‘July 1 is a big day for women’: Queesland finally catches up with free homebirths

Queensland women will finally be able to have their babies in the comfort of their own home at no cost to them under a new publicly-funded scheme.

For the first time ever Queensland women will be able to have their babies at home under a publicly-funded homebirth scheme to begin in two weeks.

In a bid to enhance the often beleaguered maternity sector, the government has announced the service will be available to women in the Sunshine Coast and if this first site trial is successful, free homebirths are likely to be rolled out across Queensland.

Maternity groups, who have been pushing for free homebirths for years, call the July 1 rollout “monumental”.

The new service is governed by a statewide best-practice clinical guideline to ensure the safety of mothers and their babies.

Women who are part of the Midwifery Group Practice at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital have the option of a homebirth if they are deemed suitable.

“This is monumental for Queensland’s birthing mums to be able to birth in the comfort of their own home, with their known midwives, at no cost to them,” Alecia Staines from the Maternity Consumer Network told The Sunday Mail.

“It is great that when women spoke loudly about publicly-funded homebirth, the Health Minister listened. The first babies are due to be born in this model next month and we look forward to the continued roll out across Queensland to ensure women outside of the Sunshine Coast can access homebirth too,” she said.

The program has been co-designed with representatives from Sunshine Coast HHS

and the Queensland Ambulance Service, mothers and maternity consumers, including Ms Staines.

Queensland Health reports that there are improved or no difference in clinical outcomes associated with planned homebirths compared to planned hospital birth for women with low-risk pregnancies.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said she wanted all women to have the choices, access, and empowerment they need to do what’s best for themselves and their baby.

“The new guidelines will ensure best practice for our expecting mums and their bubs. I’m excited to see home birthing get underway, providing mums on the Sunny Coast the choice to birth in the comfort of their own home,” she said.

David Pulford with pregnant partner Abby Meyer on the Sunshine Coast. Picture: Liam Kidston

At 36 weeks pregnant the Sunshine Coast’s Abbey Meyer hopes her bub is the first to be born at home under the initiative.

“The program rolls out in two weeks and I have four weeks to go so we will have to see but for me July 1 is a big day for women,” the 38 year old said.

This is Ms Meyer’s first baby and her pregnancy has been smooth sailing.

“I have been looked after by the same midwife at the Midwifery Group Practice at the Sunshine Coast Hospital. I live 10 minutesfrom the hospital and am low risk so I was judged suitable for the homebirth,” she said.

The mum-to-be said she is happy to be close to the hospital in case anything goes wrong.

“That is a good safety net but I have a very close relationship with my midwife, she has been to my home and I think it will be a less stressful much more pleasant experience to give birth in my own home with no hospital schedule or pressure. I am so happy to have been selected,” she said.

Ms Meyer said she hopes the Sunshine Coast pilot takes off and women across the state get to have the birth they want.

“To pay for a homebirth with a private midwife is very expensive — it can be more than $8000. The government has made the right decision with this project,” she said.

Government funded homebirths are available in all other Australian states except Tasmania.

Chief Midwife Officer Liz Wilkes said that the state’s maternity services are going from strength-to-strength.

“We’ve seen the re-establishment of birthing in Weipa, expanded nurse to patient

ratios to count babies as patients for the first time. And now this.

“Women choose planned homebirth for various reasons, including a desire for a

comfortable and familiar birthing environment, greater choice and control, and

avoidance of unnecessary interventions.

“These new guidelines will not only help ensure the safety and success of the trial

but also lay the groundwork for a potential statewide rollout of publicly funded

homebirth services,” Ms Wilkes said.