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August 11th, 2009:

Victoria to Pilot New Home Birth Option

Aug 11th, 2009
by Melissa Maimann.
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For further information, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

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Victorian families will more birthing choices thanks to a Brumby Labor Government pilot program. … a pilot program would be established at two Melbourne hospitals to trial public home birth services.

“The Brumby Labor Government is taking action to provide Victorian families with world-class health services,’’ Mr Andrews said.

“Home birthing has been a popular option considered by women expecting straight-forward, uncomplicated births.

This is great news. But I disagree with the statement that “Victorian families will more birthing choices”. Some will have more choices open to them; most will not. Only low-risk women will have home birth as an option available to them.

… Until now, the only option for women seeking a home birth has been to engage a private midwife at their own expense …

… “Trailing the Victorian model where homebirth could be part of the public system is consistent with the Commonwealth recommendations, and would ensure that women opting for home births would still fall directly under the umbrella of hospital services should any complications arise,” Mr Andrews said …

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448

Possible Genetic Link To Cause Of Pregnancy Loss And Disorders

Aug 11th, 2009
by Melissa Maimann.
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For further information, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

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Scientists … have published new findings about a cause of a condition at the root of genetic disorders such as Down Syndrome, pregnancy loss and infertility.

Called aneuploidy, the condition is an abnormal number of chromosomes, and the research team found that if a mother’s egg cell has a mutation in just one copy of a gene, called Bub1, then she is less likely to have offspring that survive to birth.

… the harmful effects of this mutation increased with a mother’s age. As the female mice got older, there was eventually a complete loss of their ability to support a full-term pregnancy that lined up with an increase in aneuploidy. The same is true in humans: the chance of having an aneuploid pregnancy increases with the age of the mother.

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448

Government discriminating against home births, says Homebirth Australia

Aug 11th, 2009
by Melissa Maimann.
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For further information, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

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PROPOSED laws which would stop mothers from accessing registered midwives for homebirths would jeopardise the health of thousands of women and babies, a peak maternity group says.

… Under the draft laws, midwives must be insured to join the register but private insurers no longer provide cover for homebirthing and the Federal Government has also refused to subsidise professional indemnity for homebirth claims.

HA secretary Justine Caines said the draft laws effectively stop registered midwives legally attending home births.

“The national registration requirement is absolutely appropriate,” she told a Senate inquiry into the legislation.

“What is not appropriate has been the (Health Minister Nicola Roxon’s) response to say …’I will enable the funding of one-to-one midwifery care through Medicare for midwives who care for women birthing in the hospital system, but I won’t do it for homebirth’.”
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… Australian Greens senator Rachel Siewert said draft laws effectively rendered homebirths illegal.

“Where there is a low-risk pregnancy it is safe to have a home birth and women and families need to be able to have that choice,” she said.

The Greens will seek to amend the bills to ensure homebirthing with registered midwives remains an option for women in Australia.

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448