The Darwin Homebirth Service provides pregnant woman with care from one midwife, in her home environment. Her midwife visits her at home throughout her pregnancy, attends the birth either at home, in the birth centre or at the hospital, and stays with the women for her birthing journey. The midwife then visits the mother and baby at home until her baby is 6 weeks old.
“We chose the homebirth service for our second baby because we felt it was essential for us to have continuity of care from a person who we knew well and trusted. Our midwife became like family to us and supported us so well before, during and after the birth”. Bronwyn Dann
“The HBS was absolutely wonderful and the midwives amazing! My partner and I greatly appreciated the one-to-one care, support and advice the HBS provided us throughout the pregnancy, birth and the first few weeks post-birth. This service is truly an asset and invaluable!” Lani Sharp & Travis Wilcox
“Amazing!!! Having a complex medical history it was great having the one midwife and only having to tell your story once rather than going over and over it again for new people”. Erin Leech
The Darwin Homebirth Group is a collective of parents who are passionate about women having choice in regards to where, with whom and how they birth. The opportunity for low risk women to birth at home with a known midwife is one of those choices that may make a woman feel more empowered and in control of her birth. We believe that pregnancy and birth are natural and family centred events. Many women feel that birthing in their home with a known, qualified and experienced midwife provides them with a calm and safe environment in which to labour and birth their baby.
We have the unique opportunity in Darwin to access a fully funded Government Homebirth Service, making homebirth an affordable and therefore a real option for families. Evidence from multiple countries including Australia has shown that homebirth is a safe option for low risk pregnancies when attended by a qualified midwife. In these circumstances homebirth is as safe as a hospital birth.
“I chose homebirth so I could birth the way I wanted in a comfortable and calming environment with only people I trusted and wanted present. Birthing at home was such a positive experience for myself and my partner” Jess Derham
“I am a major advocate for natural and home birth, there is nothing more comforting than being able to labour in your own surroundings. Natural birth is one of the most scary but amazing experiences a woman can go through”. Erin Leech
The Darwin Homebirth Group provides its members with opportunities to develop friendship networks by way of monthly coffee mornings. The midwives from the Home Birth Service often attend our gatherings and are always willing to share their wealth of knowledge and experience. We also produce regular newsletters for our members that are rich with pregnancy, birth and baby information. Our library is located at the Childbirth Education Association where our members can access a range of books and magazines reflecting our belief in natural births, water immersion, home births and gentle parenting. We offer access to birthing aids and equipment such as a water birth pools, birthing stools and tens machines.
“For us, home birth was the natural choice for a natural birth. The support network for homebirth in Darwin is massive and our homebirth midwife was professional and intuitive to our needs. The thought of giving birth at home again is food for the soul”. Katie Grimshaw
“I wish all women knew about the DHBS. Giving birth to our baby girl in the safety of our home is one of my proudest and greatest moments in life. The continuity of care provided by my midwife both pre and postnatal was just incredible. Her expertise and experience provided me with a deep sense of security to allow my body to do what it needed to do, and I will always cherish that special day.” Louise de Dassel
“We are so grateful for the superb and empowering care we received from the HBS throughout our pregnancy, birth and early parenting days”. Nadia Albert
What you can do!
- Next time you meet your local member of Parliament, be sure to let them know how much your family values the Darwin Home Birth Service and the ‘one woman to one midwife’ model of care it provides (or write a letter!). This is one way we can ensure that our Government funded service continues and maybe even one day becomes and option for more women living elsewhere in the Territory and Australia.
A message from the Home Birth Midwives….
