So how does planning for a home birth look like with me? I visit you in the comfort of your own home, at a convenient time for you and your family, approximately every month of your pregnancy, and more frequently at the end of your pregnancy. Preparing for your experience of childbirth and your postpartum is a very individual experience. Every woman desires and expects different things. It is my job to get to know you and your family. This takes time, and is why each appointment is approximately an hour long. The woman-midwife relationship we develop is special and unique, and unlike most other professional relationships. It is very important to me that you feel safe and respected at all times. I encourage women to share their feelings, joys, dreams, aspirations, worries, doubts and fears. This helps me to provide you with the best information and support you in your journey birthing the new Mother you will become.
I embody a holistic approach to childbirth and mothering. I trained in a hospital setting many years ago. My midwifery practice has changed significantly from those days. The woman is always central in her care. At every appointment we mostly chat. I get to know you well. We explore together what is important to you in your life and becoming a parent. For example, you talk about what you need and desire in the pregnancy, and when you are in labour and birth, and what you expect and desire in your postpartum. Talking about your life experiences, diet, nutrition, rest, sleep, exercise, relaxation and relationships are some of the topics we discuss! I encourage women to have their support people at appointments, and create a birth and postpartum map together. You may decide to have your mother, sister, aunty or friend. You may have a doula or other health care professional (chiropractor, acupuncturist etc) to support you emotionally and physically. You explore what feels right for you. You have choices and you may change your mind about things.
I hold space for you to explore times of indecision if they arise. I support you to be empowered in your pregnancy as you ready yourself for birth, mothering and parenting. I chat with you about the importance of unpacking previous experiences of womanhood, such as, menstruation, abortion, sex, relationships, pregnancy loss, birth, breastfeeding and mothering. I am a strong advocate for debriefing previous negative experiences or trauma with me and/or a birth trauma specialist or perinatal counsellor, or psychologist early in your pregnancy. I support you to listen to your body, trust and be guided by your intuition. In your pregnancy, you are changing, and learning more about yourself to discover new ideas, and ways of being you. I encourage and support women to do inner self work preparing for their childbearing experience. This all may sound a bit woo woo, however I believe becoming a mother is a spiritual, lived experience that is incredibly transformative, sometimes in ways that can not be imagined. Childbirth is a Rite of Passage. It is powerful, raw, and explicitly unique to each woman.
I do my best to provide you with evidence based information and up to date research on all things relevant to you and your childbearing experience. I use my midwifery experience, knowledge, tools, and intuition to assess your’s and your baby’s wellbeing. I share this information with you to assist you to make informed decisions. I am not always right! I am learning with you, so I really appreciate it when you share your information and research with me. I love learning new things. I am a birth nerd after all. With your consent I perform physical assessments. Some assessments offered are, blood pressure, urine testing, baby’s growth (known as the fundal height), and fetal heart beat monitoring. As a birth nerd I am always learning new knowledge or skills myself to better support you and other women on their childbirth journey. I will offer external and internal pelvic release work. This is preparation body work performed by yourself, or in partnership (and with your husband or partner if you choose) exploring your pelvis and changing pregnant body. This work can ready you for your postpartum time of healing and nurturing yourself. I gently remind you at all times you are the expert in your experience. I hold space for you to be yourself, and experience childbearing your way.
I make recommendations according to what information you share, and the clinical assessments. Sometimes you may make choices and decisions that I may not agree with, and are not aligned with the Australian College of Midwives (ACM) guidelines of consultation and referral however, it is not my role to share your decision making. It is my role to provide you the best available information for you to make the right decisions for you and your baby. You make informed choices according to what is important to you. This looks different for every woman I serve. On a personal note – I experienced a homebirth for my second child, and it was one of the best first decisions I made as a mother and parent. If working with me is something you would like to explore, please reach out and let’s have a chat.