Choice

Where a family chooses to birth their baby should be their choice, but it's all become very political. Having an Independant Midwife and a planned homebirth is a safe choice for many healthy pregnant women. Soon though, this choice may be made illegal.

At the moment you can pay for your own homebirth, but come July 2010 there is a good chance that having a homebirth with a qualified midwife will be illegal. A review into maternity services has been conducted and included in the recommendations are that all maternity practitioners will need insurance to be able to register. Fine, that makes sense. EXCEPT there is NO insurance product available for Private Midwives. So if an Independant Midwife can not get insurance she can not practice and if she does practice it will mean jail time. This doesn't just rule out midwives at homebirth, it also rules out Independant midwives helping Mum's in the antenatal period and also postnatal. At the moment Independatn Midwives are registered but are not required to have insurance. They have a contractual agreement with their clients stating that they do not have indemnity insurance.

Homebirths will still be available in some states that offer funded midwifery programs, but whilst these programs are a great step in the right direction, the selection criteria is very strict and not enough spots to fill the demand.

Such a life changing and important event such as child birth has been medicalised to the point that the thought of performing the most natural human function at home is going to be illegal. You can choose a fully elective C/s, but you WILL NOT be able to choose to have one-on-one midwifery care at home.

I understand that homebirth is not for everyone, just the same that an Elective C/s is not for everyone, but at least those that choose to have a c/s can have one. It will not be an option after July 2010, unless the recommendations aren't followed through. Homebirth is not for everyone but it should still be a valid choice that is supported and respected, heck it should even be funded. Maternity takes up one of the largest proportion of beds at hospitals, surely if homebirth was available and funded these beds could be freed up for truely sick people. Homebirth is still such a minority, but maybe with more positive births talked about and the fear of birth worked through, it may become an option for more people. Too often women are labeled "patients" when for the majority, they are not sick, just pregnant.

Trust of birth is lost in the need to induce, intervene and perform surgery. So many women are falling victim to the cascade of interventions, and made to make uninformed decisions based sometimes on manipulation and fear. It starts with all talk of being overdue. Normal gestation is 38-42 weeks, only 3 % of babies are actually born on their magic due date. It's an average. So many women are offered inductions just after passing the 40 week mark, because they are so overdue. I wonder if many women are told about the higher risk of other intervention that goes along with being induced? How often are they told about the importance of keeping waters intact until they break by themselves? Your waters are there to cushion the baby, allowing them to move into the best position for birth. If they are artificially broken, the baby is dropped into the pelvis suddenly and sometimes not in the optimum position, making for a harder second stage. Of course this still happens if waters break naturally, but why break the waters unnecessarily just to speed things up?

Homebirth is not all about long-haired hippy women birthing their babies with whale music and incense burning in the background. Those that choose to homebirth do so because they have faith in the process and understand that birth is a physiological process. They want what is best for their baby and that is to be in a safe, protected environment, surrounded by positive people who are all emotionally involved in the intimate act of their birth. The midwife is there for the one women, not rushing ragged between a few rooms, trying to give optimal care and support to many. The midwife and the family have built up a relationship throughout the pregnancy, which gives them a better chance of picking up problems should they occur. Most homebirthers are well researched and informed with their decisions, they understand that birth is safe most of the time, and are willing to take full responsibility for their choices. If during the pregnancy or labour a medical problem presents, then of course you go to the hospital and seek medical advice.

Once again, I understand that homebirth is not a choice that a lot of people want for them self. However, if we start taking choice away from women in regards to birth, what else can be taken? Do we really want to go back to the days of being dropped of at the front door of the hospital by our husbands, shunted up to the "delivery" ward, strapped to a bed until the Dr comes into to declare it's time to push?

Birth should be an empowering time of our life, whichever way the baby comes out. If you want your experience to be with an elective C/s, and you have been given all the information in order to make an informed decision, that's fantastic. It's your choice, and It's great that you have the option. Then why does the family that choose homebirth not afford the same choice? They should also be able to assess their situation and make an informed decision as to where to birth their baby. Isn't it shocking that one could be made illegal! Wrong for so many reasons.

I am writing to my local MP about this, it's something that I feel strongly about. My dream is to one day become a midwife and after getting experience I want to become an Independant Midwife. This dream could very well be shattered. I also will be homebirthing my next baby, and I wasn't planning on getting in before the July 2010 deadline, so I hope that this whole issue can be resolved.

I know that homebirth will never stop happening, but if it is made illegal it will happen without proper care. Those that do not want to birth under strict guidlines of hospitals, will only have a choice to freebirth and they will. I'm not sure how I personally feel about an intentional freebirth, I like the attention and care of a qualified midwife.

Anyway, enough ranting and time for action:

Here's a petition to sign:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/australianhomebirth/

And of course a Facebook group to join:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=55667514020