Posted by Melissa Maimann on Mar 10, 2010 in
Birth,
Caesarean,
Home birth,
Midwifery,
Normal Birth,
Obstetrics Interested in home birth, hospital birth or private midwifery care? Questions or comments? Email Melissa Maimann or call 0400 418 448.
Can I home birth if I have a high blood pressure?
It is best to discuss this with your midwife and s/he can guide you on this one.
Can you opt for a c-section in a public hospital?
Generally speaking, you cannot do this. Caesareans are only performed where there is a clear obstetric reason. Many women have support people with them for their labour and this helps them to feel more comfortable and in control of their experience.
Can you refuse midwife attendance during birth?
You can refuse to have a midwife with you if you choose, but this would leave you without professional care during the birth.
What care is available to women birthing in australia?
Within the private system, women may choose a midwife for a home or a hospital birth and they will generally experience an empowering and natural birth without complications. If there are complications in the pregnancy or birth, obstetric care is readily available. The other option in the private system is to choose an obstetrician. Intervention rates with obstetricians are high, with caesarean rates up to (and over) 50%, episiotomy rates around 25% and assisted delivery rates around 25%.
In the public system, midwifery care is the norm, but most women will not have the same midwife all the way through their pregnancy, birth and postnatal period. If there are complications in the pregnancy or birth, obstetric care is readily available.
Continuity of midwifery care
The most established method of continuity of midwifery care is private midwifery care or independent midwifery. In this model, women book with the midwife of their choice and this same midwife is there for the woman throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. Satisfaction rates with this mode of care are very high.
IVF and home birth?
Yes, it is possible to bith at home following IVF. Talk to your midwife.
Are midwives qualified to do cesareans?
No, midwives are qualified in normal pregnancy and birthing, and we do not perform surgery.
Natural labour in sydney?
The best way to achieve a truly natural labour is to book with a private midwife for a home birth or a hospital birth. Home is the safest place to birth for the majority of women, and home – where women feel safe, nurtured and supported – is the most conducive environment for a natural birth.
Are there any obstetricians in sydney under $5000?
The best way to research prices is to ask the obstetricians themselves. Don’t forget, the ob’s bill is not the only bill you will receive: there is also the paediatrician, anaesthetist, private hospital fees, health fund excess / co-payment, childbirth education and so on.
Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448
Tags: Birth choices, Caesarean, Complicated pregnancy or birth, continuity of care, Home birth, hospital birth, midwife, Midwifery, Midwifery services, Normal Birth, Obstetrics, Public and private hospitals
Posted by Melissa Maimann on Mar 1, 2010 in
Home birth,
Midwifery Interested in home birth, hospital birth or private midwifery care? Questions or comments? Email Melissa Maimann or call 0400 418 448.
Link
THE number of women choosing to give birth at home in Wales has reached a plateau …
Despite a rise in the birth rate, the percentage of home births has remained static at 3.7%.
But Wales still has the highest rate of home births in the UK.
The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) has said it was “very disappointed” about the lack of progress in Wales in raising the home birth rate.
Former Health Minister Jane Hutt said in 2003 that she wanted to see a 10% increase in the number of babies born at home over the course of a decade. And the Heads of Midwifery Advisory Group for Wales set a 10% home birth target for Wales to be achieved two years’ ago.
… “We need to see action … to deliver on policy commitments for choice. It is vital there are enough midwives and that they are supported.”
… almost 90% of women in the UK live in areas that “realistically do not offer the choice of a home birth with a midwife”.
… “We advocate home births because, with hospital births, the worry is that there is more risk of intervention.”
… women are twice as likely to need physical intervention when giving birth in hospital than at home. Women choosing home births are also less likely to rely on pain-relieving drugs … home births vary across Wales, from 9.5% in Bridgend to just 1.3% in Merthyr Tydfil.
