"Not again."

I am a friend of a family who was also planning on birthing at the Kalamunda Community Midwifery Birthing Rooms early this year.

My friends chose the Community Midwifery Program so they could birth locally in the hills close to their home and also have a constant Midwife present during pregnancy, labour, birth and postnatally too that they bonded with well, but only a few weeks before my friend's due date they were informed that Armadale had stop the Community Midwives from birthing any women at the Kalamunda rooms.

This was very upsetting and disruptive to what should have been a time to relax and prepare for the birth of their child. Instead they had to change their birthing plan as they could not have a home birth (due to a small house) and the offer of birthing at Midland St Johns was not on (or an option) as their Community Midwife is not able to continue to be the midwife present in labour and birth if it occurs at St Johns. I believe this is due to hospital policy and that's another issue that needs addressing as well on another day too.  Hello this is the reason why my friends booked with the Community Midwifery Program to have that continuous care by a midwife who they had developed a trust and got to know well during the pregnancy.

St Johns is the hospital that is the 'go to' or nearest hospital to the Kalamunda Rooms and the hospital that my friends had to attend to be allowed by the doctors to be able to birth at the Kalamunda Rooms. Then I believe Armadale who have not had anything to do with or seen my friends make the decision which really stressed and upset my friends.  It was like saying - hey sorry, nah you're not birthing at Kalmunda just due to (?) policies (?) fear by people who I feel knew nothing about how the Community Midwifery program works and had been working well at Kalmunda for years. Maybe it was power or what ever the reason was.

Fortunately my friends chose to birth at the only other Birthing Centre with their Community Midwife, who they had a great trust and relationship with at KEMH (King Edward Memorial Hospital).

I was happy to hear that birthing was again happening at Kalamunda  (Yes a baby was apparently born there last week under Community Midwives), but the very next day, wham bam  - sorry birthing now stopped again, I believe by Armadale.

How would these people who are responsible for this decision again feel if it was their dream and wish to birth at Kalamunda and were informed just days or weeks prior that their wish / dream is now shattered?