Two decades of Birth Centre and midwifery-led care in South Australia, 1998–2016

Journal article


Adelson, Pamela, Fleet, Julie-Anne, McKellar, Lois and Eckert, Marion. (2021). Two decades of Birth Centre and midwifery-led care in South Australia, 1998–2016. Women and Birth. 34(1), pp. 84-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2020.05.005
AuthorsAdelson, Pamela, Fleet, Julie-Anne, McKellar, Lois and Eckert, Marion
Abstract

Background
Birth Centres (BC) are underpinned by a philosophy of woman- centred care and were pivotal in growing models of midwifery-led care in South Australia (SA).

Aim
To describe BC utilisation and the growth of midwifery-led care in SA over the past two decades.

Methods
The SA Perinatal Statistics Collection was used to describe women birthing from 1998 to 2016. Number of births through midwifery-led services from 2004 to 2016 were obtained from unit managers. Analyses are descriptive.

Findings
Women who birthed in BC in SA from 1998 to 2016 comprised approximately 6% of all births per year, and numbers have remained static. Three BC models operate in SA, all with different capacity. Proportionally, women not born in Australia are as likely to birth in BC as labour wards. The proportion of women who received midwifery-led care (whether affiliated with a BC or not), increased from 8.3% in 1998 to 19.2% of all births in 2016. Of the women who received midwifery-led care in 2016, 15.3% went on to birth in a midwifery-led model of care.

Conclusion
Whilst the overall number of BC births has not increased, women seeking midwifery-led care has more than doubled over the past two decades. BC encompass the midwifery philosophy, quality of care, and a physical home-like environment. The BC models in SA are managed through the three tertiary maternity units enabling women to access publicly funded midwifery care and should be more widely available.

KeywordsBirth Centres; midwifery-led care; Australia; antenatal care ; perinatal care
Year01 Jan 2021
JournalWomen and Birth
Journal citation34 (1), pp. 84-91
PublisherElsevier Australia
ISSN1871-5192
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2020.05.005
Web address (URL)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1871519220302444?via%3Dihub#abs0005
Open accessPublished as non-open access
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range84-91
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online06 Jun 2020
Publication process dates
Accepted18 May 2020
Deposited08 Aug 2024
Additional information

© 2020 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Place of publicationNetherlands
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