The death of a baby during a home birth in Queensland attended by two doulas has increased calls for the government to crack down on the controversial practice.
Paramedics attending the Toowoomba home found a shocking scene on Wednesday, where the baby reportedly went into cardiac arrest and died.
Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman is working closely with the coroner, who will advise her on recommendations for what is known as free birth.
“I’m very concerned that women are choosing to do this,” Ms Fentiman told reporters in Townsville on Friday. ‘This was a free birth, meaning that a woman decided to give birth at home without any medical control.
“Doulas are not registered health professionals, they cannot perform any clinical or medical services.”
A doula is a non-medical “companion” who supports a pregnant woman before, during and after childbirth.
The death of a baby during a home birth in Queensland attended by two doulas has increased calls for the government to crack down on the controversial practice (file image)
The coroner is already investigating a similar case, as obstetricians call for a review of “the death, disability and harm associated with women having babies without properly trained professional care”.
The Health Minister said her message to women is: ‘I know you want to choose where to give birth, but it has to be safe. So hire the services of a doctor.
“If women decide to have their baby at home right now, it is necessary to hire the services of a private midwife or obstetrician.”
Fentiman said about 0.6 per cent of births occur at home in Queensland and very few of those are free births.
She said because women want to choose, the state is about to trial a publicly funded home birth program from July 1 on the Sunshine Coast.
It will be offered to women who meet clinical criteria and live a safe distance from Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
“If it’s successful and safe, we hope to roll it out statewide,” he said.
The doula industry is unregulated and some professionals charge up to $3,000 per birth.
Fentiman said it is important for pregnant women to understand that under Australian law, doulas are not registered health professionals.
‘Home birth is very different from free birth. A home birth program is where you have medical professionals at home, with women who have received wonderful midwifery care during their pregnancy.
“The decision to give birth freely is what distresses me the most, and that is that a woman will choose to give birth without any medical help at home, so they are two very different things.”
Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman (pictured) is working closely with the coroner, who will advise her on recommendations on what is known as freebirthing.
She added: “Safety has to be the priority and I want all Queensland women to understand that hiring a doula is absolutely their choice, but that the doula is there to support the mother, but not to provide medical or clinical care.”
Gino Pecoraro, president of the National Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Specialists, has called for a review of free birth.
‘There must be an appropriate legislative and judicial response. The time to act is now, before anyone else is harmed,” he told Mail.
