We are a community group advocating for empowered birth.
About Us: Better Births Illawarra
Welcome to Better Births Illawarra, we are a passionate volunteer community organisation dedicated to ensuring access to empowered births, free from birth trauma, for every woman, birthing parent, and baby. We address antenatal and postnatal depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder through advocacy, education, and community support.
We are volunteers with a diverse birthing experiences, skills, and cultural backgrounds. What unites us is the desire for every mother, birthing parent and baby to emerge whole from this important rite of passage.
We have worked for 8 years to demand that every mother and birthing parent, regardless of risk profile, to have access to a known midwife to provide continuous care throughout pregnancy, birth and postpartum.
On August 28th, the NSW Health Minister announced the Government;s in princple support of continuity of midwifery care across NSW. He stated his commitment to funding on September 10th 2024.
Our focus starts in the Illawarra Shoalhaven and extends across NSW to influence legislative, policy and practice change.
Our Mission and Vision
At Better Births Illawarra, we believe that every woman should be at the center of their pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey, for their rights and choices to be respected, their decisions to be supported and for them to believe and trust in the power of their bodies and the birth process.
Our Grassroots Beginnings
Our journey began eight years ago when we got together in Dharawal Country/Wollongong, a group of mothers, feeding our babies and talking about our birth experiences. What became clear was those of us who were supported by a midwife we knew and trusted had better birth experiences. We felt mentally, physically and psychologically healthier. Our family dynamics were better. We were more connected and happier. Those of us that went through standard fragmented care didn’t receive the same quality of care, we felt less in control, less respected and less positive. Fastforward to 2024, we continue to dedicate our time to ensuring every woman and their family access empowered birth trhough respectful maternity care, freedom of choice and strong support around them.
Identifying the Gap
From our own experiences, we recognised a significant gap in maternity care for local women and were determined to address it. We could not accept that some women were left with disappointing and sometimes traumatic birth experiences simply because they couldn't access the Midwifery Group Practice. Additionally, we discovered that families were either not told about or given accurate information about planned homebirths with private practicing registered midwives.
Our Collaborative Approach
We collaborate constructively with the Illawarra and Shoalhaven Local Health District, the Minister of Health and NSW Health to amplify the voices of parents to achieve the best outcomes for mothers, fathers and partners and babies born. We work in alliances with other consumer organisations, academics, midwives and other allied health professionals.
Our Initiatives
In addition to advocating for increased access and funding of continuity of midwifery carer models, we actively work to reduce preventable birth trauma, enhance hospital birth facilities, expand access to publicly funded homebirths, reduce unnecessary medical interventions, and provide education and support networks for community.
Our primary aim: continuity of Midwifery carer models for all families.
Mothers tell us and the international research has recognised that a midwifery-led continuity of care model is the safest model of care; delivering the best outcomes for mothers and babies compared to any other model of care. The MGP in Wollongong gives women this model of care – where a known midwife provides care throughout pregnancy, birth and beyond. However, most women miss out.
9 OUT OF 10 MISS OUT
Our initial research in 2018 found that although every year 2,800 people give birth at Wollongong Hospital, only 10% of those are given access to the Midwifery Group Practice (MGP).
We want more local birthing parents to have access to the MGP to improve outcomes for mothers and babies. Midwifery care is not only proven to be the gold standard, but also saves money for NSW Health.
“In 2016, a Better Births Illawarra survey of more than 200 local parents gathered anecdotal evidence and feedback on experiences accessing maternity services, where over 96% reported very positive experiences of the Midwifery Group Practice.
The recent Inquiry into Birth Trauma that commenced in March 2023, heard from a range of people including mothers, midwives, GPs, academics, psychologists, social workers and more who consistently recommended continutiy of midwifery carer models as a the prevention to birth trauma.
RESEARCH SHOWS MIDWIFERY-LED CARE LEADS TO:
Greater birth satisfaction for women
Safer births
healthier babies ie lower rates of stillbirth and premature babies, higher rates of breastfeeding
High level of job satisfaction for midwives and less burnout
Reduced likelihood of birth interventions such as the use of epidural, episiotomy, inductions and Caesarean sections.
what is midwifery-led continuity of care?
Care from a known midwife is often referred to as midwifery continuity of care. Women who have the same midwife caring for them throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and post birth have the opportunity to build a trusting relationship which increases their confidence.
SOURCE: Australian College of Midwives
BBI are committed to standing with our community so they can access the gold standard care.