My Scope of practice/key responsibilities:
My client base is women wanting to become pregnant, pregnant, birthing or those with infant or breastfeeding problems.
Approximately 100 women per year will contact me for consultation or care. These women contact me through telephone or email. These women are self-referred or referred by other midwives, GPs, obstetricians, and allied health workers.
I work from my office in East Bentleigh, or out in the community. I visit women at the place of their choice, which is usually their homes. Occasionally we meet in cafes or their workplace. I attend their labour and births at home, birth centres or hospital as chosen by clients or as the need arises. All my clients who are booked for a planned homebirth have a back up booking at a tertiary insitiution.
On any given day, I may see eight women or none, depending on need. I work on call six out of seven days, and I am available via phone, email and pager system.
I work with two other midwives and refer women to them if I am unavailable, via both systems. I work with women in any category of risk, providing consultation re: appropriate care model for individual circumstances.
Commonly, I provide care for women without known complications, so called low-risk. I support these women in their choice of place of birth. The women, student midwives, and colleagues who are involved in my practice have access to my library and my experience. I am available for impromptu debriefing for families and colleagues. I recognize women with higher risks and provide referral to appropriate health care professionals.
My work load at times is extremely high, and I am constantly addressing this situation to provide continuity of care to families whilst ensuring that I improve my own self care. I am now working with two other midwives to improve this service.
One of Jans Birthing mums, Chelsea, had this to say-
:
“My third home birth was a planned water birth. And, wow! An incredible experience.
Jan had a Simply Birth Pool for us to use which was very straightforward and unobtrusive to set up: just inflate, place in the liner for hygiene and fill with the fitted hose to the kitchen tap.
When I was ready to hop in during labour…..Oh my! What a haven for me and this babe coming into the world. The temperature was very easily regulated and the experience of surrender in water was tremendous. Being in the pool I felt held, contained, with cushioned edges to push into, providing firm resistance. I still experienced the connection and closeness with Jan and my supports around me.
Our beautiful Rueben came into the world with his father and young brothers beholding, they were then able to join us in the water to meet and bond with our newest family member.
A truly healing and loving experience for us all.”
In January 2011, Jan Ireland and Kelly Langford established MAMA (Midwives and Mothers Australia).
Government healthcare reforms have meant that now, for the first time ever, eligible midwives can provide Medicare rebates for antenatal and postnatal services.
MAMA aims to assist midwives to set up in private practice, so that more private midwifery services are available to women to meet the growing demand.
MAMA’s vision is that all women will have access to Medicare-rebated independent midwifery care. We support women as primary or secondary carers in any setting, working alongside hospitals and doctors in collaborative arrangements to provide woman-centred care.
MAMA midwives use simply birth pools for almost all of our clients, at some stage in their labour. Almost the only time we don’t use water for labour and birth is when the baby comes too fast! MAMA currently has seven birth pools, always in rotation from one mother to the next.
