Keynote Speakers
Kemi Johnson
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Bio
Kemi Johnson is a mother, former registered midwife and now a birthkeeper. She's been a loud mouth about families enjoying the whole health benefits of spontaneous physiological birth FOR DECADES, and can’t see that anything is more important for humanity than how we give birth and how we are born. |
Presentation Details
Authenticity - an essential component of glorious birth and excellent care What role does AUTHENTICITY play when making connections towards pregnancy care, childbirth and postpartum care taking place in the home? When authenticity is present? When it's absent? The latest Cochrane review on Continuity of Care models (2024), models that have been ignored by most organisations and crushed by others, highlights AGAIN the large number of benefits to recipients of the care and the midwife/midwife teams that offer the care However, many maternity units & trusts have a culture that is quick to dispense with this way of working when cuts are to be made (or in response to the Ockenden Report recommendation to pause the rollout of continuity of care teams throughout the NHS in the UK and to disband the teams that had already been created). What will it take to combine the authentic will and action of the mother and her midwife and enable the better WHOLE health of women that give birth physiologically at home and the mostly women that serve them? |
Billie Harrigan
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Bio
Billie Harrigan has been serving birthing families for about 40 years as a traditional birth companion (what Canadians used to call "the neighbour" and the rest of the world understood to be the community midwife), an educator for parents and professionals, a breastfeeding counsellor, lay pastoral counsellor, and an integrative perinatal health consultant. She's the mother of 7 children where her first experience with birth was a medical nightmare, landing her baby in the NICU with a prognosis of likely death or severe disability, and herself with some epic PTSD. The baby survived and eventually thrived. The OB said it was her faulty body as a woman that caused the dire outcome. After some time spent investigating this situation, it became ridiculously clear it was merely the induction and the medicalisation of a healthy pregnancy and birth that created this havoc. And so, it began. In addition to serving women and families, Billie is the former Director of Education for an international training organisation for doulas, childbirth educators, and lactation counsellors where she supervised the education of over 7000 students in over 130 countries. She is the author of the world's first research-based comprehensive online certification course for becoming trained in the skills of trauma-informed care specific to the perinatal client. This course has been taken by students on 4 continents to universal praise. She has taught midwives in 125 countries in the skills of physiological birth and is well-versed in the policy and politics of midwifery around the world. Billie is a subject matter expert on obstetric violence and birth-related trauma along with their causes, consequences, and solutions. She has served on the PhD committee for a perinatal therapist and was a critical reviewer for Rachel Reed's extraordinary book 'Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage'. Billie is the founder of The Harrigan Hive, The Hive Collective – a Private Member Association, and Birth Trauma Ontario, which is an agency for advocacy and education concerning the global issue of obstetric violence and birth related trauma. Billie has now turned her attention to training new traditional birth companions to offer parents an alternative to the technocratic medicalised birth services industry and its astounding rates of abuse and trauma. |
Presentation Details
Reclaiming Birth from a Culture of Conformity "You don't want a dead baby, do you?" That ubiquitous threat intended to reign in rogue thoughts and actions and bring women back into medical conformity and compliance. Social conformity has shifted so that diversity of thought is increasingly censured and censored. Certain power structures have told us what the one true truth is for our age and we are to obey in the telling and the tone. Most of the world is still reeling from forced compliance and have been disciplined into accepting human rights violations 'for the greater good'. We've been guided into a new era of unchecked shots fired across the digital chasm to replace conversation and connection in this shared human experience. We are a traumatised people. Yet this isn't new for birthing women. We've been dealing with our loss of human rights, autonomy, and dignity for a few (hundred) generations. In some ways, this all feels so familiar. Perhaps this time, it went too far. The lioness has awakened. She is no longer laying her womb on the altar of modern medicine, restrained on her back with various appointed ones between her legs ensuring she's a good girl for her baby. Instead, she is reclaiming her body, her dignity, and her birth from the cult(ure) of conformity. Lateral abuse in this reclamation journey lets us know we have much healing to do. Generations of birth trauma have impaired our ability to trust, connect, collaborate, and indeed, celebrate. Our reclamation will disengage us from the matrix of conformity as we come to understand how we have been programmed to fear each other, fear medical authority, and fear our body's innate wisdom in bringing forth life. Now is our time to relinquish our docility to technocratic overlords and accept the invitation to enter into a healing journey that addresses the trauma that lives in our collective sisterhood. Join me on this pilgrimage of reclamation where we mine the depths of our courage, release our fear, and join a sisterhood of sojourners unshackling from agendas that do not serve us or humanity. |
