Birth Choices in WA

Choosing your health care provider for birth is so important and should be high on your priorities along with childbirth education.

Obstetricians are highly trained and specialists in surgical procedures.

They would be the first to admit that when it comes to “normal birth” then the experts in this area are midwives.

Midwives are highly trained professionals when it comes to normal birth.

Just because you have private health care, doesn’t mean that you have to book in with an Obstetrician and it doesn’t mean that you are going to get the best outcomes by having one.

If you do not have any medical conditions and you are considered low risk then the Community Midwifery Program, Family Birth Centre, Home Birth or even a Privately Practising Midwife would be far more beneficial than having an Obstetrician.

Don’t forget to include Doula Support Services as well.

To find a private midwife in WA: CLICK HERE

To find a doula anywhere in Australia: CLICK HERE

 

 

Nobody can predict the outcome of your birth, but with preparation, education, and research you can give yourself the very best chance of a “normal birth” if that is what you want.

My suggestion is to book in for childbirth education such as Hypnobirthing, rather than spending hours on choosing a pram (which you can always take back), so you can learn all about your birth and take the fear out of making choices for you and your baby.

A good documentary to watch is The Face of Birth – the importance of choice in pregnancy and childbirth.

CLICK HERE to watch a short preview:

Funnily enough, there are Obstetricians out there that totally agree and say that midwives are indeed the experts in normal birth.

Here is what one Obstetrician had to say ….

CLICK HERE – Midwives Rock: Confession of an Ob/Gyn Physician

It is your body, your baby and your choice.

There are so many birthing options in Western Australia that are overlooked or not suggested to women when they confirm their pregnancy. Many are automatically referred to a private Obstetrician and not given all the options that are available to them.

 

In Western Australia you can keep up to date with all the pregnancy and birth statistics from the WA Mother & Babies Report – but again this report is always a couple of years behind so keep that in mind.

CLICK HERE for the WA Mothers & Babies Summary Report

You can also look at the statistics across Australia that are a little more up to date.

CLICK HERE for the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (AIHW) Mother’s & Babies Report.

 

Thanks to Pip Wynn Owen from Birth Savvy for doing up this great reference chart on the caesarean rates here in Perth from the latest report (shared with permission).

You can read the Birth Savvy article as well CLICK HERE

Keep in mind that the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that Caesarean rates should be between 10%-15%.

So, what is going on with so many caesareans?

These days it is so very important for women to be informed, educated and confident if they are pursuing a physiological, undisturbed birth, particularly if they are birthing in a private hospital with a private Obstetrician.

You can gain confidence, knowledge and tools and techniques by attending one of my childbirth education classes, so you can make informed choices.