A first in Hong Kong
Medical research shows that approximately 20% of pregnancies result in loss. Look around you, that’s 1 in every 5 mums.
When you look around at the other mums, you probably wouldn’t know who among them has gone through miscarriage because they put on a strong face and know of the stigma associated with losing a child. You won’t see the immense physical and mental pain that she has been through and continues to grapple with. A woman’s body has undergone massive change to ready itself. With the loss, comes imbalance in hormones which often don’t return to normal until many weeks after miscarriage. Imagine a mum not knowing that her depression can partially be attributed to chemicals in the body. She feels alone, the taboo surrounding miscarriage keeps her silent and the problem perpetuates.
OAMA’s core focus is to help people in need to go through this difficult time in life, and for affected women in particular, to learn more about themselves and become a more mature being through experiencing and reflecting on the loss.
醫學研究指約百份之二十至二十五的孕婦會有機會經歷小產。小產對女性帶來的壓力，相信只有過來人才能有切膚之感。除了當媽媽的期望落空，甚至可能自我責怪，因而出現憂鬱或焦慮症狀，但願社會更開明, 小產不再是忌諱, 讓「一時媽媽」(OAMA Once a Mama) 得到適當的支持, 身心靈慢慢恢復，成為自身逆境的「終身媽媽鬥士」(Always a Mama Fighter!)
計劃目的是希望各位「一時媽媽」知道你並不孤單，大家一起風雨同行。
What is OAMA?
‘OAMA’ is an acronym for ‘Once A MAma’. Like other mothers, women who have suffered from miscarriage or stillbirth have so much love for their pre-born babies. This love is so strong and intense, confirming the truths they experience in their spirit and soul that once they are a mother, they will always be, for the rest of their lives (一時媽媽 終生媽媽). The only difference is OAMAs are dealing with the loss of someone who meant the world to them and they are mourning the loss of the life they have made and saying goodbye to the future they had planned.
Why?
The Founding Partners of OAMA: Marina and Babie have experienced miscarriage themselves and they felt so hopeless in finding information or the support that they need in the community. May, another Founding Partner of OAMA, is receiving Social Work training in HKU. Although she did not have the experience of miscarriage, she is concerned about the needs of these mummies. She wants to use her education and compassion in service to mums in need.
Over time, they finally gathered themselves and moved on. Through finding each other, and having the ability to talk about their own feelings, and exchange ideas, they decided to volunteer themselves in setting up Hong Kong's first ever platform-OAMA.
計劃發起人 Marina 及 Babie 曾經歷過小產, 與其他準媽媽一樣， 懷孕時正在期待著自己的孩子呱呱落地時，胎兒卻由於染色體問題或其他先天疾病，又或者畸形匆匆而去，她們還未來得及享受新生兒的喜悅，就必須接受孩子離去的悲慘現實，留下的只有傷心欲絕的情緒。但是，她們的聲音和苦痛卻極少被關注。因此，她們希望以此計劃支持其他流產媽媽。
計劃另一發起人 May 現正就讀香港大學社工系四年級，雖然並未有此經歷，但因其正接受社工教育的背景，與其他媽媽討論後，發現香港並無足夠服務支持流產媽媽，因此希望以是次計劃補足此服務斷層。
What does OAMA do?
1. Offering needed information
We understand that miscarriage is never easy, especially in Chinese society, when the term is not often mentioned.
By establishing a website, we believe it will provide immediate initial information to those affected by miscarriage or stillbirth, which helps them to make sense of what is actually happening and gives them that initial critical support system. The shell of our website has been built (https://www.oamahk.org), but we need resources to create content and improve the functions of the platform.
O&G doctors and counselors will be invited to join OAMA by offering their health advice and support to help women in need of medical advice and/or emotional support.
2. Dealing with Emotions
We hope to provide an online chat support function where women can feel safe to open up with other women about their experiences.
Counselling-Miscarriage or stillbirth experience is a traumatic experience to women, and men as well. Certified Loss & Grief Counsellor will be invited to do a monthly group counselling session on bereavement.
De-stress workshops will help give women the tools to minimize stress and and deal with emotions.
Some examples of workshops that women can expect would be breathing and meditation or the ‘Be a Better Me’ workshop which aims to help women learn more about themselves through introspection.
Candle-making is one of the free-of-charge workshops OAMA provides.
3. Spreading Awareness
Miscarriage is a bereavement, which is often not acknowledged. We believe that by talking about miscarriage more openly, society can better understand and support people in need. By raising the awareness of and knowledge about miscarriage, we can help create a more loving and caring society.