Dr Rachel Reed
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Bio
Dr Rachel Reed is an author, educator, researcher, and international speaker. Her focus is childbirth physiology, care provider practice, women's rights (and rites) and reclaiming childbirth. Rachel has over 20 years of experience attending births in a range of settings and circumstances, including independent homebirth midwifery. As a researcher, Rachel studies women's experiences of birth and the influence of care provider interactions. She has published widely in journals, magazines, and books, and her latest bestselling book is Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage. She is also the co-host of The Midwives' Cauldron podcast and writes an award-winning blog. Rachel is an experienced educator, has designed and implemented midwifery degree programs in academia, and delivered workshops nationally and internationally. Her current focus is creating online education resources and facilitating her Reclaiming Childbirth Collective to support care providers and educators with evidence-based knowledge and community. |
Presentation Details
Co-creating our future We need to have some difficult conversations about our homebirth culture, community and connection. Reclaiming childbirth and centring women as the experts cannot be achieved by clinging to romantic notions of the past or by repeating the same mistakes. Instead, we need to pick up the threads of herstory that serve our modern context and weave them into something new. In this presentation, I will challenge our community to look at where we are today and consider how to co-create a future together. |
Speakers
Jane Hardwicke Collings
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Bio
Jane Hardwicke Collings is a grandmother, former homebirth midwife for 30 years, a teacher, writer and menstrual educator. She gives workshops on mother and daughter preparation for menstruation, the spiritual practice of menstruation, and the sacred dimensions of pregnancy, birth and menopause. Jane founded and runs The School of Shamanic Womancraft, an international Women’s Mysteries School and she has created the first holistic menstrual cycle charting app – Spinning Wheels. |
Presentation Details
Are our birth outcomes random or are there clues? How we give birth is like a read out of our mindset – our beliefs, attitudes and fears about birth, our body, our capabilities, our strength, and more… and how we give birth is as if the culmination of our life thus far and a reflection of our culture – on the inside and the outside. Many things influence us as we approach conception, pregnancy, birth and the postnatal time. These include our Red Thread and our inherited female generational wounds, our own birth imprint, our childhood traumas, our attitude to and our experience of our menstrual cycle and contraception, our rites of passage pattern (including our birth, menarche, first sexual experience, and all our previous pregnancies and births, including losses and abortions. As a Midwife, I realised that preparation for birth needed to start way before pregnancy or conception - at a girl’s Menarche, if not before. She who was initiated into womanhood at menarche, is the woman who shows up to give birth, completely enculturated into how she supposed to behave as a woman to be accepted in our culture. Jane will talk about how to unravel our past, bring awareness to our patterns and offer a menarche healing process to help prepare for birth. |
Elsie Ruijgrok
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Bio
I am a homebirth mum of 2 little boys, the host of 'Birthing at Home: A Podcast', where I listen and share amazing birthing at home stories from women, and the perspectives from their partners and midwives from Australia and around the world. I am the co-founder of the Homebirth Victoria Network, an ex-student Midwife of USC (where it all began!) & I'm a Birth Attendent in training in Melbourne. I work currently as a Registered Nurse having also completed my Master in Mental Health Nursing. I've done quite a few other side quests in my young life...but my favourite, is to have homebirthed my babies! See you at the 36th Annual Homebirth Australia Conference! |
Presentation Details
Creating community and connection through story sharing Growing up as a young woman in Australia, the first time I heard a birth story was 10 years ago, when I was 18 years old and a student of midwifery at the University of the Sunshine Coast. I don’t recall the first time I heard the word ‘homebirth’, but I can imagine if I hadn’t studied midwifery, I would not be writing now, asking to present a presentation at a Homebirth conference, as a mum to 2 boys both born at home. Studying midwifery and seeing birth has changed my life. It is also why I am so passionate about spreading the word that you can birth at home, because I understand the impact this can have on women. The homebirth community is powerful and a strong example of the enduring power of women, who have been birthing at home since the beginning of time. Through my podcast and creation of Homebirth Victoria, I am starting to create community and connection online all over the world, but also specifically in Victoria where I live. This is in an ambitious and determined effort to ensure every woman in Australia knows homebirth is an option, and the power of such. Creating community and connection through story sharing is so impactful and I would love the opportunity to share the impact of my podcast and the anecdotal accounts of the guests (with consent) related to this, with the attendees of the Homebirth Australia conference come November 2024. |