“A target of 10% is quite a reasonable target. You would have to ask the Welsh Assembly Government why there is such a difference between areas. Sometimes it is down to midwife staffing levels but I would hope that is being looked at …
… “Home births provide women with an environment where they can feel more comfortable and as relaxed as possible …
I live for the day when Australia has a 10% home birth target!! We’re currently at about 0.3%.
Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448
Tags: Birth choices, continuity of care, Home birth, midwife, Midwifery, Midwifery services
Posted by Melissa Maimann on Feb 28, 2010 in
Birth,
Home birth,
Midwifery,
Normal Birth,
Obstetrics,
VBAC Interested in home birth, hospital birth or private midwifery care? Questions or comments? Email Melissa Maimann or call 0400 418 448.
Why are are home births with a mid wife preferred over a hospital delivery?
There are many benefits to birthing at home and having a midwife provide your care. The following pages will explain more about the benefits of birthing at home:
http://www.essentialbirthconsulting.com.au/home-birth.html
http://www.essentialbirthconsulting.com.au/home-birth/home-birth-benefits.html
I had a bad first birthing experience and I’m now waiting for my second baby.
It’s important to debrief your birth experience to help you to gain clarity around what happened and to explore strategies for helping the same situation to not happen again. Birth debriefing can also help you to choose a care provider who can support what it is you need for your second birth.
What are the benefits of having my baby with a midwife?
There are many benefits:
- Have the same care provider all the way through your pregnancy, birth and postnatal period
- Lower rates of intevention such as forceps, vacuum, episiotomy, induction, epidural
- More likely to breastfeed successfully
- Have continuous support from your midwife throughout labour
- Babies generally experience gentler births
What proportion of women birth at home with midwife?
Australia-wide, around 0.3%. In NSW, it’s around 0.2%. The low rate of homebirth is related to several factors:
- Homebirth is not actively supported by our health system, and hence it is not offered as an option to women when they see their GPs when they become pregnant.
- There is a perception that home birth is something only “hippies” or “alternative” people do. This could not be further from the truth!
- The cost of homebirth is prohibitive for some families as it is totally privately funded.
- In some areas, there are no midwives available.
Is it possible to contract a private midwife for postnatal care only?
Yes! Essential Birth Consulting provides postnatal care independent of birthing services.
Are there any VBAC friendly doctors at north shore private?
VBAC rates at North Shore Private are around 5% or lower and this is reflective of the obstetricians who practice there. Conversely, private midwives have VBAC rates as high as 90%. Obstetricians are surgicial specialists; midwives are specialists in normal, natural birth. If you’re after a normal birth (VBAC), you’re best to choose a care provider who specialises in this.
Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448
Tags: Birth choices, continuity of care, Home birth, hospital birth, midwife, Midwifery, Midwifery services, Normal Birth, Obstetrics, Public and private hospitals, VBAC
Posted by Melissa Maimann on Feb 27, 2010 in
Birth,
Midwifery,
Obstetrics Interested in home birth, hospital birth or private midwifery care? Questions or comments? Email Melissa Maimann or call 0400 418 448.
Link
The Canberra Hospital’s obstetric training program could be at risk unless more doctors with surgical experience are found.
… workplace problems are preventing Canberra-based obstetricians from doing more public work.
As many as 16 registrars … can be attached to the Canberra Hospital Obstetric and Gynaecology Department at one time.
But RANZCOG spokesman Andrew Foote says five consultant obstetricians have left in just over a year.
“In order to do surgery, you need senior doctors who are seeing the cases and putting the cases on operating lists,” he said.
“That has fallen to a quite significant level.”
… the Canberra Hospital had “the potential to be a leader in the RANZCOG program throughout Australia and New Zealand.”
But in its recommendations it listed “dysfunctional relationships within the Obstetric and Gynaecology Department …
… conflict between senior staff … was having an impact on trainees.
… obstetricians would work at the hospital if the conditions were better.
… many of the doctors and registrars who have left the hospital … complained of a toxic workplace and uncooperative relationships with some midwives.
