Rally for Homebirth - Canberra

HOME - EVERY WOMAN’S BIRTH RIGHT – RALLY FOR HOMEBIRTH – MONDAY SEPTEMBER 7 2009, PARLIAMENT HOUSE CANBERRA


Homebirth Australia is hosting a MAJOR rally in Canberra (outside Parliament House) on Monday September 7 from 11.30am.

There has been much discussion about the potential outlawing of homebirth and the continued lack of equity for women choosing homebirth.

We need this to be BIG. When I met with the federal department of Health they commented on the huge number of submissions (900 of which over half came from homebirth consumers). Sadly I said if you outlaw homebirth I will lead 9000 angry women and babies to Canberra!

Now 9000 may be a tall order but we need thousands.

For all the women and midwives that have contacted and said this issue matters please put it in your diary.

There is lots to organise and we look forward to many providing ideas and support.

The states close to Canberra will be called on to provide as many as possible to attend.

It would be great to have at least a few from every state and territory.

Please forward this meeting far and wide.

Details will soon be on the HBA website.



For any other info please email justine.caines@bigpond.com

In solidarity

Justine

Justine Caines
Secretary
Homebirth Australia Inc

----------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR THOSE WHO CANT MAKE IT TO CANBERRA: Please check out Homebirth Australia's new website (www.homebirthaustralia.com.au) for details of a virtual rally. These numbers count just as much and offer those who cant make it a chance to be counted on September 7

The current state of Midwifery Services

Things are looking grim for homebirthing within Australia!

I would have loved a homebirth - Eva's birth would have been perfect 'homebirth material'. Easy pregnancy, very easy labour, home after 4 hours *sigh* what could have been hey? My choices were limited due to the public indemnity crisis and where I was living at the time had no homebirth Midwives. For me, at the time, the option just wasn't logistically possible, sure there were ways around it, had I at the time had a strong enough conviction about it I surely would have put more effort into making it happen. It wasn't until I had my twins and we decided that our baby making days were over that I thought "shit, I'm not going to get the chance to birth at home now, fuck, I really wish I had of done that".

Imagine this, you are a woman who has had a previous elective cesearean birth (no I'm not bagging you out - this is about birth choices), you wanted one, you saw a private obstetrician, you got one, it was a wonderful birth, perfectly timed, went to plan and you are thrilled! BRILLIANT, YOU got the birthing choice YOU wanted. Your birth was PERFECT!!

Now, imagine this, you are a woman who would like to have an elective cesearean as your planned method of birth. You shop all over town to be told 'sorry, current legislation prevents us from undertaking elective cesearean births!'. Can you imagine the outrage?

Apply this scenario to homebirthing and we're on the same page!

Article by Jo Hunter

Written by Jo Hunter yesterday 24th June 2009

Today Nicola Roxon introduced two Bills to Parliament.


1) Health legislation amendment (midwife and nurse practitioner) Bill 2009

This Bill is about accessing Medicare and PBS, there is nothing currently written in this Bill that discuses eligibility - there is no comment within it at present that states anything about homebirth. However, in her speech she openly stated that there will be no MBS for Homebirth.


2) (and this is the clincher) Midwife Professional Indemnity (commonwealth contribution scheme) Bill 2009

This Bill excludes midwives from providing intrapartum homebirth care.

THIS IS A SAD SAD DAY FOR THE WOMEN OF AUSTRALIA!


Here is the press release from Homebirth Australia


Deaths will increase with new announcements

Homebirth Australia today slammed the exclusion of homebirth from insurance schemes for midwives announced by the Health Minister Nicola Roxon in parliament today.

"Effectively two pieces of legislation will outlaw midwives providing homebirth care from July 2010" said Justine Caines, mother of seven and secretary of Homebirth Australia.

"Women will continue to homebirth, but will now do so without the assistance of a qualified professional." said Ms Caines. "The result will be an increase in deaths for mothers and babies, this is certain. It is absolutely impossible to understand the government's position on this, other
than to say that they have bowed to political pressure from medical lobby groups."

The National Maternity Service Review received submissions from hundreds of women wanting access to homebirth services. The vast majority of homebirth services are provided by private practice midwives. Removing this option is likely to end access for most women to homebirth.

Ms Caines called on all ALP members to declare their view on a woman's right to self determination of her health care needs. "If the ALP is so hell bent on preventing women from accessing homebirth as an option I ask all ALP members to publically state their position on this. It appears that having a Health Minister who is a woman, a recent mother, and a lawyer understanding consumers' rights, is not proving to be an advantage for women. Removing women's rights to the point where we are back providing care in dark alleys or in back rooms is ridiculous in 2009."

Homebirth IS safe - in case you didn't know....

Hopefully the following study will encourage the ACM to vigorously defend the position and interests of Independent Midwives. I would be great if opinion could finally sway to consider HB as being 'mainstream' rather than 'radical fringe'...

MEDIA RELEASE

The opinion that hospital birth is safest for all women and babies has finally been overturned with the publication of the world's largest study of planned, midwife attended home births.

The study, published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (April 15th 2009), included over half a million, low risk, planned home and hospital births in the Netherlands over seven years and compared numbers of babies dying and being harmed during the births. The Netherlands currently has the highest home birth rate in the western world (30%) and a caesarean section rate that is more than half Australia's (14% vs 31%).

Over three hundred thousand women had planned homebirths attended by midwives in this study. No significant differences were found in numbers of babies dying during labour, during the first 24 hours after labour or up to seven days after birth between planned low risk birth at home, attended by a trained midwife and those who planned to give birth in hospital. There were also no differences in numbers of babies being admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit following the birth. Previous studies have been limited by small sample numbers of births and this study has now achieved adequate numbers to show differences very rare events.

We have known for many years mothers have lower intervention rates and higher satisfaction rates when giving birth at home, but there has remained a cloud over the impact on babies' outcomes. This cloud has now been lifted. This study adds to others, which established planned home birth attended by professional midwives was safe for low risk women. It confirms that homebirth services properly networked into mainstream care are safe for babies.

The Australian College of Midwives calls on the Government to reconsider its silence over homebirth and work with health professionals to implement safe, supportive systems of care that will facilitate women's choice of birthplace. Over 400 submissions to the National Maternity Review from consumers, the majority requesting greater access to homebirth cannot be ignored any longer.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Sending out a big THANK YOU to all those in my network who have referred me, as a Student Midwife, to their friends, family and colleagues.

I am now well on my way to filling my [University dictated] quota for Follow-through experiences for 2009.

A special thanks to Bec and Jasper and Anna, Andrew, Angus, Addie and baby (still un-named divine tiny 2 day old boy) for inviting me to participate in the most wonderous experience that is BIRTH!!

If anyone who resides in TOWNSVILLE and is due to birth in October or November is interested in learning more about the Student Midwife program, please feel free to send me a message or leave a comment.

My first follow through experience

I'm still waiting to speak to the Mum to get her permission to publish details, but I was so very honoured and thrilled to be invited to a birth this morning. It was a caesarean in the end (undiagnosed breech with ROM @ 40+2), so a bit of an unexpected outcome for Mum, but her and baby are doing well. I, of course, cried again at bubbies first cry. It's just a joyous feeling I wonder if it will ever go away. In a way I hope not, but I don't want to be a blubbery mess everytime I deliver a baby.

Birth Choices - Petition to save MIPP and homebirthing options

It doesn't matter where you actually would choose to birth, it doesn't matter if you would choose and Obstetrician and c/s in a private hospital over an independent Midwife in your home. If you believe in human rights, free choice and in particular a woman's right to choose where and how and by whom then we'd love for you to use your voice.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/australianhomebirth/