Millie Hodgson
Our Bun + Oven founder is a registered midwife, nurse and childbirth education facilitator and soon to be mum. She has worked in the public and private health sector in Victoria for several years in a variety of capacities. Early in her midwifery career she noticed a disparity in the availability of care and support for women in particular at the beginning of their pregnancy journey. “This is a time when women feel most isolated, unsure and searching for someone to lead them in the right direction from evidenced based practice and research, why are we not supporting them?”
Throughout her career she has seen firsthand the positive impact continuity of care and carer has and how it plays a significant role in making women feel safe and empowered in their pregnancy. Not all women have the capacity or luxury for this to be an option in their pregnancy care options, so the objective of Bun + Oven was to be able to offer this in another form that was more accessible.
As a childbirth educator Millie noticed families were coming to classes with a deer in headlight outlook more often than not. She believes knowledge is power and knowing how to be prepared for the changes your body, emotions, family and relationships is an essential tool in preparing to be parents. However, the one night information session or weekend course in an overwhelming and overloading format did not feel appropriate for what Millie was searching to provide. She saw the benefit of filtering this information gradually and via a trusted known health care professional was key to her vision.
The strength of community and the ability of women inspiring, empowering and supporting each other and with the aid of a qualified professional is a winning combination that cannot be undervalued, especially in a pregnancy setting. This notion was at the core of her base for creating this unique form of pregnancy support.
She wanted to bring together education, support and community in a way that wasn’t delivered in a one-stop session but rather a gradual learning and supported environment throughout the pregnancy journey.
It was her passion to amalgamate these necessities in pregnancy care and so the seeds for Bun + Oven were planted in her mind.