… they were concerned some midwives raised the alarm too late in emergency situations with potentially disastrous consequences.
“One of the cultural concerns I have is that there’s this ‘I’ve failed if I have to call in a doctor’, both at the patient level and at the midwife level,” …
… “This concept has been built up and perhaps sold to the public that it is possible to have a pregnancy unencumbered by any medical staff,” he said.
Gill Hall from the ACT College of Midwives says most doctors and midwives work well together.
“There’s a lot of people in both professions who are working very hard to change the culture and to make practice much more collaborative,” she said.
Health Minister Katy Gallagher says the Federal Government’s changes to Medicare which will reduce rebates to private obstetricians could be partly behind doctors raising the allegations.
“I think the building of a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital is causing turbulence and I think the sale of Calvary is causing turbulence,” she said …
Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448
Tags: Complicated pregnancy or birth, hospital birth, midwife, Midwifery, Midwifery services, Obstetrics, Public and private hospitals
Posted by Melissa Maimann on Feb 25, 2010 in
Uncategorized Interested in home birth, hospital birth or private midwifery care? Questions or comments? Email Melissa Maimann or call 0400 418 448.
What does an obstetrician cost in Sydney?
Fees vary greatly. As well as considering obstetrician’s fees, also consider costs such as private health insurance co-payment or excess, extra fees and charges associated with private hospital stays, paediatrician and anaesthetist fees and additional costs for ultrasounds and tests. All up, you’re looking at somewhere between $2,000 and $10,000.
Private midwifery care, on the other hand, costs somewhere between $3,000 and $6,000.
Are there any antenatal / prenatal birthing classes in the Westmead area?
Yes, this service provides antenatal classes in the Westmead area.
What is the ceasearan rate in Australia in 2009?
This won’t be known until around 2011. In 2007 it was around the 30% mark and caesarean rates have increased most years. The current caesarean rate is around 30% – 35%.
induction vs cesarean and diabetes
What about another option? What about a natural birth? Provided that there are no complications as a result of the diabetes, this might be a great option to discuss with your care provider. You might also wish to seek a second opinion with a private midwife.
Intervention in midwifery?
Midwives are experts in natural birth, and therefore tend not to intervene in births. If intervention was felt to be necessary, an obstetrician would be consulted.
natural birth in a hospital australia?
Natural birth is far more likely in a homebirth (homebirth has an average transfer rate of 25% and the births that occur at home are 100% natural). In some hospitals in Australia, natural births are around 5%. Private midwifery care dramatically increases the chance of a natural birth in any setting.
Prenatal classes sydney
Yes, this service provides antenatal classes in Sydney.
Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448
Tags: childbirth education, continuity of care, hospital birth, midwife, Midwifery, Midwifery services, Public and private hospitals
Posted by Melissa Maimann on Feb 25, 2010 in
Birth,
Home birth,
Midwifery Interested in home birth, hospital birth or private midwifery care? Questions or comments? Email Melissa Maimann or call 0400 418 448.
Link
For Stephanie Foley … the home birth of her son Calvin was a “peaceful, great experience.”
And while Foley said she’s pleased with how her home birth went, and that she would do it again, the issue of the safety of out-of-hospital birth is up for debate.
Statistics show that while the desire for a less sterile, more intimate birth experience is growing, most mothers in the U.S. still have their babies in a hospital. It’s the prudent choice, safer if something goes wrong, experts say.
But it isn’t a simple call.
Family history, health of the mother and fetus, available and trusted midwives and personal preference all weigh in the decision.
On average, only 1 percent of all births in the U.S. are conducted out of hospitals annually …
Tori Kropp, a perinatal registered nurse at San Francisco’s California Pacific Medical Center, says it’s safer to give birth in a hospital.
… hospital births have gotten a bad rap due, in part, to the efforts of home-birth proponents, such as TV personality Ricki Lake.
