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Welcoming Our Little Ones: Sharing stories from pregnancy to birth

Nunkuwarrin Yunti & Emerging Minds, Australia, September 2025

Related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, Parenting

Cover of Welcoming Our Little OnesTo listen to this guide, use the ‘Read content’ button above.

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Our journeys of learning

Lots of us are still learning about our cultures and where we come from. That is OK. We hope you might find an idea or two in this guide to help you on your cultural journey.

‘When I came to the realisation that I had grown up without my culture, it made me feel displaced. By taking the time needed to acknowledge it, I was able to talk to others about it.’ – Geneva, mum

We are all learning, one small step at a time. Lots of people are on this journey.

Why pregnancy to birth matters

Culture starts being built in our babies in the womb. It is the time when the foundations for a strong mind, strong body, wellbeing and spiritual connections to Country and family begin.

‘For thousands of years, mothers and traditional midwives have passed down knowledge about pregnancy and birth. For many of us, this traditional knowledge has been disrupted.’1

‘Little traditional things matter.’

- Aunty Colleen Lovegrove

What might work for me?

Singing to baby in the womb

Singing to babies in the womb can help develop identity. We can sing babies into their place in the family, Country and kinship.

Does your family have songs or lullabies that are important to you? Maybe you could make up your own? You may enjoy listening to some stories when resting or getting ready to sleep, such as Dreamy: Sleep stories from First Nations storytellers.

Or you might like to learn the Baby Coming You Ready? song to sing to your little one in your womb, or you could ask special family or friends to do it. You don’t need to be good at singing to do it!

‘I sang to my baby in the womb. I sang little lullabies my mum had sung to me, or songs I found online.’

- Kelsie, mum

Birthing

Birthing can happen in a lot of different ways and in any location. It is about the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of mother and baby.

Some ideas to think about before birthing are:

  • Talking to friends, family and staff to figure out what your options are for birthing, at home, in hospital or on Country.
  • Do you want to have kin at the birth? Do you need to ask to have more people there than the hospital usually allows? Or you might need to say if there are certain people you don’t want there.
  • Asking family and staff to respect what everyone’s roles are, including baby’s father’s cultural obligations.
  • Do you want to take the placenta home to plant? You can ask to keep it if you want to.2
  • If you know you will be birthing off Country, can you take photos of Country to have at the birth?
  • Is there music, sounds or messages from home you can play during the birth?
  • Can you bring some things that remind you of Country to have with you at the birth? For example, some earth, water or a plant that you could take home and plant?
  • Are there photos, artworks or messages from family and friends you could bring?
  • Do you want to connect with mob back home during your labour or birth?
  • Are there smells – oils or sprays – that can connect you back to home?3

‘We planted all our babies’ placentas under a tree in our yard outside their bedroom windows. It’s our way of connecting them with their culture by carrying on this traditional practice of their nanna.’

- Aboriginal father and non-Aboriginal mother

Smoking Ceremony for mother and baby

‘A smoking ceremony is a traditional ceremony for baby and mother. It helps heal the mother after the birth and makes the baby healthy.’4

If your family has cultural connections

You might be able to ask your Elders or other Community members about local cultural protocols, and if OK, to help you arrange a smoking ceremony for mother and baby.

If you’re not sure what to do

Many of us are away from family and Country, or at the starting point of our cultural journey, and it is not always under our control.

If you would like a smoking ceremony for mother and baby, reach out to your local Aboriginal community centre, medical service or birthing unit. They can help you connect to local Community and find out about local cultural protocols as well. If this is hard, show this guide to your health worker and ask them to help you, or find someone who can.

‘I would have liked a smoking ceremony after my traumatic birth … being able to start motherhood with a ceremony to help cleanse my mind and open my connection to my daughter.’

- Zoe, mum

Kinship

‘Raising a child is not just up to one person.’

- Zoe, mum

Kinship is a community that looks out for children and families. Our children are surrounded by many people looking after them.

We see our babies recognising, connecting and responding to the faces and voices of the people around them.

Kinship can help children understand their connection to Land, Waters, skies and kinship early.

Kinship can also help us by having different people to turn to for different things, such as cultural things, or things we need help with but want to keep private.

