Breech Without Borders
An upcoming collaboration
We are thrilled to announce an exciting new collaboration between Gulagbi Collaborative Sustainable Developments and Breech Without Borders, a global leader in breech and twin birth education.
This partnership brings a vital and empowering training initiative to life, offering hands-on simulation education and advocacy for vaginal breech and twin birth, especially in remote and rural regions where choices and resources are limited.
Together, we are working to restore skills and confidence in a birth option that is too often sidelined by outdated policy and fear-driven practice.
Why This Matters
In Australia—particularly in remote areas like Far North Queensland, the Torres Strait, Northern Territory, and Western Australia—many maternity care providers are no longer trained to safely support vaginal breech birth. Without this skill set, families facing a breech presentation late in pregnancy are often left with a stark choice: an external cephalic version (ECV) to try to turn the baby or a planned cesarean section, with little or no opportunity to discuss or attempt a natural vaginal breech birth.
In remote Australian communities and international villages in Papua New Guinea, Laos, India, and Latin America, we have witnessed how hard it is for women and care providers in settings with limited or no medical support. In these environments, the absence of advanced training in breech and twin birth can mean the difference between life and death—for both mothers and babies.
Gulagbi directors Shelly Langford and Sarah Smits are both deeply experienced birthworkers and midwives who have attended breech births and supported mothers through the physical, emotional, and cultural complexity of that decision. Working across remote Australian communities as well as villages in Papua New Guinea, Laos, India, and Latin America, they have seen firsthand how access to respectful, informed, and skilled care can change birth outcomes—and save lives.
What to Expect
Through this collaboration, Gulagbi will support:
Hosting hands-on training events for maternity care providers using Breech Without Borders' Sophie and Her Mum obstetric simulator
Facilitating community education sessions to raise awareness and build informed choice around breech and twin birth
Working alongside health services to support policy reform and skills-based confidence in remote and low-resource settings
Connecting global knowledge with local practice to uplift birth sovereignty and maternal safety
This partnership reflects everything Gulagbi stands for—empowering communities, embracing traditional and clinical knowledge, and expanding access to safe, culturally respectful birth. Together, we are not just supporting births—we are supporting choice, dignity, and community strength.