Lake’s 2008 documentary “The Business of Being Born,” ignited a fire storm by implying many common medical practices may be doing new mothers more harm than good.
Kropp has participated in 5,000 births, including that of her 9-year-old son Alexander. By participating in so many deliveries Kropp said she has “seen all the things that can happen” during what is still a potentially dangerous event in a woman’s life.
Has she been at any homebirths? It’s totally ok to have an opinion in something that one has not seen, attended, experienced or directly been a part of. But if Kropp has never been to a home birth, only obstetricially-driven hospital births, who is she to say that home is not at least as safe as hospital for healthy, low-risk women who are attended by a midwife?
“Most of the time it’s wonderful, but sometimes it’s not,” Kropp said. “At the end of the day, it’s safer to give birth in a hospital.”
Through education and outreach Kropp strives to correct what she says is “misleading” information promoted by Lake’s film. ”
“The problem with many home births,” Kropp says, is that they are performed by midwives “without the support of either physicians or a hospital.”
And is that because the midwife has not consulted with the hospital or doctor, or because they were not willing to consult when it was requested?
To spread her message, Kropp is planning a 100-hospital tour across the country beginning in Michigan on Labor Day. Kropp plans to offer free pregnancy seminars at the hospitals …
Is she planning to get her message out to women who are planning to birth at home? If so, she can talk to the hospitals all she likes, she will not reach her intended audience.
Overall Kropp’s mission is a simple one – “helping women feel empowered about the choice they make, and not the choice society wants them to make.”
But … not if they choose to birth at home. It’s ok to choose an epidural or a caesarean though!
Regardless of birth location, 8 percent of births in 2006 were performed by midwives, according to the CDC.
Definitely room for improvement there. 80% would be a great target!
When Foley gave birth to her first and only child in December 2007 she and her husband lived in a one-bedroom, second-floor apartment in Lansing.
After about 6 hours of active labor, with the help of a direct-entry midwife, Foley gave birth to her son in an inflatable pool filled with water, which is described as a water birth.
… “Pregnancy and childbirth are normal, healthy events in a woman’s life and interventions, such as cesarean sections, should be used only when medically necessary, Winkler said. “Women choose to come to the birthing center for freedom of choice.”
But Winkler cautioned that women who have chronic diseases, such as kidney disease, high blood pressure or diabetes are “safest when (giving birth) at the hospital.”
Planned home births may have a low rate of complications …
Among 13,000 planned births studied, researchers found that the mortality rate was similarly low – less than one in 1,000 – among women who gave birth at home with a midwife, women who gave birth in a hospital with a midwife, and women who gave birth in a hospital with a physician.
… “Birth is safe. It is safe to give birth out-of-hospital when a woman is healthy and having a normal pregnancy,” Winkler said.
But Kropp says even if a woman is healthy, there is still the possibility of complications in childbirth.
“Our hospital system for childbirth is so far from perfect,” Kropp said. “But someone who is completely healthy could very easily have something very unexpected happen in childbirth. Childbirth is still the No. 1 cause of death for women (worldwide), so we can’t get too cavalier in saying ‘we don’t need medical help.’”
It’s the leading cause of death for women who are not suited to home birth, such as those in third world countries who experience malnutrition, undernutrition, anaemia, bleeding in pregnancy, high blood pressure and so on. For healthy, low-risk women, the benefits of home birth are enormous.
Foley said she considered safety when making her decision to give birth at home.
“I had had no reproductive issues … for me I felt that being at home would be as safe as at the hospital,” Foley said.
Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448
Tags: Birth choices, childbirth education, Complicated pregnancy or birth, continuity of care, Home birth, hospital birth, intervention, midwife, Midwifery, Midwifery services, Normal Birth, Public and private hospitals
Interested in home birth, hospital birth or private midwifery care? Questions or comments? Email Melissa Maimann or call 0400 418 448.
informed consent and childbirth
Every woman who is competent to consent, has the right to refuse any or all professional care. Informed consent must be obtained prior to any procedure being performed.
how to minimise labour intervention in a hospital?