Sarah Smits
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Bio
Sarah is a privately practicing midwife currently residing in Far North Queensland. She has spent nearly a decade traveling the world and learning about birth, reconnecting with traditional midwifery practice as an art form and spiritual practice. Sarah has spent time working in India and learning from traditional Maya midwives in Guatemala and from Mexico. These experiences have allowed her to interweave spirituality, nutrition, and different bodywork modalities to provide deep healing for women, particularly throughout the childbearing continuum. |
Presentation Details
Sharing of sacred Maya Midwifery practices in support of the Midwife project Guatemala “Connection with the Divine is the midwifes greatest tool”. In Guatemala the Maya midwives have a strong culture of spirituality interwoven in their work. Their connection to nature, plants, the Maya cosmovision, their communities, the women they serve, their ancestors and their gifts as midwives are essential components of their work. They do not see any of these things are separate from each other. My Mayan midwife teachers share with me, that birth is 75% the woman and 25% the relationship she has with her midwife. They are seen as pillars of their communities. They not only support women during pregnancy and birth but hold wisdom to support the overall physical and spiritual health and well-being of all members of their communities. However, unfortunately these midwives are faced with the same governmental restrictions and barriers that midwives face around the world and it is directly resulting in a staggering reduction of women birthing at home and increase in medical interventions. In this presentation I share some of the sacred practices of the Maya midwives and share the objectives of The Midwife Project. A grass roots project looking to bridge the gap between sacred traditional Maya birthing practices and the current birthing world. In an attempt to preserve their important spiritual traditions whilst promoting the safest birthing outcomes for their communities. |
Jo Hunter
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Bio
Jo Hunter is a homebirth midwife, an activist and co-created Birth Time: the documentary. She is a guest lecturer for the Bachelor of Midwifery degree and regularly offers clinical placements for midwifery students. Jo was formerly the National Convenor of Homebirth Australia and was heavily involved in lobbying and advocacy as the chair of this organization, she was at its helm when Medicare for midwives was secured. Jo has 4 grown up children all water born, 3 born at home. She lives in Sydney’s inner west with her partner and 2 crazy dogs. |
Presentation Details
Changing culture, creating Community, and Cultivating Connection for and with Student Midwives through the Homebirth model of care This presentation will use oral, powerpoint presentation and filmed interviews to discuss the crucial role of integrating homebirth experiences into clinical placement and education for student midwives. We will explore how being present at homebirths serves to bridge the current gap between theory and best practice and offers a unique and invaluable learning environment that enhances the skills and competencies of aspiring midwives. Past and present students share how clinical placement in homebirth has and can help create a cultural shift from the medicalised midwifery model that is present within the system. They’ll share how working alongside homebirth midwives can help build community and facilitate collaborative learning and mentorship. They’ll discuss how homebirth placement also provides a unique opportunity to cultivate connections through partnerships with women and their families, which in turn develops compassionate and woman centred midwifery practices. Lastly we’ll explore how completing a placement in homebirth has shaped their midwifery practice and career. |
Jenny Blythe
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Bio
Jenny Blyth has been supporting women & parents through homebirth in the greater Sunshine Coast area for over 40 years. She is an independent birth educator, birthworker, bodyworker, Associate Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy, Spinning Babies® Approved Trainer, Spinning Babies® Aware Practitioner & Trainer, & Internal Pelvic Release Work Practitioner & Trainer. Her particular focus is on body awareness & body preparation for birth & recovery to realise potential in birth & reduce birth trauma. She specialises in pelvic bodywork for wellbeing, balance, comfort & healing. Jenny regularly facilitates workshops for care providers in Australia & overseas. She is project co-ordinator for Lao Birthwork, teaching hands-on birth & emergency skills to health staff in remote areas of Northern Laos. She is also an author – The Down to Earth Birth Book, Birthwork, The little book of Pelvic Jiggling - & filmmaker -The Big Stretch films & A World of Birthworkers. |
