We are a community group advocating for empowered birth.
About Us: Better Births Illawarra
Welcome to Better Births Illawarra, we are a passionate volunteer advocacy group dedicated to fight for every woman and birthing parent to access an empowered birth through respectful maternity care and freedom of choice.
We are volunteers with a diverse range of birthing experiences, skills, passions and cultural backgrounds.
We advocate for the care that a mother receives to be respectful, trauma-informed and culturally safe.
We have worked for 8 years to demand that every mother and birthing parent, regardless of risk profile, to have access to a known midwife to provide continuous care throughout pregnancy, birth and postpartum.
Our focus is the Illawarra Shoalhaven and extends across NSW to influence legislative, policy and practice change.
Our Mission and Vision
At Better Births Illawarra, we believe that every woman should be at the center of her pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey, for their rights to be respected, their decisions to be supported. Our volunteer-driven team is committed to transforming this vision into reality through strategic, community-led actions across NSW.
Our Grassroots Beginnings
Our journey began seven years ago when we got together in Dharawal Country/Wollongong, a group of mothers, feeding our babies and talking about our birth experiences. What became clear was those of us who were supported by a midwife we knew and trusted had better birth experiences. We felt mentally, physically and psychologically healthier. Our family dynamics were better. We were more connected and happier. Those of use that went through standard fragmented care didn’t receive the same quality of care, we felt less in control, less respected and less positive. Fastforward to 2024, we continue to dedicate our time to ensuring every woman and their family access empowered birth trhough respectful maternity care, freedom of choice and strong support around them.
Identifying the Gap
From our own experiences, we recognised a significant gap in maternity care for local women and were determined to address it. We could not accept that some women were left with disappointing and sometimes traumatic birth experiences simply because they couldn't access the Midwifery Group Practice. Additionally, we discovered that families were either not told about or given accurate information about planned homebirths with private practicing registered midwives.
Our Collaborative Approach
We collaborate constructively with the Illawarra and Shoalhaven Local Health District and the Minister of Health and NSW Health to amplify the voices of parents to achieve the best outcomes for mothers, fathers and partners and babies born. We work in alliances with other consumer organisations, academics, midwives and other allied health professionals. We are part of the Maternity Consumer Alliance and advocate at local, state and federal levels.
Our Initiatives
In addition to advocating for increased access and funding oc continuity of midwifery carer models, we actively work to reduce preventable birth trauma, enhance hospital birth facilities, expand access to publily unded homebirths, reduce unnecessary interventions, and provide education and support networks for community.
Join us in our mission to ensure that every birth in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven is a better birth. Together, we can create a brighter future for mothers, babies, and families in our region.
Our primary aim: continuity of Midwifery carer models for all families.
International research has recognised that a midwifery-led continuity of care model is the most cost-effective and safest model of care; delivering the best outcomes for mothers and babies compared to any other model of care. The MGP in Wollongong gives women this model of care – where a known midwife provides care throughout pregnancy, birth and beyond.
7 OUT OF 10 MISS OUT
Our initial research found that although every year 2,800 people give birth at Wollongong Hospital, only 10% of those are given access to the Midwifery Group Practice (MGP).
We want more local birthing parents to have access to the MGP when birthing at Wollongong and Shoalhaven, to improve outcomes for mothers and babies. Midwifery care is not only proven to be the gold standard, it is also more cost-effective for NSW Health.
“In 2016, a Better Births Illawarra survey of more than 200 local parents gathered anecdotal evidence and feedback on experiences accessing maternity services, where over 96% reported very positive experiences of the Midwifery Group Practice.
The recent Inquiry into Birth Trauma that commenced in March 2023, heard from a range of people including mothers, midwives, GPs, academics, psychologists, social workers and more who consistently recommended continutiy of midwifery carer models as a the prevention to birth trauma.
RESEARCH SHOWS MIDWIFERY-LED CARE LEADS TO:
Greater birth satisfaction for women
Safer birth outcomes for babies
High level of job satisfaction for midwives
Better breastfeeding outcomes
Reduced likelihood of birth interventions such as the use of narcotic pain relief, epidural, episiotomy, inductions and caesarean sections. We believe all mothers and parents should have access to respectful support and evidence-based care.
what is midwifery-led continuity of care?
Care from a known midwife is often referred to as midwifery continuity of care. Women who have the same midwife caring for them throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and post birth have the opportunity to build a trusting relationship which increases their confidence.
SOURCE: Australian College of Midwives
BBI are committed to standing with our community so they can access the gold standard care.