This is all great stuff. NaeNae, in many ways I'd be keen to birth back home in Australia if we had a family home there - as it is my family all live in studios or tiny two-bedders with flatmates - so we'd have to rent! And by god accommodation prices in Australia is the stuff of heart attacks.

If I had to birth in Australia it would likely have to be in the public system as we no longer have private health insurance.

Having said that, it sounds pretty darn good in the Aussie public system - a darn sight better than here where in the public system you get:
*Automatic AROM - literally close to 100% rate
*No mobility once in the birthing ward
*Automatic episiotomy - literally close to 100% rate
*Most likely forceps delivery
*In a birthing ward where you are separated from other birthing mums by curtains around your beds.
*The cost of a vaginal birth is about $70 total for the top tier of treatment and about $10 for the lowest tier. The cost of a c-section in the highest tier is about $300!

It isn't much better in the private system. Honestly. Every birthing mother has to have an obgyn and there are no true midwives. Active birthing is still something of the future. Mothers are told to lie on their backs and not move in case the EFM doesn't work. Some obgyns have 70% c-sect rates, some obgyns have 95% episiotomy and AROM rates. The rates and stories are horrific. So many women too have no idea that their birth wasn't best practice and believe that they're never able to birth vaginally. In the group I volunteer with, we are coming across many examples of birth trauma. Two weeks ago, I know of about 6 women who had unhappy/traumatic births and not necessarily because there were complications. One mum was told to hurry up or they'd need to induce as the obgyn had a dinner appointment that night!

I could go on and on and on and on...............

So mainly, I'm asking these questions as I really want to know how can things be better here. I feel that if we can train midwives here in TRUE midwifery that would be a start. If they would allow women to be active and mobile in labour, that would make a HUGE difference. Hopefully the group I volunteer with will get a forum with the obstetrics society here to put forward some suggestions for improvement. Diplomacy and 'saving face' will be necessary though!