The best way to minimise intervention in a hospital is to be as well informed as you can possible be about all things related to pregnancy, labour, birth, breastfeeding and babies. Read widely, attend independent childbirth education classes and consider employing a private midwife to be with you throughout your labour. She can help you to decide if the proposed interventions are necessary in your situation, she can support you emotionally, mentally and physically and she can aso help to ensure that your birth plan is respected without a fuss.
Do any independent midwives in Sydney offer prenatal care for women who are planning to freebirth?
Yes! This service enables women to access antenatal care from a midwife without the midwife attending the birth. Postnatal care is available if needed.
Do you think there are advantages to continuous monitoring for low-risk women
In a word, no. Intermittent auscultation is the method of choice. Continuous monitoring will increase the chance of a caesarean with no benefit to the mother or baby.
How much is a private midwife
Prices range from $3000 – $6000. Melissa Maimann offers for her clients to pay by the hour, making the service one of the cheapest.
What is a good caesarean rate?
The World Health Organisation recommends that no more than 15% births need to be caesareans. The WHO argues that when caesarean rates exceed 15%, the risks to the mother and baby increase on the whole. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a hospital with a caesarean rate of less than 15%, but birth centres and private midwives have caresarean rates of less than 10-15%.
What is the best hospital in sydney for delivering babies?
It all depends what sort of birth experience you’re after! If you’re wanting a natural birth, home birth will be the best option. If you want a natural birth in a hospital setting, the best options would be birth centre or private midwifery care for a planned hospital birth. If you’re wanting to have intervention in your birth, a hospital birth would be best. If you choose an obstetrician, you’re far more likely to have a caesarean, episiotomy, epidural, forceps or vacuum. Choosing your care provider is the single most important decision you will make in birthing.
Is there a birth centre at westmead hospital?
No, there isn’t. If you’re after a natural birth, the best choice would be a home birth.
C section or natural delivery midwife?
Midwves cannot perform caesareans. If a caesarean was needed, the midwife would call a doctor in to perform it. Most caesareans that are performed are unnecessary and increase the risks to the mother and baby. A natural birth is the safest way to birth, and midwives are qualified specialists in natural birth.
giving birth after birth trauma
Private midwifery care will be really important so that you can have the same midwife all the way through pregnancy, birth and postnatally. It’s also important to debrief your last experience and come to a place where you feel safe to birth again.
high risk midwife sydney
Midwives are not qualified to care for high risk pregnancies. We refer these women onto obstetricians. In most cases, one or two consultations is all that is needed with the obstetrician and the midwife continues the care of the woman.
how many births proceed naturally
What a great question! It all depends what care provider you choose and where you have your baby. You see, if you choose a private midwife and birth at home, you have about a 95% chance of having a vaginal birth. If you birth in a private hospital, you have about a 33% chace of having an unassisted vaginal birth. In some hospitals, the caesarean rate is more than the vaginal birth rate! Sad but true.
Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448
Tags: Babies, birth, Birth choices, birth debriefing, Birth trauma, Breastfeeding, Caesarean, childbirth education, Complicated pregnancy or birth, continuity of care, Epidural, exercise, fetal monitoring, freebirth, Home birth, hospital birth, intermittent auscultation, intervention, IVF, Maternity Services Review, midwife, Midwifery, Midwifery services, Normal Birth, Nutrition, Obstetrics, postnatal depression, Preconception care, Public and private hospitals, VBAC
Posted by Melissa Maimann on Feb 22, 2010 in
Home birth,
Midwifery Interested in home birth, hospital birth or private midwifery care? Questions or comments? Email Melissa Maimann or call 0400 418 448.
Link
IS giving birth at home a positive experience or and unnecessary risk?
