"Lack of birthing options"

I had my first baby at Monash Medical Centre, in the public system in Victoria you are zoned to a hospital, I believe there is no choice. Monash Medical Centre has no continuity of care midwifery available (public antenatal clinic and whatever midwife on shift when you give birth), no birth centre and water birth is limited with one bath to service 10 (now 12) birth suites.

I felt the midwives didn't support me to use the bath even though I believe it was available and I was low-risk pregnancy/labour. I felt that physiological birth was not well supported. In my opinion, they wanted to have control, ignored my requests and my partner when they tried to advocate for me.

I had an unnecessary episiotomy because my baby was not born within what I believe to be "the timeframe based on hospital policy". I felt they coerced me into it by telling me I would tear badly. They had me on the bed in stirrups even though I had no epidural and could move around. After the baby was born two midwives were arguing about whether or not the baby was in distress (I felt the more senior midwife wanted justification for the episiotomy they performed). Baby had apgars of 9 and was healthy, a CTG was very loosely placed on my stomach for 8 minutes, surely not enough time to know if the baby was in distress. The 3rd stage was very aggressive, the massage more painful than labour, I needed gas for it!

They clamped the cord while ignoring my spouse shouting at them to stop because we wanted delayed cord clamping. I also had a post-partum haemorrhage and nobody noticed I was losing blood until I got up to shower and there was a shift change between the birth and showering. I felt disempowered, disappointed and a number rather than a person. I feel angry at the system not providing women-centred care, rather than any individual staff member. I feel that having access to a midwife I knew for my birth would have made the experience much more positive. 

For my second (recent) birth I planned to have a hospital birth under the care of a private midwife so that I could have the continuity and support the hospital couldn't provide. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the hospital only allowed one support person. Private midwives don't have admitting rights and not considered part of the birth team, I would have had to choose between my midwife and spouse (impossible choice). I ended up choosing a home birth, which was wonderful. A water birth as well during the 'water birth ban' imposed in hospitals due to covid-19 (yet another birth option completely taken away). While I'm very happy with the outcome, I chose home birth because there was no alternative. A home birth with a private midwife is not an option for many due to high cost, lack of available midwives or if there are risks/complications that require hospital (in which case I feel a woman should be able to have her private midwife provide her care in hospital).