Dear the Hon Nicola Roxton MP and Tanya Plibersek MP:
I am writing to you to ask you to provide Federal Government support to women who choose to give birth at home with the assistance of an independent midwife.
I have been a birth attendant (aka doula) since 2005 and have seen women give birth in traumatic circumstances so many times – not because of the birth being an emergency – but because of the way they have been treated and manipulated. Women being told, ‘Are you working tomorrow? Because the consultant on duty is, and he’s not going to be happy if he has to come in and rescue your baby because you didn’t have your induction now.’ This was said to a mother with no medical complications, she was asking for her waters broken only and her body was showing good signs that it would go into labour very soon. This went on and on – the doctor brought up mortality and everything her could throw at her – resulting in the mother being reduced to tears and all of us in shock at the tactics. Ironically, after this woman’s waters were broken, the baby was born only a few hours later, no complications. Sadly, I see things like this often – we have lost the human part of birth and women are experiencing more PND than ever, and we’re even now hearing about post traumatic stress disorder from birth! This is not on.
We constantly hear about how hospitals and doctors are overloaded, yet no-one has said anything about independent midwifery being supported to help relieve this pressure. Why? It’s a proven, safe formula and while we so proudly tout that women have choice in birth, well sorry, no they don’t. They can choose a caesarean or vaginal birth but they can’t even have a fair choice on carer. The government put in a rescue package for Obstetric insurance, but how about the midwives who now operate without it? That’s not choice. And it’s not fair to women and the midwives, many of whom have unhappily gone back to hospital practice and burn out because it’s completely against their philosophies of birth. We all know that our caesarean rate is unacceptably high, higher than the USA, as well as our induction rate.
I am aware that support for expanding midwifery care was part of the ALP’s pre-election platform on Maternal and Child Health Services, in particular:
Reviewing the Medicare schedule to include midwives in the provision of maternity care and to facilitate the expansion of midwife-led care; and
Considering models of indemnification to facilitate the practice of midwives as experts and primary care givers in normal birth.
I look forward to the Rudd Labor Government implementing these policies as soon as possible as a way of providing better, safer birth choices for Australian mothers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises midwives as “the most appropriate and cost effective type of health care provider to be assigned to the care of women in normal pregnancy and birth,” and the safety of planned homebirth is now well established in both Australian and international research.
Midwifery care is a preventative health measure which not only assists in keeping well women and their babies out of hospital beds but represents a significant cost saving to Government. A birth at home costs significantly less than even the most straight-forward hospital birth and women who birth at home are less likely to have interventions including assisted delivery and caesarean section, or distressed babies. Women’s and their partners’ satisfaction with birth is also increased and women are more likely to breastfeed. .
I also feel very strongly that this is an issue of choice - supporting all women to choose the place and the practitioner that they feel most comfortable when giving birth.
I would really appreciate your support for this issue in the lead up to the May 2008 budget.
I look forward to your response.
Kind regards,
Kelly Zantey
Creator, BellyBelly
https://www.bellybelly.com.au
