Come on women and men of Australia - we REALLY need you right now...

[BellyBelly]

Hey all,

It's so so so important that as many of you as possible write submissions to the government for the Maternity Review. We need to let them know what we want, that we want choice, no matter if it's a minority choice... at the end of the day choice is choice.

The full details of the review are here. The official review website is here.

Please use this thread to share your submissions and get help/advice/suggestions in writing your own. It doesnt need to be formal and professional - we just need the numbers sharing their experiences.

Come on ladies, lets do this - you can email in your submissions, its so easy!!!

LETS STAND TOGETHER AND DEMAND CHANGE... TOGETHER WE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!!



Get those keyboards burning hot - invest even 15 minutes into writing something to change the culture of birth in Australia which is spiralling out of control.

[Lulu]

Yep, will do tonight, just marking the page so I remember!

[kirsty_lee]

ditto as lulu... Not going to be able to concentrate atm with ava-jayde playing her favourite game of 'lets throw our toys on the floor and make mummy pick them up cause its funny"

[Tobily]

Working on mine at the moment, will post it here when I'm done.

C'mon ladies we spend so much time and energy here posting about the problems, all it takes is the same amount of time and energy directed to making a submission so that we can tell the people who have the will and the power to make some changes.

We haven't had a chance like this for a long time - the health minister is actually listening.

[Beach Mama]

Marking too and will be back later tonight. Mine might be a tad long! Tobily would love to see what others come up with!

[Trillian]

Here is mine. I did it last night.

Submission for the Maternal Health Services Review.

I write this to you as a mother of 4 children who had to travel 80 kilometres just to give birth to them.

This review is long overdue and my hope is that it makes serious inroads into the state of maternal health care in this country.

When my husband and I found out that we were expecting our first child, due to be born in early 2001, we were hoping that we would be able to birth him in our brand new local hospital, which was completed in the previous year. It was a state-of-the-art facility, complete with Maternity ward and we were excited to think that our child could be born there. Although we knew that in the ?old? hospital that the Maternity unit had been downgraded to only accept those women considered ?low risk? ? women who had no previous complications during birth and those who were multiparas (women on subsequent pregnancies), we hoped that with this new hospital it would bring a new opportunity for those women previously excluded to be able to birth there.

But we were to find out that the status quo would continue at the new hospital. This meant that I was excluded from our local hospital and that I would now have to travel a 160 kilometre round trip to the next town to see a Doctor I had never met before, in a town I didn?t frequent and give birth in a hospital far away from family. There was the vague hope that after I gave birth I would be able to travel back to my local hospital for my post-partum hospital stay, but within 6 months of my falling pregnant, even this option was taken away from me.

And even then there was no guarantee that I would give birth in this hospital. It was only a small District Hospital and could only take women after 38 weeks of gestation, women with singleton pregnancies, women with no health complications for themselves or their babies. If you were in any way considered to be ?high risk? then you were forced to travel to the NEXT hospital, which was a further 80 kilometres away.

Overall I cannot complain about my births, I had the best Doctor?s and the best Midwives, I had vaginal births and I had perfect and healthy babies and although I had some complications after one of my births, I was attended to in an extremely professional manner and quickly received the treatment I needed. But not all women are as fortunate as I and suffer terrible birth traumas that can take many years for them to fully digest and recover from.

The situation has only become more dire as the years have gone on. Not one single pregnant woman I talk to doesn?t have concerns that she will not make it to the hospital in time and fears either giving birth at home unattended or by the roadside. This raises another, separate issue, in that the husbands and partners of these labouring women are under even more pressure to get them to the hospital ?on time?.

It makes me wonder if women and their babies will have to start dying before anything is ever done about this situation. I accept that sometimes it is a staffing issue ? there just isn?t enough Doctors or Midwives in an area to run rosters. But most disgraceful of all is that often it is just Bureaucratic red tape or bungling that sees fully functioning Maternity wards either downgraded or closed.

Rural women have a right to the same quality of Maternal health care as our city sisters. We want more choices, we want access to Independent Midwives for homebirths, we want fully functioning hospital Maternity wards, and we want Birth Centres. Our choices are severely limited before we even start.

Not only do we have severely limited choices for our preferred mode of care, which currently stands at Public or Private Hospital only, we are also at the mercy of the care we have. Women who have had surgical births have no option to have a future vaginal birth (or VBAC ? Vaginal Birth After Caesarean) because none of the current care providers are willing to take it on or encourage it because it?s just too hard for them. Obstetrician?s would rather talk a woman into having another surgical birth than let her have a vaginal birth ? a birth which would see her leave hospital for home sooner, as opposed to a surgical birth which would see her in hospital for a longer stay, which then takes beds away from other women, not to mention taking up valuable theatre time which could be better used towards shortening the surgical waiting lists.

