Would you give birth in a midwifery led unit?

[Chels]

i think you'd be more brave to have an obstetrician in control of your pregnancy!

If only I had you in the GP consult with me! That's exactly how I feel.

[Olive]

i have done and doing again, midwife led care, i saw the same midwife for all but one appointment, when in labour over the two days i had the same midwife i had seem just once, but was awesome to see a familiar face, she delvered bubs, doing the same this time, again saw the same midwife just a few weeks ago, i love knowing that i'll have someone i have met before there to care for me deliver bubs, not just have an ob blow in to deliver bubs, or completly miss it! as least the people i want there and trust WILL be there!!
i am also having a doula this time, the closest i can get to an independat midwife, someone else i have complete faith in to be there for me and hubby!! cant wait!!

[Naru]

I voted undecided. I had an ob and I was happy with the result. I will probably do the same again, but I'm also quite relaxed about it and a midwifery led unit might also suit me.

Re: the number, I'm not really that surprised. BellyBelly women tend to do a lot of research on their options, but not all women have the time, knowledge or inclination to go searching for these things.

[jaysmama]

only 10 per cent of women preferred the midwife-led option. This does not justify the use of taxpayers' money

Huh?, Our culture of birth has it backwards , healthy women with low risk pregnancies don't need an OB, except to be on hand in case of an emergency. Midwifes are trained to attend to healthy women giving birth normally, and trained to know when to call in the Specialists in special circumstances.. If anything needs justifying it's why so many healthy women hire surgical specialists when they are not unwell or unhealthy, just having a baby. I think we are so so lucky to have all the amazing obstetric care available to us when it's needed and sad that so many of us submit ourselves to it, I guess out of fear, when it is not needed. I had midwifes care for me throughout my pregnancy and labour, they were wonderful, and gave me every chance to have the natural birth I wanted, they also recognised when my body and my baby wasn't going to co-operate and called in the hospital OB to perform a vacum extraction. Really this is the best of both worlds.

[Smoke Jaguar]

Re: the number, I'm not really that surprised. BellyBelly women tend to do a lot of research on their options, but not all women have the time, knowledge or inclination to go searching for these things.

This is probably quite close to the mark. Unfortunately, women seem to spend more time researching OB's, private health cover and private hospitals, as well as preparing to separate themselves from their babies upon birth (I'm talking about setting up the 'quintessential' nursery here!), setting themselves up for 'failing' at breastfeeding (buying sterilisers, bottles, teats, tins of formula before baby is even born) and upgrading their cars to carry all their paraphanalia than they do for getting their babies into this world as safely and peacefully as possible Somewhere along the line, the priorities got really screwed up! We research our ISP's better than we think we're allowed to research our birth options!!

[Cassius2]

i voted yes. i birthed my baby in a midwife-led maternity hospital. but i also had a private OB. i went with him cause i knew that he worked in close contact with the 2 midwives that would provide my care. it was a really happy balance for all of us. i just wish that this was a system available publicly.

[Butterfly Dawn]

That seems way to low! I had my first baby in hospital but with 1 midwife and 1 trainee, the midwife I had to share with 2 other ladies that day, but everything was fine. Baby 2 I retained my placenta and we have been told should we have any more children that we will have to go with an Ob. given a choice, I would go midwife again though

[mummato3]

With the wisdom of hindsight and the knowledge I have about 'my choice' in regards to birthing my babie, the answer is a resounding...ABSOLUTELY!!!!!

[Mum2seven]

As someone who has been about and seen the focus groups and the surveys I really must say I am not surprised with this result. The vast majority of Australian women have no concept of midwifery care, nor the amazing benefits of 1-2-1 care. How could they? It's virtually non existent.
When I explain what my antenatal consults were like ( appointment of an hour plus, cuppa at home with MW travelling to me etc) they are flawed, esp those who have paid huge $$$ for a private Ob and waited for an hour for 5-10 mins.

Peiter Mourik is a direct recipient of the current system that is stacked heavily against women and choice and much more towards entrenched power within the medical profession.

I ave birth to our 7th child 2 days ago. I have birthed all children at home. The amazing care (and I mean competence and considerable clinical skill, esp to deal with an emergency) I have received has sadly outstripped that of many friends and colleagues using both the mainstream public and private systems.

How can you get any better than 1 care provider knowing you and your family for the entire pregnancy then only caring for You?? This level of luxury happens nowhere else.

A yes with bells on for me!!!! Justine Caines

[BellyBelly]

Hey Justine, shall I make you mum2seven? Congrats - beautiful photos xx

[Ellibam]

huge congratulations justine!!!
im not spending enough time with my fellow homebirthers to have known this yet!!( i met you at the sydney homebirth conf last yr not that i would expect you to remember)

[JuJu300]

I worked in a level three NICU for several years. I would never have my baby at home with a mid-wife. A very skilled mid-wife that is able to pick up on fetal distress that requires hospitalization may still run the risk of long term or permanent damage to the baby. In a emergency situation there needs to be interventions taken with-in seconds to minutes to guarantee the most optimal outcome for the baby. We are talking all it takes is a few minutes of decreased oxygen supply to the baby to cause permanent brain damage. People who delivery their babies at home may have no ideal that there was fetal compromise during delivery, if they were not hooked up to a fetal monitor during the delivery. At the hospital oxygen will be applied if need to increase oxygen supply to the baby. I know some mid-wives do this at home or in birthing centers. As for me, I would not take the risk of compromising my baby delivering at home. Not to say bad things don't ever happen in the hospital, and a lot people have wonderful deliveries at home. You don't know if you are going to have a smooth delivery until it's over. I think you have much better outcome for you and the baby at a hospital with a highly skilled doctors and staff.