Presentation Details
How are we connecting ? The changing culture of birth preparation As we have moved deeper into the digital and data driven age, the way we prepare for birth seems to be changing. What resources are needed to support confidence and ability to birth naturally and at home – whether planned or not? Let’s explore what essential birth preparation means to you and how you might implement that, either as a parent or a care-provider. |
Ashley Winning
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Bio
Ashley is a VBAC Mentor, Birth Educator, Doula, Podcaster. She birthed her third baby at home, unassisted after two surgical births. She works intimately with women who plan to VBAC/HBAC by working through fear and mindset challenges, while providing emotional support so that they feel heard, seen and validated while taking the steps birth on their terms. She is on a mission to increase the VBAC rate worldwide, by sharing birth stories, education and support to women. She is the host of The VBAC Homebirth Stories Podcast and is seen in The Born at Home Film. |
Presentation Details
The VBAC Homebirth Community: the forgotten women We know that women planning to VBAC have a higher rate of achieving a vaginal birth when planning a homebirth. But, for many women, homebirth is a big leap to make, especially after a traumatic birth experience that ended with a surgical birth. When women planning a VBAC seriously consider homebirth as a birthplace and find out about the amazing benefits of a homebirth they feel inspired and hopeful. This excitement is usually mixed with feeling fearful or unsure. Because homebirth isn’t a common birthplace, and they lack the experience of having a vaginal birth, their confidence and self-belief waivers. The support of a homebirth midwife for these women can often be a match made in heaven. However, sadly for many women, like me they are left without the support of a midwife. Which can leave them feeling resentful, neglected, and abandoned. We can support these women by understanding their journey, and what they need. |
Beth Newman
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Bio
I am a Registered Midwife since 2005, with experience in public & private hospitals, and independent practice in the home. I have facilitated and supported hundreds of couples, through their pregnancy, birth and post-natal experience. In 2017 I completed Endorsement for Private Practice Midwifery, for 3 years I worked in a group practice, and since 2020 I have been working in my own business as an Independent Homebirth Midwife, Woman with Child. As a Midwife I believe in sharing knowledge freely and respectfully, and understand the nature of creating a sacred space in which everyone feels comfortable to be their true selves, whether this is during the pregnancy, birth, or the post-natal time. I am passionate about informing women of their choices in a non-judgemental environment, and assisting them back to themselves for their enquiry and answers. For me being a midwife is about coming back to basics, whilst I believe no two women will birth the same, I do believe that all women require; love, support and trust, and as a midwife I am happy to facilitate this process. Midwife means ‘With Woman’. It is my honour to be With Woman With Child. |
Presentation Details
The Untold Stories of the Unseen at Birth; Culture, Community and Connection, broadening perspectives. Culturally, in current Australia, there is no acknowledgement of anything that is not tangible at birth. Yet we know in cultures around the world there is an acknowledgement of the intangible, for centuries; prayer, ceremony and rituals, are used to transform mother and baby from pregnancy through labour and birth. Whilst it is said women go through veils and portals during labour, would it not be true that those who attend and witness her, have the capacity to feel and be moved by being at the edge or merging with, those veils and portals, is this where the ‘unseen’ stories of labour and birth emerge from. Now I’m not here to convince or scare you, but to share some stories of things I have experienced and seen, these stories have no rhyme or reason, and through this I ask ‘is our perceived community more than meets the eye?’, and if so, is it time to have a connection, a humble whisper to the unseen, affirming and respecting that so much more is going on, than a baby birthing out of its mother in a physiological hormonal symphony. Now let me share a few stories, to ignite the enquiry, that birth is more than meets the eye. Like thinking of a distant friend, and soon after they call, or you bump into them, it’s happening in our own lives, so surely, where the veils are thin, it too is happening at birth. |
Sita Tara Kali (Mumma Sita)
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Bio
