Bec Coddington

Dr Bec Coddington is a Clinical Fellow at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at University of Technology Sydney (UTS). She holds multiple academic appointments including Lecturer in Nursing and Midwifery Specialist at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, and Honorary Clinical Fellow at the Faculty of Health, all since 2020. She also serves as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Centre for Midwifery, Child and Family Health at UTS since 2018. Her work focuses on improving maternity care through research on fetal monitoring technologies, women's experiences during childbirth, and culturally safe birthing services.

Dr Coddington completed her PhD at UTS (2018-2020), following a Bachelor of Midwifery (Honours) (2010-2012) and a Bachelor of Midwifery (2005-2008), all from UTS.

Dr Coddington's research centers on enhancing women's experiences during childbirth through several interconnected themes:

• Fetal monitoring technologies - examining how different monitoring devices impact women's freedom of movement, bodily autonomy, and overall birth experiences, with a focus on developing and implementing beltless, wireless solutions
• Continuity of midwifery care - investigating models that provide consistent care for women, including those with complex pregnancies and those seeking homebirth options
• Culturally safe birthing - working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to enable Birthing on Country services
• Birth trauma - researching childbirth-related PTSD and developing assessment tools

Her recent publications (including multiple 2024 papers) demonstrate a clear trajectory toward human-centered design of maternity care technologies and services. Dr Coddington's work consistently emphasizes woman-centered care, freedom of movement during labor, and the importance of informed choice. She has pioneered research on non-invasive fetal electrocardiography (NIFECG) as an alternative to traditional monitoring that restricts movement. Her scholarship bridges clinical practice, technology development, and policy advocacy, with increasing focus on equity in maternity care, particularly for Indigenous women and those with complex pregnancies.

Dr Coddington has received significant research funding including:

• DelivAssure - A novel monitoring device to detect hypoxia during childbirth (2024-2027)
• WOMB study - WOmen's experiences of Monitoring Baby (2022-2023)
• Harnessing technology to enable mobility in labour and birth for women with increased Body Mass Index (BMI) (2021-2025)

She serves as a joint supervisor for research students and has presented her work at numerous conferences, often taking a feminist perspective on technology in childbirth. Her service includes committee work related to maternal health outcomes and midwifery practice implementation.