The Village Aunt

07/07/2025

This is so important to understand about materity care

08/04/2025

Oh look, it’s finally happening

Stories of manipulation, exploitation, cult-like tactics and really bad advice given by Free Birth Society. Click to read Exposing Free Birth Society, a Substack publication.

23/03/2025

20/02/2025

18/02/2025

In October 2024, WA had 220 reported cases of whooping cough - the highest rate since 2015. Vaccinations rates are decreasing in the community for many complex reasons. Eating well, having exposure to many foreign environments, keeping kids at home, homeopathy or distrusting institutions won’t prevent whooping cough. Chances of getting it are low, but those chances increase without a vaccine. It’s not fun 🙁

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1B37XRpP1G/?mibextid=wwXIfr

07/01/2025

👏👏👏 Hermine Hayes-Klein in the US - you’re welcome.

Join HeHe as she delves into an important conversation with lawyer Hermine Hayes-Klein on the legal challenges and solutions surrounding informed consent and...

01/01/2025

Congratulations to this little family!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GFaJVpax2/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Bentley’s first baby – it’s a boy! 🎉🎉🎉

What a fitting way to see out 2024, with the first baby at East Metropolitan Health Service's new Midwifery-led Birthing Centre at Bentley Hospital!

Rafay Salman was born at 11:28am on December 29th to proud parents Mahwish and Salman, of Cannington.

Mum Mahwish chose the Bentley Midwifery Birth Centre because she was looking for a model of maternity care that provides options and choice.

“I didn’t want interventions which are bound to happen in the hospital, and a home birth was not an option for us right now.”
“I had a wonderful experience, everyone was kind and forthcoming and they have been so excited for us – it’s so sweet”

Equally proud are the midwives who have been eagerly awaiting the first arrival at the new facility – the first of its kind in Western Australia.

Endorsed Midwife Elizabeth Hull (pictured) was at the birth.

“We are very proud to offer women this gold standard model of care. I feel privileged to have been a part of Mahwish’s pregnancy and birth experience.”

Congratulations to everyone involved! 🎉🎉🎉

30/12/2024

We have baby carrier library meetings here in WA if you want to learn how to carry and breastfeed safely. You can also borrow an approved carrier. Visit 👉 https://www.babywearerswa.com.au/find-your-local-babywearing-group

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15YtPVjXhj/?mibextid=wwXIfr

If anyone has any questions about feeding safely in a sling after the awful news today, there is an article that has been on my website for years. I’ll put it in the comments.

The key thing is that it is not hands free and baby’s airway must always and at all times be unobstructed. Folks local to me have had this information from us at 4T or at library sessions or at consults, just as they would from other local libraries: this link might be useful if you have any questions coming your way if you have a sling and a baby who loves it.

Sling libraries are such a valuable source of information and helpful guidance and do wonderful work supporting parents and their babies at an overwhelming and challenging period in their lives. Please direct any new parents you know towards them so they receive appropriate safety information from people with experience and knowledge who know how to help and are committed to ensuring the best outcomes.

I’m also grateful that there are many NHS trusts working on getting their staff more educated and signposting to local resources, I’ve been pleased to train/be training many.

My heart goes out to the grieving family.

14/12/2024

It doesn’t take long for extreme authoritarianism to find momentum once it gets going and this is the sort of bu****it authoritarians do. Watch your back, USA.

Taliban authorities have banned Afghan women from studying midwifery—a devastating blow to maternal and newborn health in the country.
ICM condemns this action and calls for urgent advocacy to protect Afghan women’s rights to education and healthcare.
Read our statement: https://zurl.co/zqcuI

12/12/2024

First study of TWIN homebirth published!

Background Research on community (home or birth center) twin birth is scarce. This study evaluates outcomes of twin pregnancies entering care with a single community practitioner. Methods This is a retrospective observational cohort study of 100 consecutive twin pregnancies planning community births...

05/12/2024

🙌🙌🙌

01/11/2024

🙌🙌
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19Kr9bi6io/?mibextid=ox5AE

The recent announcement by has been an exciting development in the homebirth space in Australia. Previously, Women required a referral from a GP to a private midwife to be able to access a rebate from Medicare for their antenatal and post natal care. This rebate enables homebirth to be more accessible. The problem with this barrier is that it can be extremely difficult to find a GP who will provide this referral as many let their own bias enter without considering the evidence around the safety of birthing at home. Some women have to shop around for a GP or travel to get one. This is costly and a violation of our right to bodily autonomy. Advocacy has been conducted for years asking for this barrier to be eliminated because you know, midwives are AHPRA registered professionals and highly trained birth expects. From today, women can access the rebate without a GP referral by self electing a midwife of choice. This is great news. However, it is Important to note that the actual birth is still not covered by the Medicare rebate so families are out of pocket of up to $3000 for the actual birth. Thank you to all involved in this win. This is a step forward. As a consumer, next I’d like to see the birth fee being subsidized.