Nicorett: Homebirthing in Australia

Brett and I have decided on a homebirth for baby number 2. In deciding about the birth of this baby, we did a lot of research and found out, disappointingly, that there really aren't many birthing options for women in Brisbane. There aren't any stand-alone birth centers like where C was born. There is only 1 hospital affiliated birthing center BUT you must live within the catchment area of that particular hospital to even be CONSIDERED to birth there. Originally we were going to hire a private midwife (one not associated with the hospital) so she could be our voice and make sure interventions were kept to a minimum and that certain things, like delayed cutting of the umbilical cord, were carried out by hospital staff. I was never really okay with this option because, even with C, I wanted a homebirth but because we weren't living in our own home it just wasn't the right time for a homebirth.

The reason we initially considered having a hospital birth is because homebirth is an expensive option here. Medicare doesn't cover the birth at home (because OBs have recently pulled support for out-of-hospital births- which is why the only birthing center in Brisbane has been shut down) and only covers minimal costs otherwise. BUT after much discussion and many sleepless nights we finally decided that the cost was, of course, well worth it. So, we found a midwife who does home/water births and here we are.

I've been doing a lot, lot, LOT of research and lots of planning and cannot wait for the birth. I've been to one Homebirth QLD support meeting- not sure if it's my cup of tea but- it was incredibly nice to be around like minded women. The birth is still fairly far off (about 15 weeks!) and we still have much to do but we're getting really excited.

We were completely shocked by the small amount of options pregnant women have for birthing in QLD. I seriously hope in the future things get better, there is a lot of support for homebirthing in QLD and it's only growing.

On another note, our small family is doing well. C seems to be through that horrible sleep regression but has now decided that she will throw a fit at the drop of a hat -like screaming, throwing herself on the ground fits. Really, it's a good thing I suppose, at least the new baby isn't here yet and we can learn how to cope with this new phase of parenting.

C is talking like crazy and can communicate with us extremely well. She is loving daycare and the two days a week that she's at daycare are a wonderful break for me.

All in all, we're doing very well. I'm going to try to keep up with the blog more often but I'm getting extremely tired again so we'll see how I do.

xx