‘I think I would cry every day without my support network.’

- Catherine, mum

For the dads

Supporting mum

As a dad, you have a role in supporting mum when she is pregnant. Sometimes just being there is what is needed. You don’t always need to talk, but listening is important. It’s helpful for mum to tune into what the baby and their body needs, and it helps the growing baby if mum isn’t too stressed.

If possible, being on Country together and connecting before bub is born is a good idea. Time goes quickly during pregnancy and once baby is born, it will be ‘all hands on deck’! And if you live off Country and can’t visit, you can still talk about it, describe it or watch videos or listen to podcasts that come from traditional countrymen.

Making time to talk to Country, the Ancestors and with each other about how you and mum want to parent together is a great way to feel empowered and send good messages to bub. Did you know that babies start to recognise voices while in the womb?

Talk about culture and love for your partner and baby. It helps everyone grow together, and stay grounded and connected.

Some other practical ways to support mum during pregnancy is by helping with doctors or other appointments. This can include:

  • Getting there – help mum make appointments, avoid missing any appointments and get to them on time.
  • Feeling comfortable – you have a right and responsibility to be at appointments and hear firsthand how the pregnancy is going. Talk about it – have a yarn about what comes up in the appointments and try to ask about anything you didn’t understand.
  • Sharing the load – checking in with mum by asking: ‘What can I do to support you?’
  • Getting ready – ask what to expect during labor and birth, and what dads can do to be supportive.
  • Backing each other up – if appointments make you feel uneasy, or something is said that upsets you both, respectfully speak up. You are there to support your partner, bub and to be a good dad and that’s a good thing.

‘My partner said to me: “You comfort me and keep me safe when no one else has ever done it, besides my dad that is no longer with us,” and I thought it was very powerful that she said that.’

- Harley, dad

Providing for family

Dads can provide for mum and bub in lots of ways. It might be hunting, fishing, preparing food and cleaning up afterwards.

‘Busting ourselves and working to provide is hard. Sometimes we need to put a smile on for the kids. But don’t bottle things up, find supportive family and friends. Sometimes connecting through helping others is good. Sometimes we need to talk about the things that break us and make us cry. Other times we need to make a joke to stop us from crying.’

- Harley, dad

But most important is that dads can provide love, nurturing and emotional support to their family. It doesn’t cost money, it’s available 24/7 and everyone is a winner when dads give care.

Being a strong Aboriginal man involves love: for mother, Country, Elders, family, children and kin.

Talking, singing and reading to baby in the womb

Dads can talk, sing songs and read books to bub in the womb. If you know your traditional language, you can talk to them in lingo.
Talking to bub through mum’s belly is a great way to share traditional stories. If you know how to play the Yidaki (Didgeridoo) you can play that for bub too. Singing songs or just talking is enough – as long as your baby hears your voice and your partner experiences you showing care.

This is a time for preparation

Pregnancy is a good time to start learning how to be a good dad. You can learn what babies need by talking to Elders, uncles, aunties, community workers, men’s groups and Aboriginal health services.

You are not expected to know everything and no one is perfect. There is also no ‘one size fits all’ to being a parent. Be open-minded, learn new ways and find what works for you and your family.

‘Sometimes fellas don’t try because they are scared to be wrong. I had to learn that in so many ways. This is not once-off stuff, keep going for the rest of your life. And don’t let your mistakes hold you back.’

- Harley, dad

Learning about culture so you can share it with your kids

Don’t be afraid to ask family, friends or Community members to find out more about your culture and obligations as a man, father and partner. Learning about culture is a lifelong process as it has always been in traditional Lore.

As you learn, you may change and grow. You might:

  • understand family and connections differently
  • connect with Country and with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
  • learn about and undertake cultural obligations to family and Community.

Your connection to your baby can also grow by sharing your cultural knowledge with them once they are born.

More information for parents

The Living Story: Pregnancy and birthing

You might be interested in the following video (2 minutes, 3 seconds) which shows families during pregnancy and birth. What do you notice?

The Living Story: Pregnancy and birthing

Deciding what to do

It is OK if you don’t know where to start. Other families have shared some ideas they found helpful.

What’s next? Choose from:

Discover more resources

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