We need to move away from the Medicalised birth industry and start treating birth as the natural and normal process that it is. Australia has a disgustingly high surgical birth rate and steps need to be made to lower it. For too long Obstetricians have ruled the roost when it comes to birth and this needs to change. Of course they have their place in birth when it is complicated and needs to be medicalised, but when birth is taking place in a normal, healthy woman with a healthy baby, then there is no need for them.

Sadly though the AMA, and namely Obstetricians specifically, are at loggerheads with the natural birth movement and shun the idea that Midwives are fully capable of taking over control of birthing women and this needs to change. The choice should be given to the birthing women, not to have it dictated to them by the medical fraternity.

Medicalised birth costs this country millions of dollars each year, money which could be redirected into other health areas.

Another problem that goes hand in hand with Maternity services is the post-natal care that women in rural areas receive and basically there is none. There are Maternal Child Health Nurses for the weekly check-ups of our babies, but where is the access to qualified Lactation Consultants? The Parliamentary Inquiry into Breastfeeding last year found that there were severe issues in this area that needed addressing, but it hasn?t solved the problem. The attrition rate for Breastfeeding is very high in rural areas simply because there isn?t the backup and support needed once a Mother is home with her baby. Often the advice one receives in hospital is conflicting and can leave a new Mother, who is struggling trying to establish a breastfeeding relationship with her baby with no other option but to turn to artificial feeding of her baby ? something which can have a possible long term impact of the health of the child. Very concerning is that not all midwives are certified Lactation Consultants, so that at the most crucial time for establishing breastfeeding a women can?t even access the best person to help her.

Unlike our city counterparts, we don?t have access to Lactation Consultants that can come into our home once we leave hospital and give us the direction we need if we are struggling. All we have is access to a phone help line, which is staffed by time-starved mothers themselves and speaking to someone on the phone who could be hundreds of kilometres away isn?t conducive to helping us the way that we need it the most.

We often don?t even have access to proper care and treatment for Post Natal Depression. All we get is the Edinburgh test and there isn?t enough follow up treatment or access to qualified counsellors if we need them.

Another issue is that the sheer distances required to travel to seek care for some women mean that they put off appointments for check ups, or they simply don?t go because either the cost of travel or the distance (and often both) is too prohibitive. This means that lives are possible at stake if complications arise and remain untreated.

In the weeks before the birth some remote families have no option but to relocate to be closer to where they will give birth. This means that they then have to travel the long distance back home in the post-partum period, so it is no wonder that women are being failed by the system when they bid their farewell to the hospital and face the daunting challenge of becoming a parent with no support network once they get home.

I am part of an online Conception, Pregnancy and Parenting community forum and every single day I read of the hardships that women face when having to decide on care providers and which mode of care they want for their pregnancy and birth. It breaks my heart to read of women who cannot get into the precious few Birth Centres that there are in this country due to lack of places, of women who want a homebirth but can?t because they cannot afford it, of women who blindly trust their Obstetricians are led into the most Medialised of births ? something which can ruin all future births for them, of women who aren?t educated enough about the choices they do have, and about women heartbroken because they couldn?t establish breastfeeding.


What I would like to see changed in our Maternal health care system is;

• Fully funded Independent Midwives to allow women to choose homebirth ? something which should be encouraged as a valid option as it lessens the burden on Hospitals ? both in regards to bed shortages which is pandemic in almost all hospitals and also freeing up time-starved medical staff.
• Women given a choice of care models, whether it be Independent Midwife led care, Midwife led care in a hospital or birth centre setting or the medicalised mode of care led by Obstetricians.
• More places for direct entry Midwifery at Universities. This will put more Midwives into the workforce quicker than it previously does with the current limited placements for direct entry B.Mid, meaning that those who miss out have to take the ?long road? and do their Bachelor of Nursing first.
• Re-open closed Maternity wards as Midwife led care Birth Centres for the smaller townships. This way low risk mothers will get to give birth locally.
• Include Lactation Consultancy as part of the B.Mid. Currently as it stands this is an ?optional extra? and what is included as part of the degree isn?t comprehensive enough. Only those that wish to pursue it further do so. It should be mandatory for Midwives to also be qualified Lactation Consultants so that new mothers get the help they deserve at the time they need it the most.
• Access to Post Natal Depression counselling and help for those that need more intensive treatment.

