During this pandemic, there has been a huge increase in the demand for home birth in Australia and private practicing midwives are being flooded with calls from women and birthing people looking to birth outside of the hospital system. However, the regulations and education pathways for private practice midwifery are yet to change, and issues around accessibility and affordability remain. So how did we get here? When the research continues to show that home birth is the safest option for birth place, and continuous midwifery care the safest model, how do we need to revolutionise maternity care in this country to truly meet the needs of all birthing people?

In this episode Kirilly Dawn is joined by Dr Melanie Jackson as we unravel some of these questions and take a deep look into the history of home birth, where we are today, and where we need to go. Dr Melanie Jackson is a private midwife living in the Blue Mountains in Sydney who has been attending women giving birth at home for 13 years, and has two homebirthed children herself. Melanie has completed a PhD called ‘Birthing outside the system’ and she also works as a midwifery researcher at western Sydney university. 

You can find out more about Melanie and the mentorship she offers for midwives wanting to enter private practice at www.melaniethemidwife.com, her YouTube channel Melanie the Midwife, and on IG and Facebook @melaniethemidwife