🌀This is a small snippet of the amazing folk that brought their wisdom to the 32nd Home Birth Conference in Sydney, Australia. I got to sit with some of these people and find out what messages they brought to the conference, what they were seeking, their thoughts on the state of the maternity system in Australia, their feelings around men at birth, how they feel we can best support homebirth in Australia and, most importantly, what they planned to bring back to their community.
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As a student midwife I often feel unsure about my journey; the clouds of doubt often surface as I question the integrity of the system and my place in it. The many women I have come across at the conference and during the podcast series have been working so strongly to advocate for women, birth and human rights, and yet injustice is still happening. Many stories of this injustice have not been told, and many still are silenced while business as usual carries on.
After this conference I feel myself again asking: What is our call to action? What would it look like if all of these amazing midwives, who are currently struggling within the system, stepped away from the repression, over regulation and intimidation of their integrity? Do they have to be brave to do this? Is it better to play the game? Or is playing the game further adhering to the ‘dutiful girl’ role?
I don’t know the answers, all I know is that I have these questions. A part of my role in this lifetime is to be a messenger and I feel that this is born from a history of women being persecuted and denied education. I have an impulse for change, cracking open the shell and releasing the old, and bringing in group awareness. I see this as larger than myself, and my deep quest for truth and meaning seeks a new awakening; a new way of doing things for humanity.
I applaud the conference for getting these people together, and yet I wonder: What is our call to action? What can we do to support each other rather than expending our energy on continually adhering to the absolutely ludicrous restrictions placed on midwives.
What would a system look like if it had noone to regulate?
Musings from the Conference
“The vision for me is that home birth is normal, most accessible and accepted way to birth.” (Amanda Trieger, Naturopath and Doula)
“All women should have a safe space to come together.” (Amanda Trieger, Naturopath and Doula)
“Women need to return home to the earth to birth.” (Natalie Rose, Student Midwife)
“As a student midwife I am a little afraid that being registered would limit my ability to work in authenticity.” (Natalie Rose, Student Midwife)
“If we can drop down from our minds into our bodies, we realise we are not seperate from each other.” (Natalie, Student Midwife)
“We use risk so often, perhaps we should look at the needs of women.” (Beth Sandstrom, Midwife)
“Women having a more empowered position in society would be a good start.” (Ella Kurz, Midwife)
“I come with the knowledge that the women taught me about birthing.” (Maggie Banks, Midwife)
“We have the opportunity in NZ for midwives to behave the way they need to behave to support women.” (Maggie Banks, Midwife)
“If a male obstetrician has a great interest in a birthing woman, then the best thing he can do is get her connected to other women.” (Maggie Banks, Midwife)
“Midwives are an immensely powerful group, they could say no collectively and bring immense change, yet this is about courage and support.” (Maggie Banks, Midwife)
“We need to get women and doulas to recognise the emotional manipulation that can happen. In some circumstances, women end up saying yes to something that they would never have wanted because they are put in a position as though they are in opposition to their baby.” (Belinda Maier, Midwife, Professional Officer)
“Women need to ask more questions; even if it’s a terrible option women should always have options.”(Belinda Maier, Midwife, Professional Officer)
“I personally feel that every woman should have access to a midwife that can provide care, no matter what.” (Belinda Maier, Midwife, Professional Officer)
“Private practicing midwives get put in a space that makes us feel very uncomfortable, but you have to play in that space to get what’s needed for your women to feel safe and get what they want.” (Belinda Maier, Midwife, Professional Officer)
“Every woman I have looked after, even if its only for a shift, I have found a way to connect with.” (Belinda Maier, Midwife, Professional Officer)
“The pressure on midwives is breaking the interconnectedness that we share.” (Belinda Maier, Midwife, Professional Officer)
“When it comes time to give birth there are often competing needs in the birth room.” (Belinda Costello, Mother and Speaker)
“Its important to have our needs met in our birthing and mothering journey.” (Belinda Costello, Mother and Speaker)
“The best way to get good outcomes for women and babies is to have that continuity of care.” (Belinda Costello, Mother and Speaker)
“I see women literally physically step back when I tell them that they are important.” (Belinda Costello, Mother and Speaker)
“How we change as a culture I don’t know, but I work with one woman at a time, and one conversation at a time.” (Belinda Costello, Mother and Speaker)
“How you function as a woman affects the function of the family, and the function of the family affects the function of your community.” (Belinda Costello, Mother and Speaker)
“Instead of taking the women’s choices away, they are going for the people that are providing the service; thats us midwives.” (Janine O’Brien, Midwife PPM)
“I know we provide a gold standard of care.” (Janine O’Brien, Midwife PPM)
“Just because a woman looks like she is in labour land, she is still conscious and has every right to still make informed decisions.” (Janine O’Brien, Midwife PPM)
“I really feel we could have more support from the Australian College of Midwives.” (Janine O’Brien, Midwife PPM)
“It was a crippling time for me to be accused of doing something the opposite of what my whole life is about, which is bringing safety to mums and babies.” (Janine O’Brien, Midwife PPM)
“I believe in advocating and standing up for that woman’s human right to be able to say no when someone wants to put their hand in her vagina.” (Janine O’Brien, Midwife PPM)
Connect with Home Birth Australia:
Website: http://homebirthaustralia.org
Connect with Jerusha Sutton Photographer at the HomeBirth Conference:
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