Home birth will not go away, it is here to stay, so let us all share the responsibility for making it safe and satisfying, as should be our goal with all maternity care options, says associate professor of midwifery Hannah Dahlen.
Home births
Cutting the cord on home births
Medical intervention can be a wonderful thing during childbirth. But it can also be scary and unnecessary. So why is the government essentially legislating against home births? asks SJ Finn.
Homebirth saga turns the tables on medical journals
The very publications that publish critiques of health journalism — medical journals — are coming under fire for their own contributions to journalism that misleads and misinforms, writes Melissa Sweet.
Don’t believe the home-birth horror headlines
If you’ve been half awake in recent days, you might have heard of a new study showing that “babies are seven times more likely to die during home births”. Shame that isn’t what the research says, explains Melissa Sweet.
Having a baby will no longer cost an arm and a leg
The Federal Budget cuts to the obstetric safety net took effect on January 1. But are families in for an “expensive surprise”? Actually, it’ll be a fairer system designed to cut down on inflated medical costs by providers, writes Sally Tracy.
Midwives damn AMA-induced amendments to maternity reform
Rather than listening to medical advice on the long-awaited maternity reforms, the government pays attention to a union more focused on protecting incomes than helping prospective mothers, writes Professor Lesley Barclay and Professor Sally Tracy.
Home birth wingnuts shouting down major steps forward for midwifery
No one is stopping Australian women who want home births from choosing them, writes Bernard Keane.
A veil of secrecy over home births?
A Senate committee has acknowledged that the new changes to midwifery registration will possibly “drive home births underground”, since the government will not cover medical indemnity insurance for home births.
