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August 18th, 2009:

Midwife laws may force homebirths underground

Aug 18th, 2009
by Melissa Maimann.
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For further information, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

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A SENATE committee has acknowledged that proposed legislation for midwives may ”drive homebirths underground”.

The Government chairwoman of the Senate’s Community Affairs Committee, Claire Moore, said the three Labor members recommended proceeding with legislation that would expand the role of midwives and extend government support for medical indemnity cover for midwives operating in hospitals.

Senator Moore said the legislation did not make homebirth unlawful, but separate legislation dealing with the accreditation of health workers ”may result in homebirths being outside the scope of practice of registered midwives due to the requirement for indemnity insurance as a condition of registration”.

The committee acknowledged the concerns that ”an unintended consequence of this may be to drive homebirths underground unless an exemption is granted or an insurance product found”.

Since the potential barrier to homebirths emerged, the Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, has indicated that she is prepared to consider ways of extending medical indemnity to homebirths, provided this could be achieved without making the insurance costs ”unaffordable”.

The Liberal members of the committee, Sue Boyce and Judith Adams, called for the Government to commission an actuarial analysis of the risks of professional homebirth and, if feasible, make it eligible for government support.

A Greens senator, Rachel Siewert, also called for the indemnity scheme to be extended to low-risk homebirths.

” … the voices of more than 2000 women speaking out on fundamental women’s rights has been ignored and given the sheer magnitude of the evidence put forward and the results the committee has come up with, it looks like we are getting to the end of the line when it comes to options.”

More than 10,000 women are expected to attend a rally outside Parliament House in Canberra next month to continue the fight.

If you’re wanting to have a home birth, it’s best to start trying for a baby now so that you birth before June 30, 2010. It’s almost certain that this legislation will be passed. National Registration demands that all health professionals have professional indemnity insurance to practice. That does not make home birth illegal. The other 3 Bills around PI for midwives and midwife eligibility for MBS, PBS and insurance, state that insurance will not be extended to home birth. That also does not make home birth with a private midwife illegal. It is the intersection of the 2 laws that make private home birth illegal.

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448

Home births

Aug 18th, 2009
by Melissa Maimann.
No comments yet

For further information, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.

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When it comes to giving birth, more mothers-to-be are deciding that there’s no place like home. In what can be a painful and at times scary experience, it is easy to imagine the appeal of creature comforts, far away from the clinical environment of a hospital.

“The nicest thing was after the birth I could have a bath in my own home, sit on the sofa, and watch TV with a cup of tea,” says Katrina Fox, 29, a full-time mother from Bournemouth who gave birth to her daughter Casia at home … She joins a growing number of women who have decided to have a home birth. … there has been an 8% increase in the number of home births since 2006 …

Any expectant mother … may quite understandably be apprehensive. … nearly one in four babies in England are still being delivered by caesarean section, despite additional risks to both mother and baby …

… a recent Dutch study … concluded home births were just as safe as hospital births … [for] low-risk mothers …

… Statistically less likely to suffer complications in labour, [low risk] women in good health who have not had caesareans or unexplained stillborns in the past …

Hughes gave birth to her second daughter Elizabeth at home four weeks ago, and is a strong advocate for home births. “It’s just so much more relaxed and a much better experience. The fact that you’re at home in your own space with two midwives the whole time means you’re not stressing as you have the full attention of them,” she says.

Fox agrees that home birthing is a much calmer experience, and one that requires little preparation. “For a hospital birth, you have to make sure everything you need is in a bag ready for you to go. Women obviously used to have their babies at home many years ago and they didn’t make a big fuss over it. Really all you need is a clean area, towels to wrap the baby in, and something to cover your floors.”

It can be difficult to forget about the neighbours, though … “I just warned my neighbours beforehand as they were directly below and above me. They were old dears and were very excited and thought it was lovely.”

As relaxing and intimate an experience as home births can be, the hospital cannot be removed from the equation altogether. About a quarter of home birthers will end up being transferred to hospital during or after labour, which is an area of concern for critics. There are a number of complications that can require transferral to hospital, including shoulder dystocia, haemorrhaging and breech births. A 2008 study … found that a transfer increases the risk of the baby dying by eight times the national average. Despite this, there are no set restrictions on the distance between the birthplace and the hospital.

The government has pledged that every woman will have the option of a home birth by the end of the year …

If only this was the case in Australia!

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448