Just for 2 seconds can we focus on the big breakthrough in womens maternity care

Firstly, I am by no means discounting the importance of the whole current homebirth issue, but for two seconds can I just say a big yahoo for the following breakthrough. This is especially good for those of us who previously didn't have access to continuity of care in the current hospital system and especially those of us considered "high risk" because we were even less likely to have access to this kind of model of care.....

As you may already have heard, Federal Health Minster Nicola Roxon has introduced three bills to Parliament to implement the Government's maternity reform agenda. These are the biggest changes we?ve seen in maternity care in Australia?s history and are a huge breakthrough for women. It means that from November 2010, women will be able to hire a midwife in private practice, receive their antenatal care from that midwife in a community setting or at home, birth with that midwife in a hospital and receive six weeks postnatal care from that midwife. Women will be able to claim Medicare rebates for this care. It may mean that many women who haven?t previously been able to access continuity of care with a known midwife, including women living rurally and women wanting to have a VBAC in hospital, will be able to do so. :clap:

Mara thats fantastic! Where did you get the quote from? Sounds like a media release. I would love to get the reference and send it to my sister.

thanks,

Rachel

yet a women and midwife will still be under hospital policy. so women who choose hb because of the fight for vbac is to hard in hospital is still disadvantaged.

i have a feeling you dont GET why we are fighting for the right to hb..as well as fighting for mwives wh o dont want to be tied to a hospital

How is it a break through when you are taking a chioce away from women?

DOUDOU,
I do understand the HB issue here. It's a very important one and one that I hope is resolved, either by the Govt. allowing midwives to attend homebirth without PI cover, or by helping to make PI cover for independant midwives available. It is certainly the sour grape of the whole maternity reform. And your points are very valid

BUTTT. . .
I am not focusing on just the birth aspect here. What about antenatal and postnatal care???? These are such important factors of having a baby too.
What I am focusing on here is nothing to do with homebirth, and nothing to do with just birth.

It's about women who want a hospital birth but who also want continuity of care. Especially continuity of care through the ante-natal and post-natal period.

Many of us Do not currently have this option in the public system. Especially not women in remote locations or women who are classed as high risk as we are currently not eligible to be looked after by most MGP's or birthcentres etc.

Rommy's mummy, I got that quote from an email I received from BirthtalkTM to which I subscribe. (and who BTW are also concerned by the homebirth issue)You can also find some info on the maternity coalition website (an organisation to which I also support and have a paid subscription)

I agree that is a great step forward for maternity care - woohoo!!! It has certainly been a very big gap in the public systema nd it great to see it being addressed.

I don't think it distracts from the homebirth issue. It is still important for us to stand up for the choice to homebirth but it is also great to celebrate an advancement for woman who want a hospital birth and with a greater amount of support in their birth might lead to a better birthing experience for more woman in hospital!

I think we should allow Mara to be happy about this. So whilst the HB issue is a big one, lets not go off topic with this thread.

:

---

I don't think it distracts from the homebirth issue. It is still important for us to stand up for the choice to homebirth but it is also great to celebrate an advancement for woman who want a hospital birth and with a greater amount of support in their birth might lead to a better birthing experience for more woman in hospital!

---

:yeahthat: I completely agree Saram. It doesn't distract from the homebirth issue and that was not my intention. But in reality it IS going to give so many women the potential for a better hospital birth experience all round Not to mention a better ante-natal and post-natal experience for many women too.

i hope you are right but knowing that these midwives will still work with in the policies of the hospital i hope they can still form th relationship required.. all fitted in 10minute appointments

Here Here!!! Big round of applause. Whilst in hospital having my 3rd baby I was fortunate enough to talk with some Mids that were trained in NZ. Their standard of care seems to be much higher than here and their model seems to be based on excellent continuity of care both pre and postnatally (sp). I hope Australia is moving towards this type of model.

:

---

Here Here!!! Big round of applause. Whilst in hospital having my 3rd baby I was fortunate enough to talk with some Mids that were trained in NZ. Their standard of care seems to be much higher than here and their model seems to be based on excellent continuity of care both pre and postnatally (sp). I hope Australia is moving towards this type of model.

---

Too right Bekz, NZ's maternity system is what Australia should be aspiring to. Don't 'spose one of the midwives you were talking to was a Diane (logan hosp midwife and Midwifery lecturer at griffith Uni) ;)

That sounds like a very positive advance - great news for those who wouldn't have wanted the home birth option but really would like the one on one care of a middy.

It is good. It's bittersweet because of the homebirth stuff, but hey, I'd prefer bittersweet over bitterbitter any day. :D

And it's a great result for people who might not be able to homebirth because of factors like finances or risk - for someone who can't afford a homebirth *sob* or has a history of haemorrhages, having a midwife I trust and who knows my birth wishes because of continuity of care, is a good thing.

Really looking forward to the day when homebirth is medicare funded or at least subsidised, and registered doulas are funded/subsidised too. Any day now, right?

No her name was Faith but Dianne delivered my first bub

:

---

i hope you are right but knowing that these midwives will still work with in the policies of the hospital i hope they can still form th relationship required.. all fitted in 10minute appointments

---

Being that women would actually be hiring them and most likely paying more than the medicare rebate for their services, I would like to think that the midwife would be affording more than 10 minutes of her time per appointment.

And I guess looking at the positive aspect of these private midwives working under/being covered by the hospitals policies at least they will be playing a major role during the birth and also for women who have caesareans the IM they have hired under the new legislation would be able to be with mum in theatre and recovery and thus ensuring bub will be with mum in recovery too. Currently under the hospital system this is not always possible depending on staff numbers.
Also under the "current" system as independant midwives are not covered under hospital PI once a homebirth transfers to hospital the independant midwife can no longer be their clients active midwife as they aren't covered under the hospitals PI cover. This also includes a caesarean birth. The baby could only still be with mum in recovery if there is a hospital employed midwife present. Even if the IM is in recovery with the mother it's not acceptable as the IM is not covered by the hospital IYKWIM.
Just such a shame these private midwives will not be covered for homebirth too :( But I am hopeful this will change and that the buerocrats will eventually see sense.

wow i think thats excellent,
me being a high risk patient im happy with that altho i wouldn't have the $$$ to hire one but good for other ppl :)

:

---

wow i think thats excellent,
me being a high risk patient im happy with that altho i wouldn't have the $$$ to hire one but good for other ppl :)

---

You never know Squidipa, with the medicare rebate an IM may not be too far out of your reach.

That's fantastic. One question - can you birth with that midwife in a private hospital or only public? Presume that in a private hospital you still have to have a designated (and paid for) ob - is that right?

And can you have both - so a midwife AND an ob (if you pay for it). Realise that sounds like overkill but I'd actually like both. Midwife to birth with me and ob to do any medical stuff that MAY be required. Would actually like to know both people before going to hospital and getting up the pointy end (so to speak).

im classified as "high risk" yet i dont have the $$... im not also one who has all the tests, constant monitoring & appts etc. i dont see my preg as a illness and yes im lucky not to have had any probs or complications... im just saying that not everyone chooses to have a continous "Care" model. but its great news for those who do want it :D
altho bittersweet if this is going thru same day as law 2 make HB illegal.. *sigh*