The team designed a series of World Cafes, two of which have been held and the third will happen later this year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1) The first session<\/strong>, held on May 7th, focused on Perinatal Mental Health<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) The second session<\/strong>, celebrated in August during World Breastfeeding Week, explored<\/p>\n\n\n\n Breastfeeding<\/em> under the theme \u201cInvest in breastfeeding, invest in the future.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 3) The third session, <\/strong>scheduled later this year, will be dedicated to Family Planning methods<\/em>, combining reflective dialogue with clinical teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This project and the subsquent events were the first of their kind in Qatar\u2019s healthcare sector\u2014an inclusive, hospital-based forum focused on fostering emotional wellbeing and offering meaningful support for women during pregnancy and after childbirth (postpartum). The Ummomah Project reflects the hospital\u2019s core values of engaging patients, families, and care teams in meaningful dialogue that respects lived experiences, emotional needs, and shared decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re excited to share their story<\/strong> and photographs<\/strong> from these events to, as they so kindly expressed, \u201cinspire and connect with other groups like themselves around the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n The team from Al Wakra Hospital, led by Dr. Jussara Brito, and including Ms. Parwaneh Elias Al Shibani (Executive Director of Nursing), Ms. Salwa Alrawaili (Assistant Executive Director of Nursing). Dr. Marwa Samir, and Ms. Tamara Al Shdafat (OB-GYN Division Leader) – opened the first event to explore topics including the women\u2019s feeling experiences and feelings during pregnancy and post partum,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Held in a relaxed caf\u00e9-style setting, participants, including pregnant and postpartum women, joined rotating table discussions around key topics like emotional struggles, stigma, self-care, and available support systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The gatherings were designed to create safe, open spaces for women to share experiences, learn from one another, and co-create ideas for improving health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Participants shared heartfelt feedback after the World Cafe:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve felt heard, not just informed.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe cried, we shared, we felt lighter.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis wasn\u2019t just a workshop. It was healing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike traditional awareness events, the World Caf\u00e9 centered on emotional connection and mutual understanding. Mothers openly shared early signs of stress and anxiety, addressed stigma, and discussed practical self-care strategies. These honest conversations offered staff valuable insight into the often-unseen emotional struggles many women face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTogether, we\u2019re building a future where maternal care includes mental health\u2014because every mother deserves to be heard, supported, and understood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have a look at this image gallery for more insights into the first ground-breaking event:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second World Cafe, focused on Breastfeeding<\/strong>. Endorsed by the World Health Organization, the theme highlighted the vital role of breastfeeding support across all levels of society\u2014from healthcare systems to homes and workplaces\u2014and its lasting impact on maternal and child health as well as broader community well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This initiative embodies the essence of Person-Centered Care: fostering respectful, authentic engagement with patients and families by valuing lived experiences, promoting emotional wellness, and encouraging collaborative, informed decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Cafe explored topics like Preparing for Breastfeeding; Initiation and Early Challenges; The Emotional Impact of Breastfeeding; Husband and Family Support; and Breastfeeding and Working Mothers<\/p>\n\n\n\n Feedback from participants at this event, also, was deeply moving:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSupporting breastfeeding isn\u2019t just about health, it\u2019s about empowerment, connection, and emotional wellbeing, \u201cstated Ms. Parwaneh Elias Al Shibani in her message of encouragement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are proud to witness our teams lead with empathy and purpose, added Ms. Salwa Al Rawaili.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s Next? Each session will strengthen emotional safety, promote shared learning, and bridge the gap between clinical care and lived maternal experience, defining elements of Person-Centered Care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTogether, we are building a future where every mother feels heard, supported, and understood\u2014because investing in breastfeeding is truly investing in the collective future. \u201c<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This story comes from Jussara Brito at Al Wakra Hospital at the Hamad Medical Corporation, in Qatar. She is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Public Health working at Al Wakra […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1140,1145,1149,690],"tags":[1148,62,41,991],"class_list":["post-17175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-30th-anniversary-stories-2","category-health-2","category-qatar","category-stories-reports","tag-health","tag-hosting","tag-the-world-cafe","tag-women"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Sized-Opening-1.jpg?fit=1280%2C747&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6sDis-4t1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17175"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17183,"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17175\/revisions\/17183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Sized-Topic4.jpg?ssl=1\")
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With the theme \u201cInvest in Breastfeeding, Invest in the Future,\u201d this event built on the success of the inaugural session and continued to provide a safe, inclusive, hospital-based platform for open dialogue, emotional support, and shared learning between mothers, families, and healthcare teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Building on the success of the first two sessions, the Ummomah Project will continue with quarterly Women\u2019s World Caf\u00e9s, addressing key topics such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n