"Lack of continuity of midwifery care and no option of waterbirth"

I am currently pregnant with my second child and am due later in the year. I am a public patient and my catchment hospital is Joondalup Health Campus in Perth, WA. I am really unhappy about the different levels of care and options available to women depending on which hospital you fall into catchment for. I believe it is wrong that not all women have the same opportunities when it comes to their birth and that they shouldn't be discriminated against solely due to their geographical location. I find it really disappointing that when there is so much research out there to support the continuity model of women-centred, midwifery-led care, that it seems that is not available as standard practice in all hospitals, and specifically Joondalup Health Campus.

Likewise, I find it incredibly upsetting that when the benefits of water births, both to the mother and baby, are widely acknowledged and documented that again this is not something offered at Joondalup Health Campus. What makes it even harder for me is that for my first baby I experienced great continuity of midwifery care and also had a water birth so I know what I am potentially missing out on! I find it really frustrating and distressing that just because I now live in a different location both of those things are unavailable to me. I think that in this day and age with all of the research available, offering water births to expectant mothers should be standard practice. If a hospital doesn't have the facilities then they should be investing in them and in the interim offering inflatable birthing pools or facilitating a mother who wants a water birth to birth at a different hospital with these facilities. Having a baby is an emotional time and having the added stress of not even having the option of the type of care or type of birth you would like is completely unacceptable.