We?re not asking for much and it may be too late for me, as my childbearing days are finished, but I want this for those that are to come after me, and for my Daughters. I shudder at the thought of what the Maternal health system could be like when they are giving birth to my Grandchildren.

I thank you for allowing me the opportunity to have my say on a subject that is very close to my heart.

[Kazznazz]

I am a very happy 52 year old expectant grandmother. I want to take a moment to express what I know can be achieved when we use our voice to make changes happen.
I was a childbirth educator trained in Australia by A.C.E and PCA. I have spent much of my working life lobbying for various changes in birthing and post natal practices in Sydney and Nepean area.
I was the community based rep on the Ante Natal Review Committee at Nepean hospital some years ago which was created by the government in an attempt to "upgrade" hospital ante-natal classes (with varying degrees of success).
I was a NMAA (now Breastfeeding Australia) counselor for about 12 years. Our Lower Blue Mountains group (led at the time by a truly committed and focused lay-person who I shouldn't name without her permission) provided hours of counseling services to women in the post natal ward at Nepean Hospital. Our group was very heavily involved in providing education days for interested health professionals at Nepean hospital at this time. These "education days" were extremely well attended by doctors and midwives alike and helped provide an atmosphere of respect and cooperation in breastfeeding practices in the post natal wards at that time.
I was the first extra support person to attend a birth at Nepean Hospital. This was achieved through one woman who felt a strong need for extra help and support during labour. This woman spent time during her pregnancy writing letters, calling and meeting with people in order to make a case for my inclusion in her choice of birthing attendants. I had some input during this process but mostly this one woman who wanted me to attend her during her birth drove this change. What she did meant that all subsequent birthing women were allowed to have extra support people available at this hospital if they chose.
Without the call for change nothing changes . If we are silent long enough things start to slip backwards.
I had 2 of my babies at home which cost $1000 (each) at the time. Fear, inadequate and inaccurate information and increasing rates of litigation have driven up the cost of giving birth at home and, sadly, it is becoming prohibitive for many women at a time when there are such heavy financial demands on families.
My beautiful pregnant daughter brought this, her favourite forum to my attention. It is wonderful to see the passion is still alive and well. I will certainly write my thoughts to the gov on this matter, in particular the need for support and financial assistance for those women who wish to give birth at home and for the midwives and doctors who wish to attend them.
Bless you for providing a forum to help drive such changes.

[lilmisshavachat]

This is my submission, but what is the actual email adresss I can send it to or will bellybelly forward them all.

Dear Mrs Bryant,

I am currently trying to conceive my first child and as this has been taking quite a bit of time I have spent these months researching my birth options in this country.

I am lucky enough to live in a city that has a midwife led birth centre however I beleive that availability to book in there is quite difficult due to over subscription. I do not wish to birth in a hospital if I can avoid it due to what I see as over medicalisation of birth leading to unecessary interventions. A view I feel is supported by our ceasarian rate being above the World Health Organisation recommended level. I feel there is a lack of education about the benefits of a natural birth and that there are not enough resources being provided to encourage this act. I do beleive in having the hospital system for high risk and emergencies during birth however I strongly feel that a midwife led industry is the way we should be heading.

If independant midwives were afforded medicare backing and access to affordable insurance this would lead the way for the beginning of privately run birthing centres as well as government funded birth centres where ever the industry saw a need. These would employ fully trained midwives that could perhaps have an association with an obstetric practice that would then see and treat at a hospital any patient that showed complications during their birth.

By employing midwives who are trained in natural ways to reduce pain during childbirth and who also advocate techniques to allow a more relaxed and focussed birth process the need for drugs and interventions should lessen with time and we will see a lower ceasarian rate.

Obstetricians are surgeons by trade, they operate, that's what they do. Midwives assist the birth of babies. They also play an important role in pre-natal and ante-natal care as well as being able to train as lactation consultants. If we support Midwife led services such as birth centres and also by supporting midwife assisted homebirth we free up the obstetricians to be more available in their role.

We are slowly losing the confidence in our bodies to birth our babies and if we don't look at changing that soon it will be lost for good. At the moment in Australia there does not appear to be a lot of information regarding natural birthing practises at the begining of a pregnancy journey as most doctors will refer you to an Obstetrician and the Obstetricians aren't really going to refer you to a birthing centre or midwife based care because they would be doing themselves out of a job, so essentially unless you know someone who has bucked the trend and opted for a non medicalised delivery, chances are you have little or no information as to these choices. I would like to see the Government provide a number of Midwife led birth centres and word of mouth about the experience a mother had there would change the face of how we birth our children in this country. Thank you for your time and a chance to voice my choices.

