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For the original article, you will have to request a copy directly from the Cairns Post.
The Cairns Post, Edition 1
MON 24 JAN 2005, Page 003

Midwife shortage hits assisted home births

By: Margo Zlotkowski (Health reporter)

CAIRNS women who refuse to give birth in a hospital ward are resorting to delivering their babies at home alone because they cannot get a trained midwife.
Homebirthmothers who spoke to The Cairns Post yesterday said they had no choice but to do the job themselves now that the city's last independent midwife Marian Idle had departed to work in the south.

All other midwives in the city work at the Cairns Base Hospital or Cairns Private Hospital.

The number of midwives prepared to work independently dropped dramatically about two years ago after insurers withdrew professional indemnity cover, forcing them to bear the risk of any potential legal action.

Mission Beach mother of three Danielle Wilson, whose husband Shaun helped her deliver daughter Raven at home three months ago, said she decided to go ahead with an unassisted home-birth about six months into her pregnancy because she refused to be bullied into a hospital birth.
"(At Tully Hospital) they said `You really don't have a choice' and I thought `Well, I do' and I walked out of there and didn't go back," Ms Wilson said.

Although initially daunted at the prospect, she said she read everything she could find about home-birthing and by the time her daughter arrived, was informed, prepared and in control.

"My daughter arrived like clockwork, it was so natural, and there wasn't an oxygen bottle in sight. I think fear is why a lot of births don't go well and there was none of that," Ms Wilson said.

Freshwater mum Victoria Mohren, who was assisted by Ms Idle in giving birth to her daughter Layla at home in 2003, said she was planning to have a second child at home this year and was "fraught with despair" to learn nobody would be available to help her.

"I don't want an unassisted childbirth. I want a trained midwife in attendance. It's incredible. In a town of this size and we don't have the choice," Ms Mohren said.

Ms Idle said she assisted at least 50 homebirths a year in the region and turned down requests for many more.

But officialhomebirthfigures from the Queensland Health website show a much lower number, just 14 in the region in 2003 - or 0.3 per cent of the total 3540 births.

Caption:
Advocate: Freshwater mother Victoria Mohren with daughter Layla, wants to have an assisted home birth when her second child is due.

IllusBy:
Aaron Curran

The Cairns Post, Edition 1
MON 24 JAN 2005, Page 003

Midwives say mums should have choice where to have baby

WITH new babies being born in Cairns at the fifth highest rate in Queensland, local midwives say it is only fair their mums get to choose where to have them.
But in Cairns, the only place women can give birth is in hospital, with more than 2000 births being recorded in Cairns Base Hospital alone last year.

There are no community midwife-run birth centres, no public or privatehomebirthservices and no midwives prepared to work independently to assist with a homebirth because they cannot get professional indemnity insurance.

Hospital midwives Kelly Kearns, Claire Bunton and Marilyn Kleidon yesterday said they felt local women should have more birth choices but any push for change must come from the women themselves.

However, with a statewide review of maternity services now under way and a report due to be handed down next month, they warned women were running out of time to speak out.

They urged them to get in contact with national maternity consumer lobby group The Maternity Coalition on www.maternitycoalition.org.au

There also may be a chance for mothers and interest groups to meet independent chairwoman of the statewide review Dr Cherrell Hirst, who is due to visit Cairns later this month to talk about different midwifery models of delivery and care.