.
The caregivers of our future generations.

  • 2.40 PM

    Speaker

    Adv. Liz Mathew

    Does a birthing mother have rights?
    Addressing disrespect in the labor room.

  • 3.00 PM

    Panel Discussion

    Mr. Harish Uthaman / Ms. Priyanka Idicula

    How births affect fathers and the media's influence on
childbirth. Impact of stories we hear about birth.

  • 3:30 PM

    Closing Activity

    Ms. Cristelle Hart Singh

    Group storytelling & collaborative movement.
Community circle, dance & song to foster harmony & connection.

  • 4.00 PM

    High Tea

Book Your Seats

Limited seats. Early bird pricing is currently in effect for tickets. Book yours now!

Professionals

Doctors, Nurses and Allied birth professionals

₹1000 /Person

 Buy Tickets

Students

medical and nursing under graduates/ aspiring birth professionals
(with valid Ids)

₹500 /Person

 Buy Tickets

General

₹850 /Person

 Buy Tickets

Couples

(Expectant Parents)

₹1500 /Couples

 Buy Tickets

Book Your Seats

Limited seats. Early bird pricing is currently in effect for few tickets. Book yours now!

Professionals

Doctors, Nurses and Allied birth professionals

₹1000/- Early Bird Offer

₹1300 /Person

 Buy Tickets

Students

medical and nursing under graduates/ aspiring birth professionals
(with valid Ids)

₹500/- Early Bird Offer

₹800 /Person

 Buy Tickets

General

₹850 /Person

 Buy Tickets

Couples

(Expectant Parents)

₹1500 /Couples

 Buy Tickets

Book Your Seats

 Buy Tickets (SOLD OUT)
Thank you for the overwhelming response! Have any questions? Contact +91 963 393 5932

Partners

We thank our partners and sponsors.

Birthvillage
Super Bottoms
Stone Soup
SOMI
Kashi

Contact Us

  • Cochin Birth Village Private Ltd
    15/ 185 A, Ward 15
    Manakkakadavu, Thengode PO
    Ernakulam – 682030
  • admin@birthvillage.in
  • +91 963 393 5932

© 2024. Midwives For Women. All rights Reserved.

Dr. Evita is a passionate advocate of normal birthing and is vocal about demedicalising pregnancy and birthing. She is committed to making birthing a respectful and blissful experience for every woman. With this mission in mind, she brought midwifery to the private hospital sector in India. In 2017, Fernandez Foundation, in collaboration with the Government of Telangana and UNICEF launched an 18-month certification program in midwifery for nurses from the state’s healthcare system. Designed to global standards set by the International Confederation of Midwives, the course was a first-of-its-kind in Telangana.

Dr. Georgy is Professor and HOD at Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Medical College, Kerala. He has been working as an obstetrician for over 18 years and has to his credit various research and publications on topics ranging from obstetrics to oncology.

Dr. Lalitha Regi is an obstetrician. She started her career in Kasthurba Hospital, Gandhigram, before co-founding Tribal Health Initiative in Sittilingi Valley in Dharmapuri district, Tamilnadu in 1992.Since 1993, she has been living in Sittilingi and working with the community, especially with women and their journey towards better health.
Dr. Rathi Balachandran has been a nurse educator and involved in public health for over 30 years. She has served on various committees of government of India and international health organisations. And has published articles and research papers at national and international journals and contributed to nursing books.
Dr. Usha Ukande has more than 50 years of professional experience on nursing/midwifery practice, academics, research and administration. She is a recipient of various awards and honors and was a resource person for UNICEF & AusAid projects. Through her long association with SOMI, she conceptualized the Midwifery Model of Care and set up “Midwife-led -Alongside Natural Birthing Centre “SWA” at Choithram Hospital, Indore, India, to demonstrate ideal midwifery services as part of the education of young midwifery students. Dr Usha is a prolific writer; she has presented more than 100 research papers in National and International conferences and published her research papers in journals.
Mrs. Meena Vijayan Kerala Chapter Secretary, Society of Midwives India (SOMI) & Associate Professor College of Nursing, Thalassery, Kerala India, She has 15 years of professional experience on nursing/midwifery academics, research and administration. She guided various research proposals under midwifery nursing and published articles in peer reviewed indexed journals. She has won many awards for her work in this field.

Harish is an actor and he appears in Tamil, Telugu, Malyalam and Kannada films. He loves kids and animals and is also a BV dad. Harish firmly believes that it is the partner’s responsibility to support the mother prenatally, during birth and postpartum and he showed this commitment as he accompanied his wife for every single appointment at BV.

Liz Mathew Anthraper is a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court of India. She graduated from National Law School India University, Bangalore (NLSIU) in 2001 and started her career with the General Counsel of Reliance Industries. She was the Standing Counsel for the State of Kerala in Supreme Court, and has also been appointed as amicus curiae by the apex court.

Payoshni is a producer, writer, and brand consultant. She is also a pre and postnatal yoga instructor and one of only a few fertility yoga trainers in India. Most importantly, a single mother to a spectacular 6-year-old autistic daughter, who pushes her to bring awareness about autism to her surroundings every day. She is a trained kathak dancer and practiced until the last day of her pregnancy and she believes that led her to have a completely non-medicated birth.

Vanessa Meister is a designer and creative consultant from Switzerland. She has been living in Kochi for over a decade. Her recent work challenged stereotypical beauty standards and gender norms and echoed her personal journey.

Vanessa birthed at Birthvillage twice, with birth experiences that deeply impacted her life and the people around her. She strongly believes in the power of a supportive birthing community where a woman’s choices and needs are at the center.

Reena Coelho, mother, a grandmother and a supporter of rights of birthing women. She is vocal about how uninformed, vulnerable and wounded she was as she gave birth of three children. This experience led her to support her daughter’s choice to birth with midwives at BV. Today Reena Coelho is also a President of Kerala Birth Network.