It has been ages since I wrote a blog, but watching this segment of Sunday Night: Home vs hospital births sparked the need to get myself back on air.

Two months ago I had a wonderful 2nd home birth delivery - a 2.5 hour labour, delivering a beautiful healthy boy. To think that this option wont be available in less than a year is disgraceful for a democratic country like Australia. The Government is removing choice for women, potentially endangering women and babies in the future as home birthing families will still want that choice and will force home birthing underground.

With short segments such as Sunday Night, it’s challenging to get all the facts and figures out to the public, and you only hear certain small statistics and information.  There are dangers associated with both hospital and home births, the morbidity and mortality rates of babies and/or mothers actually being equal.

But what’s amazing about home births is that there’s little intervention, allowing the mother to birth with her body rhythms, time frames and in the comfort of her own home and birthing team.

If there was just a story about hospital births, you will see a lot of intervention - from midwives coming in and out of your room to check on you and your baby, doctors/obstetricians doing the same. There are time frames and limits set on women, so if you fall short of the hospital’s policy window of opportunity, then you’re on the ride of your life: inducement, the need for pain relief (usually epidurals to deal with the now hard and fast contractions) that then distresses you (because you can’t push with the contractions) and therefore distressing your baby; and before you know it, you’re on the operating table having a c-section. It’s not always like this in hospitals – there are many women who birth naturally with minimal intervention, but it is becoming more and more this way. And with this, there can be dangers involved, pain, mortality, post-natal depressionand long-term recovery.

Before you birth, read my ebook, Childbirth Magic: How to create a positive birth experience. It talks about creating choices during your pregnancy and labour, and how you can minimise intervention whilst in a hospital. It’s about promoting positive birth experiences that are safe and more natural for you and your baby.

Have your say: SHOULD EVERY AUSTRALIAN MUM HAVE THE CHOICE OF A HOME BIRTH? Vote now on Sunday Night. Please vote: the more awareness and campaigning we do, then the greater chance women and families will be heard.

For more information about home birth, visit: Home Birth Australia.