Home birth

I'm your host, Dr. Melanie Jackson.

Today, I've invited Caitlin, who is the coordinator of Home Birth Australia, because we're going to talk about a interesting political topic that is really current and relevant here in Australia for our home birth context.

However, I do think if you're listening from overseas, there is a lot to learn from this conversation about how to enact change and advocate for change in all areas of maternity care.

Caitlin and her wider community of consumers are expertly navigating political issues that we as midwives really can't move the needle on all on our own.

If you are in Australia there's some big announcement that we need to share with you on this podcast and I might introduce Caitlin first before we make this big announcement.

um Caitlin a little bit of an introduction for our listeners.

I am as you mentioned the coordinator of Home Birth Australia but I've also been president of Home Birth New South Wales for a number of years whereas I'm sort of new to Home Birth Australia as of the start of this year and yeah I work in that advocacy space trying to make change happen.

Well, I call myself a home birth mother.

I knew that when we started a family, I was like, I have seen so many births in so many different settings and what that looks like, especially here in Houston, which is the largest medical center in the world.

I knew that I wanted to have a home birth if I qualified being low risk and healthy and having a healthy pregnancy.

And luckily I was.

And so I found, oh, I knew I was like, so you're my midwife.

She writes for Broad and Liberty at broadandliberty.com. And I'll put a link to the show notes.

The title of the thing is Midwives Doctors Discuss Home Births, October 5th, 2026.

A recent study of 17,000 mothers found that planned home births for low-risk women in the U.S. result in fewer interventions and no additional adverse outcomes for the mothers of their babies or their babies.

But sometimes more medical care is needed, and the mother must be rushed to a hospital.

That safe passage for mothers opting to have a midwife-assisted home birth was the center of a Pennsylvania maternal health care summit in Terra Hill, Pennsylvania, on September 26, sponsored by the nonprofit Keystone Birth Collaborative.

Welcome to the Pain-Free Birth Podcast, friends.

Today I'm interviewing Katie Caceres, who is a stay-at-home mom in Virginia, who her first birth was a home birth to hospital transfer that ended in a cesarean.

But her second birth was a pain-free, five-hour, supernatural home birth of her dreams.

And she is sharing with us that story today.

Katie, welcome to the show.

I am a

birth junkie.

Now, you wanted to have a home birth, you said, your whole life.

Once they were pregnant, though, even through the midst of miscarriage, He would still reassure them that everything was in His control, and there was comfort in that.

Being led initially by poor experiences in the medical field, they would choose to have a home birth for their first delivery.

And due to some poor experiences with even home birth midwives, they were then led to have a free birth for their second.

And God would be with them every step of the way.

Welcome to another episode of Surrendered Birth Stories.

And we came back.

And the next month we were like, OK.

And I told him during this time, God put it in my heart to have a home birth.

We're all gathered to talk about something happening in Australian maternity care that we believe deserves far more attention than it's currently receiving.

Changes to professional indemnity insurance requirements are raising serious concerns about the future accessibility of privately supported home birth in Australia with new requirements due to take effect on the 1st of January, 2027.

And while home birth might not be something everyone would personally choose, this conversation raises a much bigger question about women's autonomy, informed choice and what it actually means to have options when it comes to giving births.

Joining us today are my fellow Australian Be Back Stories co-hosts, Caitlin Comerford, who is the coordinator of Home Birth Australia, president of Home Birth New South Wales, and an experienced doula and birth advocate.

And we also have Georgia Slee, a birth and postpartum doula supporting families across Western Sydney, the Hawkesbury and Hills District, who's passionate about informed choice and empowering women through pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

So Caitlin, before we get into the insurance issue, can you explain how privately supported home birth actually works in Australia?

Yes.

So when women decide they want to give birth at home, they engage a privately practicing midwife.

She had read the research, she knew the risks, and she got a virtual doula to stand by her to help her along the way.

And although on the day it was touch and go as to whether the home birth would happen, I'm so pleased to say that she got her home birth and her VBAC.

I was just so pleased for Holly that eight years later, she got exactly what she wanted, even though she'd had a tough time first time around.

And I know so many mums will seek hope in this.

We weren't going to be induced or have a section if they stayed below that level.

So I didn't feel the need to get tested early on for it.

When I got to 41 weeks, I had to go see the consultant again because I booked a home birth for this.

Going past 41 weeks again, it puts you out of medical guidance.