Mumma Sita is an acclaimed wisdom holder of traditional Birth Keeping and holistic Womb wellness. Her life’s work unfolds with reverence and respect to the original people’s and sacred places of the lands she walks while in service. Since free birthing her first baby 24 years ago on the side of a mountain, she has learned & cared for women and their families along the continuum of their experience from womb wellness, fertility, conception, pregnancy, birth, through to postpartum, babies and beyond! Raising six children, attending hundreds of births and supporting families to live happy, healthy lives across the Byron Shire, Sitas’ warm, attentive, spacious and heart centred approach has been witnessed and honoured by much of the local community. Sitas "Wild Womb Wisdom" practices are transformative, multi-dimensional, multi-modality holistic healing for all ages, stages and phases of the feminine. Weaving empathic, intuitive and clairsentient abilities with many traditional earth-based practices from multi-linear cultures... including using vibrational medicines, energy work (reiki), massage & body work, herbal and plant-based medicines, nutritional support (food as medicine), Mayan Abdominal Therapy, Chinese Acupressure & Medicine, Heather Bruce's-Gentling Way, breathwork, music/sound therapy, trauma relief/release, selfcare coaching, dance, yoga, and martial arts. Sita’s current focus is twofold and centred around birth education and healing work. She works with her apprentices to train the next generation of birth attendants as well continuing to coach women & families with simple, hands-on knowledge, so they can be confidently present with their birth process. She holds holistic healing sessions, prenatal and postnatal body work sessions in the sanctuary of The Blue Rose Temple. Plus runs workshops, ecstatic dance & embodiment classes, online zoom sessions, talks and conferences. Sita is passionate to share all these wonderful traditional wise ways of birth and beyond across the world to change the overly medicalised model of women's health and birth. |
Presentation Details
Culture Community and Connection-walking with women Honouring each family’s culture and reintegrating the traditions they may have forgotten is central to my practice, as I walk with the women through their birth initiation. The nature of connection to mind, body and spirit, and how this relationship to the earth, to our lineage, defines us in how we live… and how we birth. The path of birth keeper / midwife has always been so intricately interwoven with cultural practises of which they live, with the communities that they work within and our connection to the women and children we serve. Being in direct connection to my local community and their needs has been fraught with hardships and lessons not for the faint hearted. It is hugely challenging, as the demand for this kind of integrity and sovereignty is growing and very often hard to find amongst a society greatly disconnected from just about everything. Through all cultural practices across the planet, there are the threads of the grandmothers, the bearers of womb knowledge, echoing through all of time, connecting all women to their innate wisdom. Much of these ways have been lost or forgotten, be it purposefully or by default. I have been honoured on many occasions to learn from and receive traditional wisdom keepers and elder teachers from across the world, sharing with me their indigenous medicines, practices and women’s business. These direct transmissions from multiple lineages are such a blessing and I feel it is of upmost importance to share with as many people possible, so that these sacred traditions and practises, (most of which are just so sweet and simple!) are gifted back to our communities and the generations to come. |
Kellie Whiskin
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Bio
With over 14 year's experience, Kellie Whiskin is a highly respected Doula, Movement Therapist, Educator, and Counsellor. She is dedicated to supporting women and the people they love through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. During COVID lockdowns birthing women encountered limitations and were only permitted one primary support person to accompany them in hospital. This, together with witnessing the rising rates of medical interventions both locally and globally, Kellie quickly began to question her role. As a direct result, she swiftly pivoted her focus towards the partners of these women, producing overwhelmingly positive results. These included shorter labours, minimal interventions, enhanced postpartum recovery, and stronger relationship bonds. Founder of the Partnered Birth Program, Kellie now specialises in birth partner education, nurturing unity among expectant couples, their chosen healthcare providers, and birth support teams. Her aim is to reclaim birth support by inspiring collective action towards meaningful change within the medical model by placing partners at the forefront. The heart of her mission is to advocate for positive birth experiences in hospitals and emphasise the benefits of collaboration, community, and connection. Kellie has experienced both hospital and home births herself and is a devoted partner and proud mother of three. Outside of work, Kellie enjoys walks in nature, bird watching, vibrant gatherings with loved ones, laughing out loud and dancing to her favorite songs around the kitchen! Her motto: “Together we can”. |
Presentation Details