此計劃是非政治/宗教/傳銷組織， 提供一系列免費的服務，包括設立網上平台，邀請婦產科醫生為發生流產、胎兒發育異常、死胎的婦女提供資訊, 並邀請心理學家提供免費情緒輔導等身、心照護等，讓她們能夠用健康的心態迎接未來。OAMA已初步建立網頁，並會利用部分籌得款項營運網站，詳情可瀏覽：https://www.oamahk.org
此外，OAMA亦會與不同團體及人士合作，提供不同類型的工作坊。社會忽視了對她們的關懷，她們不單要承受失去孩子的痛苦，甚至還要承受家人的不解和歧視，她們的路真的很難走。 如何才能避免因為孩子夭折而給準媽媽們帶來傷害？對準媽媽的關愛，不僅在物質上，更應該在心理上，讓她們和家人能夠客觀地看待可能發生的事情，這樣，準媽媽們和家人才能夠理性地面對小天使的離開，才能少一份對準媽媽們的傷害。
計劃另一重點將是公眾教育及宣傳工作，目標是為了提高公眾人士對小產對身心靈健康的認識和了解，亦增加對受影響婦女的關懷、體諒和包容，幫助消除誤解和歧視。
Illustration by Tina Ko
Our event - Women Portrait Campaign
In December, OAMA kick-started its first society awareness campaign in the PortraitStudio of the Hive. Our campaign included taking candid portraits of women affected by miscarriage. Women who had experience of miscarriage and had not joined the event in showing their support to this community. We are also honored to have Grace Lam, Former Senior Fashion Style Editor VOGUE China as our Art Director and Christy Sieux, Former Senior Beauty Editor VOGUE China as our Make-up Artist.
Due to taboo in the Chinese society, miscarriage is often not mentioned. Both physical and mental well-being of the affected woman is always underestimated. The aim of this campaign is to raise the society awareness of miscarriage situation, rallying for more support to women in need and conveying a message of ‘you are not alone.’
Photos will be used for OAMA’s crowdfunding project and website. They will also be showcased in a photo exhibition in January 2018 to reach out to a wider public audience.
OAMA已於12月初舉行以女性為主題的拍攝活動。活動中，OAMA十分榮幸能夠邀請到造型師林苡汶 Grace Lam （VOGUE China 前高級時裝編輯）及其旗下化妝師Christy Sieux （VOGUE China前高級美容編輯）協助拍攝。相片將於2018年1月初舉行以女性為主題的攝影展，以提高社會大眾對曾流產媽媽的關注。同時，我們亦希望透過攝影展，向大眾傳達正面訊息，讓曾流產媽媽於復元路上不會感到孤單。
Media Mention:
Our feature story on Mingpao Weekly has been published on 30 December.
明報周刊刊登了OAMA 專訪，並已於12月30日出版。詳細文章可瀏覽https://bkb.mpweekly.com/cu0001/20171229-62548
Call to Action
Please support our campaign on www.nextchapter.com.hk and enjoy some of the rewards from my partner sponsors.
請支持我們！
你們的支持對於我們的工作是十分重要！更重要的是，曾受流產的媽媽能感受到你結予她們的愛及支持，令她們在復元路上不會感到孤單。
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Marina, May and Babie
Founding Partners of OAMA
創辦人
All the rewards are generously donated by:
A little something
FLOAX
Living Life with Jen
Red Doors Studio
Sayvour
Sense of Touch
NODORIE by Bubbles
所有獎品由以下團體／人士慷慨捐贈：
A little something
FLOAX
Living Life with Jen
Red Doors Studio
Sayvour
Sense of Touch
NODORIE by Bubbles
Advisors:
Prof. Chan Lai Wan, Cecilia
JP, BSocSc, MSocSc, PhD, RSW
Professor, Chair of Health and Social Work, HKU
Dr. Bobo Lau Hi Po
Post-doctoral fellow, Department of Social Work and Social Adminstration, HKU
Mr. Tang Wai Hung
BSSc, MSSc, DipExeMgt, HKPCA Fellow, RSW
Part-time Lecturer, Department of Social Work, CUHK
OAMA logo, courtesy of Visual Artist Akjan Li
Special thanks to Shelia Chiu
Media Mention: Now TV
顧問：
香港大學社會工作及社會行政學系教授 陳麗雲教授
香港大學社會工作及社會行政學系博士後研究員 劉喜寶博士
香港中文大學社會工作學系兼任講師 鄧惠雄先生
特別鳴謝：
Shelia Chiu
