Sunshine Coast Health has today celebrated one year since the first baby was born in its Publicly Funded Home Birth program.
As the exemplar site for Queensland, over the past 12 months a total of 44 babies have been born at home through the health service’s new model of care.
Sunshine Coast Health Women’s and Children’s Midwifery Service Director Keppel Schafer said the whole team is really proud of what they have achieved in this first year.
“We know how important it is for Sunshine Coast families to have the option to give birth safely in a home environment, and from the feedback we have received over the past twelve months it’s clear just how much of a positive impact it has had on those who have taken part,” he said.
“The goal is to improve birth satisfaction, and a big part of achieving that for these mothers is being able to give birth in a familiar and comfortable environment, surrounded by their loved ones and pets, with minimal medical intervention.”
The service is an extension of the popular Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) model and is available to women who meet agreed clinical criteria and live within a safe travelling distance from Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
MGP Midwife Unit Manager Nicky Taylor-Edwards said the success of the program is attributed to the collaboration between our midwifery, obstetric, paediatric and women’s and children’s teams, along with QAS.
“Each mother in our program is assigned a primary midwife who will care for her throughout her pregnancy, and provide professional and emotional support during the labour, birth and postpartum period,” Ms Taylor-Edwards said.
“We have so many mothers say to us how lovely it is to be able to give birth at home with known midwives, then immediately have access to her own amenities such as food, the couch or her own bed.”
First-time mother Meghan Hogarth gave birth at home to her daughter Olive on February 2.
As a midwife herself, giving birth at home was something she was always interested in, and if her pregnancy allowed, she wanted to aim for a physiological birth.
“Irrespective of the fact I’m a midwife, as a first-time mum, when you have a look at the physiology behind going into labour and birth a lot of that has to do with feeling safe, secure, and comfortable, and where else do you feel the most safe, secure and comfortable than in your own home?” Meghan said.
“I felt really safe at home with the midwives, there was access to that medical equipment if they needed to, and I always knew that if I did need assistance the hospital was so close.
“I just sort of put my trust in their care and they were phenomenal, amazing, and it was through their support that I think I was able to achieve my home birth.”
Women interested in the program can get a referral from their GP, or by sending an email to sc-homebirth@health.qld.gov.au.