Partnered Birth- Celebrating the significance of birth partners through inclusive and collaborative approaches As societal norms evolve, we acknowledge the rich diversity of father figures - from dads and step-fathers to partners in same-sex relationships - all playing integral roles in family life. By embracing this diversity and celebrating the power of partner involvement, we unlock a myriad of benefits for birthing women, their families, and the wider community. Partnered Birth goes beyond traditional models, providing comprehensive resources and personalised support to birth partners whilst acknowledging their unique perspectives and experiences. It also promotes a collaborative approach by recognising the connection between expectant couples, healthcare providers and their birth team, inspiring unity and collective action towards positive change in the birth space. Drawing from the latest research* and the Father Inclusive Practice Guide*, I will delve into the profound impact of partner engagement on birth outcomes. From reduced intervention rates to enhanced relationships between expectant couples and their baby, the benefits are undeniable. It's time to reclaim birth support by shattering stereotypes and embracing a more inclusive approach. In this engaging and interactive presentation, I will unveil a contemporary approach to birth support that celebrates the pivotal role of partners in the birthing journey. Inspired by the evolving landscape of fatherhood and the growing demand for inclusivity, the Partnered Birth Program redefines the birth experience by placing partners at the forefront. Together we can. |
Philippa Scott
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Bio
Philippa Scott, a mother of four daughters, isn't just passionate about consumer rights – she's a driving force for better birthing experiences. A personal turning point in 2003, after her first birth's challenges due to fragmented care and limited information, ignited her activism. Fueled by her desire to empower others, Philippa trained first as a Doula and launched "Friends of the Birth Centre Townsville" (FBCT) in 2003. Her dedication as president until 2011 culminated in the successful opening of the Townsville Birth Centre in 2008, a 3-room facility within the Townsville Hospital. Beyond leading FBCT, Philippa actively participated in consumer and citizen boards, created media projects, and facilitated free support groups. She embraced homebirths for last two daughters. Witnessing her granddaughter's recent home birth solidified her mission, driven by the desire for better birthing experiences, not just for her daughters but for all. Philippa's advocacy continues to flourish. She champions improvements at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital birth center, contributes to the annual Homebirth conference (2024 & 2025), and serves as Treasurer for Home Birth QLD since 2023. Through "Fantastic Futures," she empowers parents to heal from birth and perinatal trauma, rewriting the unconscious scripts they pass on. |
Presentation Details
The role of Homebirth in creating a community and shifting culture At the heart of the Homebirth Australia conference theme, "Community, Connection and Culture," lies a powerful truth: birth is not just a medical event, but a potent catalyst for shaping the world around us. As birth workers, we hold a unique responsibility in weaving together families, communities, and a culture that empowers future generations. Isolation is a key theme in the vocabulary of mothers. This talk explores how we, as birth workers, can transcend individual support to become sacred weavers, fostering connections on multiple levels:
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Jessie Johnson-Cash
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Bio
Jessie Johnson-Cash is a Lecturer in Nursing and Midwifery at the University of the Sunshine Coast. She is passionate about safe, holistic midwifery care, supporting and promoting physiological birth and exploring the social and cultural power dynamics within midwifery practice, with a professional and research interest in student support and the influence of health care providers’ emotional wellbeing on the sustainable provision of woman-centred maternity care. She is a homebirth mother of 4, one of whom was born at home. |
Presentation Details
My homebirth(s) ended in transfer : Am I still a homebirth mother? It can be an isolating and painful initiation into motherhood for women who plan a homebirth and end up transferring to hospital. Depending on the reason, the outcomes, and the decision-making process it can illicit complex feelings of shame, guilt, disappointment, and betrayal. Not only do women whose homebirth dreams have been unactualised have to process these thoughts and feelings personally as they adjust to their new role as mother (of one or two or more…) but often also more publicly within their broader social networks. What went wrong, who’s to blame and the assumption of a negative experience from well-meaning friends and acquaintances can make this rite of passage lonely, disregarded and silenced both outside of and within the homebirth community. This is my story. One of deeply held grief and shame, of power and strength. A story of loss and triumph, of pain and sacrifice. But mine is not a story of trauma, as it is for so many. As a community we need to create space for these stories of transformation for women who have not failed or been failed, but who have faced their biggest fears and emerged brave, whole, courageous. Our stories don’t align with the cultural narrative, necessary for challenging the biomedical status quo, that with the best support and in the best of environments birth always works as it should, or could. This is not just my story. We too are part of the homebirth community. |
Bethan Townsend
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Bio
