How did you find out about the program?
I have a close friend who is a midwife at Sunshine Hospital and recommended the program to me, i always knew I could change my mind but I decided to stick with the homebirth after reading the research about low risk home birth success.
How did you get into the program?
My GP specifically wrote a request in my referral for the homebirth program at Joan Kirner (this was my second referral as the first referral was too vague and I was initially rejected and sent to the Royal Women’s).
With the GP referral, I simultaneously submitted the homebirth referral form on the Joan Kirner website and submitted it to the homebirth email inbox. My GP knew the program and guided me in the right direction.
Did you have the same midwives throughout your care?
Yes and no. I mostly saw my main midwife and her backup midwife. I got to know them both. My main midwife was not available at the time of the birth but the backup midwife was. At no time did I feel like I had strangers at my appointments or in my home.
Did you have any anxieties around homebirth or PFHB?
I was so confident in my body and had two friends who loved their homebirth, but had to really work on gaining my partners confidence by talking with our midwife a lot and looking over the research. I always had to hold my homebirth lightly as the factors that can eliminate you from the program are extensive and many out of my control. This meant I worked very hard with my midwife on strategies for if I had to attempt a physiological birth in a hospital, they were extremely supportive of this as they know the policies so well. I felt confident in either option.
Favourite part of being in the program?
The connection with my midwives and the way they brought my husband along the journey too. They are so patient and sat in long long appointments with me as we asked lots of questions. I also loved the relaxed birth environment, they entered my home so respectfully, we laughed, we had tea, we ate snacks. It was a joyful time!
The PFHB program is also relatively risk-free if you are safety conscious and want the protections of strict criteria.
I also loved their patience. They are incredible working within the bounds of the system, allowing my labour the be quite long but giving me strategies to ensure I could go intervention free for as long as possible. I managed to have a physiological first birth at home with a 33 hour full labour.
Did you have any other supports at your birth or during your pregnancy?
I had a student midwife as I wanted her to experience a normal birth, something a little rare these days! My husband and I also did the Rhea Dempsey course in person which really equipped him to be a support and know what to expect.
In hindsight I wish I had organised a private LC straight after my birth, this was eventually recommended by my midwives as it was so difficult for us to get support from the hospital given I was an outpatient at home. I also regularly saw a women’s health physio through Pelvic Health Melbourne, they’ve really supported my recovery and pelvic floor health! Love them.
Thanks so much to Emily for sharing a snippet of her experience in Sunshine's PFHB!
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