responsibilities of the homebirth midwife

This week I have been invited to speak briefly at an Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) Victorian Branch midwifery conference. My topic is THE LEGAL AND PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF A HOME BIRTH MIDWIFE – the buck stops with you!

I plan to make my presentation a tribute to homebirth and private midwifery practice as we know it. I will be using a brief slide presentation about the home-water-birth of a baby girl named Lila, about a year ago. The BMid student who was undertaking one of her follow-through journeys took the photos. Lila’s mother has kindly given me permission to share these intimate images with fellow midwives.

A focus on homebirth, rather than focusing on the woman, sets an unhelpful basis for this discussion. The place of birth, either home or hospital, is a choice that a well woman has if her midwife is competent in attending a physiologically normal birth in any setting. The picture of partnership between a woman and her midwife, who is primary care provider throughout the episode of care, is the key. The midwife is committed to the woman, not to the place of birth.