[Raz_Mum]

I have looked into a homebirth myself.. Apperently Privet Midwives are about $4000 and since we are a low income family with no health cover. We can not afford this even if they were willing to take it from the Baby Bonus.. We can't afford to give that much.. So I am crossing my fingers for the Birth center At Royal Brisbane otherwise my only option for a water birth as this is what I want is to do it with some good old fationed womenly support at home..

[mummato3]

I worked in a level three NICU for several years. I would never have my baby at home with a mid-wife. A very skilled mid-wife that is able to pick up on fetal distress that requires hospitalization may still run the risk of long term or permanent damage to the baby. In a emergency situation there needs to be interventions taken with-in seconds to minutes to guarantee the most optimal outcome for the baby. We are talking all it takes is a few minutes of decreased oxygen supply to the baby to cause permanent brain damage. People who delivery their babies at home may have no ideal that there was fetal compromise during delivery, if they were not hooked up to a fetal monitor during the delivery. At the hospital oxygen will be applied if need to increase oxygen supply to the baby. I know some mid-wives do this at home or in birthing centers. As for me, I would not take the risk of compromising my baby delivering at home. Not to say bad things don't ever happen in the hospital, and a lot people have wonderful deliveries at home. You don't know if you are going to have a smooth delivery until it's over. I think you have much better outcome for you and the baby at a hospital with a highly skilled doctors and staff.

Oh JuJu, 'highly skilled doctors'..what, do you mean the ones that wave their forceps or scalpel the second a CTG shows even the slightest deceleration? The ones that don't know when to back off and allow a woman to birth without them shoving their fingers into the woman's vagina every hour to make sure she is 'progressing as she should'? Sure, the 'specialists' have their place...but you are painting normal, natural birth as some bleak, life threatening procedure that only a dr can handle. I know you dealt with 'sick' babies in NICU, pregnancy and birth isn't a sickness or a dangerous situation ( the majority of the time) that needs to be 'fixed' by medical professionals. Your post is scary! Midwives who choose to help women birth their babies at home must have top rate skills in assessing for compromise during labour and birth, neo natal resus as well as maternal resus skills and knowing when to transfer. I would hate to think what you thought on 'free birthing' is!

[suek1995]

Why don't we start a campaign to write to the Doctor quoted in the article at Wodonga Hospital to make him understand how many women feel unhappy with OB care and would prefer a choice for midwife led care in the birth of their child not limited by their funds or hospital funding. I was lucky enough to get into the KYM program with both my babies and even though I had complications I felt so relieved I had someone who knew what my wishes were in any scenario whereas the Drs in that environment didn't even know what my name was.

[JuJu300]

It's hard for people to understand the magnitude of critical thinking skills that are involved in taking care of a baby in the Nicu. I have seen babies delivery at home come in with permanent damage done with mental retardation etc... If you think that you can get yourself to the hospital to do a emergency c-section if something goes wrong with delivery in time, then take that chance. I would not ever take that chance. There a lot of wonderful doctors out there that delivery babies that aren't wanting to take a blade to you. A lot these doctors have spent 16 years in school and been practicing for decades. There isn't any perfect system. Until medical intervention was available a lot of woman and babies died during child birth. Yes, it's something that is natural your body does, however, it isn't without very high risks involved that need medical interventions in some cases.

[The[cookie]Doctor]

Given that I saw an obstetrician once through my entire pregnancy, what need do I have for them?

I saw the same midwife every appointment, there was not an obstetrician in site during my labour or birth and thanks to me being informed and having brilliantly supportive midwives and birth support, i had an amazing eighteen hour birth with nno drugs, no tears and no complications.
Not many people will say their eighteen hour birth was amazing.. its a long freaking time.

[JuJu300]

The reason that the United States has one of the highest rates for neo-natal death is that the standards are set so high compared to other countries. Any baby born after 23 weeks or taking spontaneous respirations is consider a live birth in the United States. In places like Austria a live birth is after 28 weeks of gestation. We are very advance in fertility treatment that leads to a lot of multiple births. Mid-wives do not take on these high risk cases. The doctors in the hospital end up having to delivery babies with no prenatal care, high risk, multiple births, premature 23-24 weeks, and mother's on drugs during their pregnancies. Of course, there is going to be a higher rate of death and complications. I'm sure doctors would love the break of getting delivery all full term healthy babies. If you have a baby at home full term with no complications during your pregnancy you probably will be fine, but you can't guarantee that. So, when you ask who needs doctors you can't be serious. Do you have any family members that have given birth prematurely or with complications at home? You can go to Wikipedia on line and research all of this. All the statics and facts are right there. I suppose people don't understand this until they see a 24 week old baby on high frequency oscillator fighting for their life in the NICU.