Since 2016, we have advocated for empowered births

Protecting a wonan’s right to choose: Homebirth Private Indemnity Insurance Campaign

A MASSIVE win!

On the 1st November, one of the biggest (and fastest) wins we could have possibly imagined happened for homebirth families and midwives.

This major milestone simply wouldn’t have been possible without the fierce dedication and advocacy of mothers, midwives, and supporters of homebirth and birth choices.

6,000 women filled out surveys, more than 1200 sent emails to their local member of parliament and dozens met with their local Federal MPs.

Less than five months ago we came together with other organisations and women to stop the Government from putting restrictions on where women choose to birth by an exclusion category. Unfolding before our eyes we saw a pathway where only ‘low-risk’ women would be able to birth at home with an endorsed midwife.

On the 1st November, the government has announced a completely new approach to how midwives will be insured when they support a woman during birth.

They have abandoned the "low-risk" definitions to a framework that truly respects midwives' clinical judgment. Now, intrapartum homebirth services will be covered as long as they comply with the NMBA’s Safety and Quality Guidelines (SQG) – a huge win for safe, accessible, and empowered birthing options!

Whilst we pinch ourselves, we know the work is not finished and that as always, we still need to be watchful to protect women’s birth choices.This huge win reflects the power of our collective voices, highlighting how people power can shift the course of policy and make real change for families and providers.

We spoke and the Government listened - this is truly woman-centered care in action.

NSW Birth Trauma Inquiry

1 in 3 women and birthing parents experience birth trauma. Most of which can be prevented. On the 28th of August NSW Health Minister Ryan Park publicly apologised to the women who had been harmed by the system.

Since March 2023, BBI has spearheaded a very successful campaign in the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Birth Trauma. The impact of our work can be seen in the 43 Recommendations made in the final Birth Trauma Report of which the NSW Government and NSW Health Minister Ryan Park supported 42 of these.

BBi contriuted to the unprecedented number of submissions - more than 4,200 submissions - a record in NSW Inquiry history. We testified at a public hearing, supported women to speak in Wollongong and Sydney hearings. We featured in 90% of media, guest appeared on podcasts and presented at Conferences. Read more…

Huge Win!!! MIDWIFERY GROUP PRACTICE expanded in the Illawarra Shoalhaven

After eight years of tireless advocacy and persistence Better Births Illawarra have achieved a massive win and finally expanded the Midwifery Group Practice in Wollongong and Shoalhaven hospitals! The NSW Health Minister made the announcement on.

The Wollongong MGP expansion means more than 300 women and birthing parents will have access to this model of care - almost doubling the current number. The Shoalhaven will have an MGP for the first time with four midwives.

Better Births Illawarra formed because we saw the vast difference in birth experience and outcomes for mothers and babies between women in the fragmented hospital care and women and birthing parents being cared for by a known midwife through pregnancy, birth and postpartum. We formed as a group to increase access to what is known as Midwifery Group Practice.

NSW Maternity Services Alliance

BBI has been a founding member of the Maternity Services Alliance (MSA), a group of community members (known as consumers), midwives, and academics. We are a unique group of organisations within Australia that come together to advocate for positive change within national maternity services.

We made a joint submission to the Birth Trauma Inquiry and a key priority in our work has been to raise awareness amongst the public on the benefits of midwifery-led care. e We collaborated to design an educational postcard for distribution in the community and used it as a basis to lobby at state and federal level around the importance of investing in midwives which has know to improve the experience and outcomes of birth for the mother and baby.

The MSA consists of the Australian College of Midwives, Country Women’s Association of NSW, Waminda South Coast Women’s Health and Wellbeing Aboriginal Corporation, NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association, Better Births Illawarra, Maternity Choices Australia and leading midwifery academics in NSW.

Reduced mother baby separation after Caesarian section

After parents sharing stories of being separated from their baby after birthing via Caesarean section, BBI wanted to understand how widespread this issue was. What we discovered was separating a mother from their baby straight after birth was routine.

Our survey found that 89 per cent of 200 women who underwent caesareans at Wollongong Hospital said they had been separated from their newborns during recovery – mostly without explanation.

Many said they had been separated for longer than two hours and 90 per cent said they were anxious and stressed as a result. One in five reported being diagnosed with postnatal depression.

After facilitating a community meeting with hospital executives, the distress prompted change at Wollongong hospital.

Health experts recommend skin-to-skin contact due to its benefits for bonding and breastfeeding. The benefits of the “golden hour” is crucial for the establishment of breastfeeding, regulating heartbeat and co-regulation.

Our community research aprompted the hospital to review its ‘skin-to-skin’ policy and advertise for a caesarean section midwife.

BIRTH PROPS for active birth, WOLLONGONG HOSPITAL

When we first started BBI we were made aware that Wollongong Hospital did not offer any birth props for women. Affordable items such as birth balls, mats, stools and beanbags have been proven to be effective in assisting with normal physiological birth. After a meeting between the hospital executive and consumers, it was identified that the provision of these birth props would be a major improvement to the birth suite. 

After 18 months of ongoing pressure the health service purchased the props and implemented a staff training programme, to ensure these props are now offered and used correctly with labouring women.

A VOICE FOR OUR COMMUNITY

We represent the community voice in a number of forums, acting as consumer representatives on the Project 2020 initiative for the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD), and instigated the Wollongong Hospital birth unit redesign project working group. we have monthly update meeting with senior executives of the Wollongong Hospital.

To ensure community needs are met, we contribute to workshops which community members participate in, such as a workshop for bereaved parents and forums for local parents to contribute to plans for the birth unit redesign. 

We also established a consumer reference group, which was appointed by the hospital to consult with the maternity change group, meeting monthly to allow community members to feed directly into plans for changes to the maternity services at Wollongong Hospital. We are currently coordinating a Maternity Steering Group since the Inquiry into Birth Trauma.