Yours Sincerely

[Tobily]

The email address to send in your submissions is:

maternity.services.review@health.gov.au

Fantastic job ladies let's keep them coming

[minnie]

I am writing to express both my happiness at the positive experience birthing my first child was, but also to say how disappointing it is that I would not be supported by the Government if a chose a home birth in the future.

I had my first child at the Mercy Family Birth Centre in Heidelberg, Victoria, 15 months ago. I had a very straight forward pregnancy and a 12 hour, straight forward (but by no means easy!!) labour. I had wonderful support from my partner who is a health professional and the midwives basically left us alone to get on with the job, aside from coming in to observe how things were going and check blood pressure etc. I found the care to be exactly what we wanted at the family birth centre- the midwives were there should we need them but did not intervene or try and take over at any point. It was a wonderful experience and I found the pre and post natal care to be fantastic. We went home less than 24 hours after our daughter was born and found the home visits frequent and thorough enough so that we did not feel abandoned by the health system just because we were feeling ready to go home so soon.

I will never forget the wonderful midwife, who was there when i delivered my daughter, saying before we left for home "we won't see you two for the next baby- you can do that on your own at home!".

I would dearly love to have a home birth next time and am so mystified as to why midwives are not medicare funded. It just seems so crazy that fit and healthy women with no hint of complications are not allowed to birth at home with a midwife- instead we must endure the car ride to hospital (usually with very intense contractions as we have stayed home as long as possible), that car ride and the arrival at hospital and into a strange room almost always slows labour and totally interrupts any rhythm you had coping with the contractions and then take up a hospital bed and other resources which would be better used by someone who actually needed it.

I urge you to seriously consider giving women such as myself the choice to homebirth with a midwife- not only so I can bring my next baby into the world the way I would like to but so I can free up resources for those that need them.

Thankyou for listening to my story and suggestions.

[Antheia]

Here's mine. How is it?

Dear Ms Bryant, I am writing to you in response to your request for submissions to the Maternity Services Review.

I had my first baby in a public hospital. She was born by assisted delivery with vacuum extraction because i had not been given proper information on how to birth properly. I was laying flat on my back and i was not pushing correctly. The vacuum then made her shoulder get stuck on the way out.

My main care provider was shared care with my GP and the midwives at the hospital. Each visit i saw a different midwife. I had to explain myself over and over again. It felt impersonal. I felt like a number. I did not receive any information about how to deal with the birth both physically and emotionally. I went into the birth knowing hardly anything. I was not even told to read books etc.

During the pregnancy i had a lack of support and felt like i had no choices. In the end i developed pre-eclampsia. Due to this, i was induced. I knew nothing about being induced. They didn't tell me anything and i just went with it thinking they knew more about my body than i did.

During the birth i experienced a lot of negitivity. I had only the support of my husband. And due to being only 18 years old i felt i was being treated like an outcast. I was told to do 'this and 'that'. Never was i asked what 'I' wanted. I was given Pethadine when i did not even ask for it. My baby was taken away from me straight after the birth to 'give us both a rest'.

After the birth i developed PND. I did not bond with my daughter. I felt like my body had failed and i was told so. I was told my body was too small to birth my baby. I tried to breastfeed but after 2 days of no support and no one showing me what to do i was told by a midwife to just give her a bottle of formula. Thinking she knew best, i did so. To this day I regret making that descion. I believe if i had been given the right support and the right information my experience would have been much better.

My subsequent child was born vaginally without any assistance. My care provider was a team of midwives who i only saw 2 during the entirity of my pregnancy.

During the pregnancy i experienced a lot of support. I was given choices and i felt in control. Even when my labour had to be helped along with syntocinon i still felt in control the whole time. At no point was the synto or the epidural i had pushed on me. I was left to discuss it all with my husband for a couple of hours before we made our descion.

After the birth i experienced even more support. I was shown how to properly breastfeed and i bonded with my son right away.

I am now pregnant with my third child and i am having a homebirth. I have had to hire a midwife that lives 2.5 hours away from me because there is no one closer to me. We are struggling to pay for it but i will do what i can to have the birth i want and deserve.

I believe our maternity system needs to provide better support for midwives. They need to have medicare provider numbers so that more women can choose to have a homebirth without any restictions. They need better support from all of the maternity medical profession.

We also need more birth centre that are not so hard to get into and more free-standing birth centres. We need better support for women who are planning a VBAC and better promotion of VBAC as an option. Women need choices and midwives need to be able to give them those choices.

Yours sincerely,
Tegan Archer