Home Birth: What mums-to-be need to know

Justine Davies As a mum I have always been quite definite about the type of birth experience that I wanted to have and I was privileged to be able to avail myself of that choice. Here is what you need to know about choosing a home birth.

Alarm over jump in induced births

Julie Robotham Obstetricians in NSW public hospitals will receive strict guidelines this week about when they should induce labour, after a state-wide surge in the practice that may be responsible for a continuing rise in caesarean births.

Caesarean link to infant respiratory infections

Lucy Rickard Babies born by elective caesareans are more likely to suffer a serious respiratory infection in their first year of life, according to Perth researchers.

Paramedics deliver baby zoomer generation

Amy Corderoy There was a lot that was unexpected about little Scarlett Steele's birth.

Steep rise in first-time mothers being induced

Amy Corderoy A huge jump in first-time mothers having their labour induced is a worrying trend that is putting women at unnecessary risk, experts warn.

Mums fork out for 'five-star' hospital

Rachel Wells There may not be a doorman or a porter to take your luggage, but everything else about The Cradle in Hawthorn, which claims to be Australia’s first five-star maternity hospital, feels like a luxury hotel.

Dannii's home birth heartache

Dannii Minogue has revealed the full story of the birth of son Ethan Edward Minogue Smith in July last year. The first-time-mum had prepared for a home birth but as she tells in her book Dannii: My Story “nothing about the birth went according to plan.”

After the first caesarean, a second one is much more likely

Julie Robotham and Melissa Davey Tracy Hart had intended to have her first child, Ariane, now 2.5, naturally. But when Ariane failed to move into the normal birth position, Mrs Hart was told that a caesarean was the safest option.

Women push for midwives under bulk bill reform

Amy Corderoy Midwives cannot register fast enough to meet growing demand from women for services after historic changes that allowed them for the first time to bulk bill using Medicare, the Australian College of Midwives says.

Silent or drug free births: some star mothers are not too posh to push

Sarah McInerney News that slender Miranda Kerr gave birth to a 4.42kg baby drug-free was enough to make many women cross their legs in discomfort.

Babies by the dozen but medic says home birth too risky

Julia Medew More than 50 Victorian women have safely given birth at home this year as part of a state government-funded trial that provides hospital back-up.

Water birth

Brooke Wells With proper medical attention, water birth is a legitimate and safe way for women to give birth and can help manage pain in labour.

Homebirth mothers being refused prescriptions

Kate Benson Doctors, fearing they will be sued, are refusing to prescribe drugs or order tests for women who want to give birth at home, and this is forcing mothers to give birth in hospitals or putting lives at risk, midwives say.

Public or Private Hospital for the birth: WDYT?

Justine Davies I could be several thousand dollars out of pocket by going private – money that I could otherwise use for my maternity leave. Is it really worth that cost or should I think about going public instead?

Birth: a woman's right to decide?

Justine Caines The maternity reforms had the ability to place women as the focus of care, rather than the current practice of meeting the needs of organisations and practitioners first. Justine Caines, founder of What Women Want, shares her views on the proposed maternity reforms.

Home birth program that delivers

Kate Benson It took Bailey Mannion only 75 minutes to slip calmly into the world, amid the comforts of his own loungeroom, unaware he was quietly making history.

EB members' feedback on our maternity system

EB members express their concerns regarding the Australian maternity system and we examine the key issues for those entering the birthing experience.

Multiple Birth Resources

Books, websites and EB articles to guide you through the life-giving process of multiple births.

Blood worth banking on, say parents

Jill Stark More people want to be able to store their baby's umbilical cord blood, believing it could one day be a lifesaver. .

Birth rights

John van Tiggelen In many countries, home births are commonplace - and generally regarded as safe. So why in Australia, where such births are rare, is the Government discouraging the practice? John van Tiggelen investigates.

Angry mums against midwife legislation

Kate Dennehy A group of angry mothers and mothers-to-be have gathered in Brisbane to discuss tactics to overturn a Federal Government proposal they say will ban home births with a midwife.

Roxon joins mother of birthing battles

Leslie Cannold The Labor Government's threatened ban on home births is moving closer to reality.

Baby steps as hospitals deliver a helping hand to home-birth push

John Elder Midwives working away from labour wards are to be covered by insurance under a pilot scheme, writes John Elder.

Push against home births

AAP Proposed laws which would stop mothers accessing registered midwives for home births would jeopardise the health of thousands of women and babies, a peak maternity group says.

It's a woman's right to choose how she births

Monica Dux In five months' time, if my pregnancy progresses without complication, I will birth my second child at home, attended by two registered private midwives. If I'd become pregnant a mere six months later, this carefully researched, intensely personal decision would have been far more tenuous.

Birthing after July 1, 2010?

Melissa Maimann Essential Baby explains the changes to legislation and the consequences it may have for those birthing after mid-2010.

Midwife home birth as safe as hospital, says study

Louise Hall Home birth assisted by a trained midwife is just as safe for low-risk mothers and their babies as a delivery led by a midwife in hospital, a study of more than half a million women has found.

Home births in jeopardy

AAP Home births could be pushed underground in "fragile, secretive arrangements" after a federal review rejected funding for the practice, an academic says.

Kylie Orr's blog

Birth choices: women vs medical fraternity

Kylie Orr I’ve had three babies. All different models of care and all individual experiences with varying outcomes. Well, they were all babies not assorted jungle creatures, so in that sense, the end product was the same.

Midwifery reborn in birth review

Julie Robotham Midwives would be allowed to prescribe medicines and their services could, for the first time, attract a Medicare rebate under reforms to maternity provisions proposed in a national review of birth services.

Private birth has benefits for babies

Louise Hall Babies born to women in private hospitals are less likely to need resuscitation at birth or admission to intensive care than those born in a public hospital, a national study has found.

Trial into the long or short of umbilical cord benefits

Matthew Benns Sydney researchers are set to launch a five-year trial into the benefits of briefly delaying cord clamping to improve the long-term health and development of premature babies.

Birthing your baby at home

Melissa Maimann Homebirth is increasingly being spoken about as an alternative to hospital birth, however it remains a less common choice for birth, with the majority of Australian women birthing in hospital. So why are some women deciding to birth at home?

Why would anyone free-birth?

Mia Freedman When it comes to giving birth, Mia Freedman is frustrated by women who treat the medical profession as the enemy. Shouldn’t we be more concerned with having a healthy baby than with having our fantasy birth experience?

Midwives found to aid babies' survival

Kate Benson Women who are cared for by midwives rather than GPs or obstetricians are less likely to lose their babies within the first six months of their pregnancies, a review of maternity services has found.

Stem cell plan for placentas

Julie Robotham Stem cells would be harvested from the placentas and umbilical cords of newborns, under a plan Australian researchers say could yield therapies for conditions ranging from arthritis to burns.

Your birth choices

The following information is designed to assist you with making choices about the type of care you would like throughout your pregnancy, and how you would like to give birth to your baby.

Independent midwives and homebirth

A homebirth is an option for low risk pregnancies, but it will still depend on how your pregnancy progresses, and any other medical and safety considerations.

Private hospital care

Choosing where you will give birth is a big decision. One of the attractions of private hospital care is the high standard of comfort and quality of food.

Public hospital care

Public care offers several options, each of which are free of charge if you are a Medicare cardholder.