After seeing the impacts of a traumatic hospital birth suffered by a dear friend, Binna Burra mother of two, Emma Maidment, knew she would have to find a better way when her time came.
After lots of research, and listening to many women’s stories on podcasts, Emma decided that one-on-one care with a midwife in her home was going to be the most efficient and positive experience for her and her newborn.
She didn’t know anyone who had chosen home birth before, but the evidence she found in support of this choice, and women’s stories, especially those who had home births after traumatic hospital births, cemented the idea in her mind.
Emma’s partner, Tyson, was also open to exploring options outside the standard hospital system given he witnessed the traumatic birth of his sister when he was just ten years-old.
Tyson quickly saw the benefits of home birth through all the information Emma was able to give him, and he turned out to be the most caring and capable support she could ever wish for.
Challenges to access
Yet home birth with a registered midwife is not easy to access. Less than 20 hospitals around Australia offer home birth, which comes with the benefit of Medicare cover. However, there are restrictions on how many women they can accept, and a women’s distance from hospital and their ‘risk’ profile can make it more prohibitive.
Private midwifery is an alternative option, but the cost can also be prohibitive (owing to the lack of Medicare support) and there are few regional/rural areas with private midwife practices.
Fortunately, Byron Shire is comparatively well served, with one home birth service offered at Byron Central Hospital, as well as a number of local private midwives to choose from. Emma decided on local midwife, Libby Lamb.
Emma says, ‘It was so great having Libby’s support to understand all the decisions we had to make along the way. I felt like each of my decisions were well informed and completely mine.’
Emma cherished the meetings she had with Libby in her home in the lead up to her birth of River three years ago, and for the six weeks afterwards.
‘I told her, “I need to have another baby, so we can keep hanging out!”,’ she laughed. Emma realised that dream when she gave birth to baby Osha at home, again with Libby’s care, last July.
‘Libby stayed right in the background and gave us both such confidence to just work together and be guided by the process’, said Emma.
Feb 15 screening
Born at Home is a new documentary that showcases the benefits of home birth, and will premiere at the Byron Palace Cinemas on February 15 from 6.30pm.
Brisbane filmmakers, Amanda Banks and Eleanor Currie, have both had home births, and they teamed up to raise awareness of this birth choice.
Remarkably, less than one per cent of babies are born at home in Australia.
‘We believe how, and where women choose to birth, matters’, says Amanda.
‘We created the film to provide insight to an alternative to birthing in hospital.
‘We would like women to be able to make true informed decisions about their maternity care and childbirth’.
The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines state that there is minimal, or no increased risk of planned home birth for healthy women experiencing a normal pregnancy.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) also endorses continuity of midwifery care, and through their research, has found that 85 per cent of women can birth normally without medical intervention. Countries with intervention rates above 15 per cent are deemed to be over-servicing women.
Amanda and Eleanor are well aware of where Australia’s maternity care system sits in the international landscape.
High C-section rates
‘With our caesarean section rate at an all-time high of 39 per cent, and one in three women having their labours artificially induced, it’s abundantly clear to us that many more women should have this choice available to them.’
Local doula (a non-medical childbirth companion) and maternity services advocate, Fiona O’Shaughnessy, agrees.
‘We would love to see much more support for home birth in this region from our Local Health District (LHD)’.
‘While we could think ourselves lucky to have it available at all, it really should be a standard offering from all of our hospitals,’ she says.
No Medicare
‘And Medicare should be covering the cost of private midwifery’.
‘The savings for women who birth at home are massive for our health system.’
After the film, a panel of speakers will be available for questions from the audience.
Find out more about home birth at the Byron premiere screening of Born at Home at the Palace Cinemas, Byron Bay at 6.30pm on Wednesday February 15. Tickets available from: www.bornathomefilm.com.au.
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