ASK any expectant mother what she’s hoping for when she gives birth, and she’ll probably tell you the most important thing is to deliver a healthy, happy baby. But in recent years there’s been great debate about the best way to do this.
Is the ideal to have a child in the relaxed comfort of your own home, or does the medical expertise provided in hospital far outweigh the notion of giving birth in your own living room?
Although homebirth advocates argue the former, it appears the choice may soon be taken out of their hands.
Reports last year revealed that four babies in Sydney died in homebirths in the space of nine months, the NSW Government responded with a strong announcement: from July 2010, independent midwives will be unlikely to gain professional indemnity insurance – effectively making it illegal for them to assist at homebirths. The consequence? Homebirths are facing extinction.
Obstetrician Dr Pieter Mourik believes the ruling will stop women taking unnecessary risks.
“Women who choose to give birth at home expect everything to be normal, but they often don’t consider how far they are from expert help …” he says.
“Eighty per cent of women can have their babies in a paddock – but the problem is choosing these women. You just never know what will happen.”
However, Justine Caines, spokesperson for Homebirth Australia, says putting a blanket ban on homebirths will simply drive the practice underground.
… “Many mothers have had bad experiences in hospital and won’t repeat that.”
She continues: “Why does the government fund women who are choosing to have C-sections, but not women who are choosing to give birth at home?”LAST month a study of over 500,000 women in the Netherlands who gave birth at home … showed there was no significant difference between planned hospital births and planned homebirths in terms of babies dying during labour.
It’s important to note when making a comparison between Australia and the Netherlands, that the Netherlands only has low-risk home birth. If there are any complications in the pregnancy or labour, women see an obstetrician and birth in hospital. This is not the case in Australia at present, but it’s the system that the Govt is trying to set up.
… Dr Mourik says the study is misleading. “Firstly, we must remember Holland has very well-trained midwives who act almost like Australian GPs,” he says.
“It’s also a small country with maternity units often within 10 minutes of someone’s house. The conclusions of this study are based on the availability of well-trained midwives through a good transportation and referral system – and that simply isn’t the case in Australia.”
It’s not currently set up in Australia, but there’s no reason why it couldn’t be. A positive approach would be to set in place a system that supports women to birth at home, and a system that protescts the midwives who support women to birth at home. Home birth has always been and will always be. We can set it up so that it is safe, or we can hope it just goes away … it won’t.
However, despite warnings from obstetricians, women are still choosing to have their babies at home …
“Women should have the right to give birth wherever they feel safest – it’s up to them whether that’s in hospital or at home. But taking away our choice isn’t right. If there were more options within the hospital system, then perhaps more women would feel comfortable going to hospital.”
I disagree that women should make the decision: it should be made within the midwifery partnership. This debate is not about the right of women to bitrh at home: this right is protected by law. This debate is about the mdiwife’s responsibility to pracice safely.
The Health Minister is putting in place a system that will enable more women to access continuity of midwifery care with their chosen midwife in and out of the hospital system. Once this is in place, there will be more options within the hospital system, and hopefully fewer women who are traumatised by the hospital system.
So is there a way to keep everyone happy?
“Homebirth Australia would like the government to present a package for pregnant women that works a bit like the baby bonus,” … “Every woman would be given a sum of money to spend on her pregnancy treatment, then it’s up to her whether she sees a midwife at home, or an obstetrician in a hospital. It’s putting the choice back into women’s hands.”
What about the option to have a baby in hospital with a midwife, or the ability for an obstetrician to attend a woman at home?
However, Dr Mourik believes that when it comes to choice, the only factor to consider is the mother and baby’s health.
“Only a tiny minority of foolish women would risk their own lives and that of their precious babies for an ideal,” he says.
“How many doctors support homebirth? None I know – it’s too bloody risky.”
Many studies opint to the safety of home birth for low-risk women who are attended by a midwife. Women who birth at home are amongst the most health- and safety-conscious people I know. It is offensive to comment that women who birth at home are
risking their own lives and that of their babies, especially when the evidence is to the contrary.
Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448
Tags: Birth choices, Complicated pregnancy or birth, continuity of care, freebirth, Home birth, hospital birth, Maternity Services Review, midwife, Midwifery, Midwifery services, Public and private hospitals, women's rights
Posted by Melissa Maimann on Feb 20, 2010 in
Home birth,
Midwifery Interested in home birth, hospital birth or private midwifery care? Questions or comments? Email Melissa Maimann or call 0400 418 448.
Link
THEY were defending their right to give birth at home … Across the country hundreds of women held rallies …
Homebirth supporters claim doctors and the Government are taking away the rights of women.
Under the proposed Bill … doctors will have the final say if a woman can have a homebirth supervised by a midwife. Previously, private midwives could assist in a homebirth without a doctor’s consent but could not access Medicare rebates.
Passionate homebirth advocate Andrea Smith … said, “We should have the right to choose however we want to birth.” …
After July, midwives will need to work collaboratively with doctors. This will be the case if we are to attend homebirths or if our clients wish to access Medicare benefits for our services.
Collaborative arrangements have not yet been defined so it is hard to say at this stage how they might look. It’s almost certain that high risk homebirths will be off the cards, so no breeches, twins, VBACs, post term or preterm women, or those with high blood pressure or problems in the pregnancy will be able to have a home birth. Women are concerned that these changes will limit their right to a home birth, but the government is concerned for the provision of safe homebirth services. These new laws do not actually prevent “high risk” women from accessing home birth, they just restrict the ability of the midwife to attend them by legistating that midwives will only be able to attend low-risk homebirths.
Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448
Tags: Birth choices, Complicated pregnancy or birth, Home birth, Maternity Services Review, midwife, Midwifery, Midwifery services, women's rights
Posted by Melissa Maimann on Feb 20, 2010 in
Birth,
Home birth,
Midwifery,
Normal Birth Interested in home birth, hospital birth or private midwifery care? Questions or comments? Email Melissa Maimann or call 0400 418 448.
Link
The Federal Government has been grilled at its latest community cabinet meeting over its proposed changes for midwives and maternity services.
The Government wants to make midwifery services eligible for Medicare rebates, but only if homebirth midwives work in consultation with a doctor.
Several women at last night’s meeting … told the cabinet ministers that the changes would restrict the choice of women who only want to give birth with a midwife at home.
But Health Minister Nicola Roxon says the Government is simply taking a cautious approach.
“To make sure we’ve got some backup protocols in place, so if something does go wrong that there are agreements with the hospital or doctor to be able to step in quickly,” she said.
“And that is a conservative approach, but it isn’t a conservative approach to say midwives are doing good work, have never been recognised in the history of providing Medicare for the last 50 years and we’re going to actually change that.”
She told the meeting that medical professionals should be working together.
“I’m unapologetically on the record as saying let’s encourage people across the health services spectrum to work together and make sure that women can safely choose options that are good for them and suit them,” she said.
Women who access private midwifery services will be able to access Medicar benefits. As well as this, midwives will be able to order medications via the PBS.
The maternity reforms provide women with greater access to continuity of midwifery care. The standard care in a public hospital is for women to see one group of midwives in the clinic, another group in the delivery suite (who work shifts) and then another lot of midwives when they are being cared for with their baby. The maternity reforms will make it possible for more women to be cared for by their own midwife, whom they have chosen. The same midwife will provide care from the first antenatal consultation right up until about 2-4 weeks after the baby is born.
This is a huge step forward for Australian maternity care. For the first time, women will be able to birth in hospital under the care of a private midwife. Private midwifery care will also be available for home births (as is currently the case). We are continuing to book women for home births beyond July.
Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448
Tags: Birth choices, continuity of care, hospital birth, Maternity Services Review, Midwifery, Midwifery services, Normal Birth, Public and private hospitals