Bethan is originally from the UK, has been a midwife for over 30 years and has recently completed her PhD with her research interest being in how women negotiate their choices in health care, particularly in the context of water immersion. Bethan has considerable experience working in and setting up midwifery continuity models of care. In 2017 she was instrumental in setting up a midwifery navigator service for women with severe mental health and substance abuse and more recently in 2023 set up a service, supporting women and families with social complexities for the first 1000 days in collaboration with a child health nurse. Additionally, Bethan works as a research midwife part-time in the Women's and Children's unit at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH), was a member of the steering group for the recent set up of the publicly funded home birth service (PFHB) at SCUH and a reviewer for the PFHB statewide guidelines. |
Presentation Details
Enhancing publicly-funded homebirth care through the exploration of health professional perspectives Background: Recognising the increasing consumer demand for alternative birthing options, the Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) has been announced as the exemplar site for the first publicly-funded homebirth program in Queensland. Objectives: This study aims to investigate health professionals’ attitudes towards homebirth, assess perspectives on the integration of homebirth services into SCUH maternity services, and identify potential barriers and facilitators to successful implementation of the homebirth program. Methods: A mixed method approach will be utilised, underpinned by pragmatic epistemology. Online questionnaires will be distributed to Women’s and Children’s Services staff at SCUH. Questionnaires will be designed to collect characteristics, perspectives on homebirth services, transfers from homebirth services to SCUH, and any barriers and enablers to the implementation of the homebirth program. Expected results: A nuanced understanding of professional perceptions of homebirth services, identification of potential challenges and facilitators to the program, and recommendations for successful implementation. Significance: By exploring the perspectives of healthcare professionals, this project aims to contribute valuable insights into the acceptability and feasibility of publicly-funded homebirth services at SCUH and address a critical gap in the current implementation planning process. The results will contribute to a broader implementation evaluation process. Conclusion: This study holds promise in reshaping maternity care delivery within SCHHS, and the potential to contribute evidence-based insights that can inform policy decisions in rolling out similar services in areas in Queensland. |
Jaimee Smith - ACM Midwife of the Year
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Bio
Jaimee works as the sole endorsed privately practicing homebirth midwife out of Australia’s oldest birth house in northern Tasmania and has developed excellent collaborative relationships with the local GPs, obstetricians, hospital and wider maternity care provider network. She has collated 40 years of homebirth statistics from the Launceston Birth Centre and has presented these at several national and state conferences. Jaimee mentors midwives into private practice, and runs monthly midwifery workshops to support midwives to connect, debrief, and expand their knowledge and skills. She is an experienced childbirth educator and volunteers with local school groups to inspire and invest in future midwives. Jaimee is a certified relationship coach and offers coaching for midwives who feel depleted, disillusioned or burnt-out professionally or personally. Jaimee is happily married with four growing children and a ginormous German shepherd. She was recently named the ACM Midwife of the Year. |
Presentation Details
Birth worker check up As home birth care providers, we are excellent at supporting normal birth. We know how the birth environment impacts a woman's physiology, and we do all we can to promote and protect her ability to labour and birth in a way that feels safe for her. We have honed our instincts to be sensitive to her ever-changing needs. Our work changes lives. Including our own. It's probably fair to say that most home birth workers are oxytocin addicts! There is nothing quite like holding space for the emergence of new life. And yet because this role is so rewarding, it is easy for us to ignore our own physiological needs. We can easily miss the red flags that are warning us of danger. Being on-call, even for something as wonderful as home birth, takes a toll on our own health, nervous system and relationships. In this session, Jaimee will guide you through a self-care check up and give you some practical tools so you can step out of survival mode and feel empowered to thrive, both personally and professionally. |
Gemma McMillan - Office of the Chief Midwifery Officer
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Bio
Gemma is the Assistant Director of Midwifery, Office of the Chief Midwifery Officer Gemma is an experienced midwife with scheduled medicines endorsement, a demonstrated history in the public hospital & health care environment. Multi-skilled in maternity and neonatal care, healthcare management, project work and leadership. Strong maternity services professional with a proven track record in establishing and leading continuity models of care. Recently completed (MSc)Primary Maternity Care-Griffith University. |
Presentation Details
Publicly Funded Home Birth (PFHB) in Queensland, considering the possibilities |
