Can You Be Too Risky for a Home birth?
Mainstream maternity care often tells us that most women carry too many risks for a safe home birth. But the reality? Many women who are deemed high risk go on to have beautiful, straightforward home births. They actually seek it out as the alternative is a highly medicalised process..
And yes—some don’t. Some need additional care, and some transfer during labour. That’s okay! we’re not homebirth ride-or-die show!
As trained professionals, midwives know what’s normal and what’s not. That’s exactly why most women should be supported to experience a normal labour and birth if they want to. With the covering of having a trained professional to intervene if necessary. Should we control the narative and sift out most women from even having a choice? no, is my opinion on that.
VBAC after Multiple Cesareans
Take vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) as an example. I’ve heard many researchers ask,
“Why wouldn’t you let them try for a vaginal birth each time?”
Yes, VBAC after multiple cesareans carry additional risks. But vaginal births come with plenty of positives, including faster recovery, less blood loss, lower infection rates, and improved outcomes in future pregnancies. So why not support women to try for a vaginal birth with each pregnancy if they desire?
They deserve individualised, evidence-based care, not blanket restrictions in overstretched hospital systems. too often I hear women in this camp be completely denied the option of attempting a vaginal birth. It’s not even on the table, women are often given no support if this is what they want.
“High Risk” Is the New Buzzword
The term high risk is being applied so broadly now that it’s starting to lose meaning.
But here’s the truth:
You're not in danger just because you’ve been labelled.
You’re not unwell.
You’re not broken.
You’re not a ticking time bomb.
Just like ageing increases the odds of health issues, some pregnancies comes with additional risks—but that doesn't mean you should be treated as if something has already gone wrong.
Risk Doesn’t Always Mean Unsafe
A big part of private midwifery care is risk mitigation.
Often, risks can be significantly reduced—or even neutralised—through simple, holistic approaches like:
Nutritional support
Quality midwifery care
Emotional wellbeing
Ongoing monitoring
For Example: Gestational Diabetes
If your blood sugars remain in a normal range through diet and lifestyle, your baby isn’t exposed to excess glucose. The outcomes are just as good as any low-risk pregnancy.
You may still carry the label—but are you really high risk? Not in the ways that matter most.
Another Example: Over 42 Weeks
Is this statistically higher risk for baby outcomes? Yes.
Is it dangerous by default? No.
Your chance of a healthy baby is still over 99%.
And with the right support—like daily monitoring, home visits, and clear informed decision-making—many women safely birth after 42 weeks at home.
Risk Is Nuanced, Not a Checklist
The idea that age, weight, ethnicity, or a one-size-fits-all policy can determine access to homebirth is outdated.
Policies that exclude women based on blanket criteria aren't evidence-based.
They’re impersonal, inflexible—and women are the ones who suffer.
True midwifery care looks at you, your health, your baby, and your goals—not just your risk category.
In saying this - Not every midwife will take on every woman. And that’s okay.
Each midwife has a different scope of practice, different experiences, and different levels of comfort.
If a midwife says no—it doesn’t mean you aren’t meant to birth at home.
It just means she isn’t the right one to walk with you. Keep going. Explore other care providers, ask questions, and don’t give up.
When Homebirth Might Not Be Possible
Let’s play bad cop for a moment. Some situations do make homebirth questionable—and it's important to be honest about that too. These include things like:
Preterm birth (before 37 weeks)
Pre-eclampsia or eclampsia
Placenta previa (where the placenta covers the cervix)
Certain congenital anomalies
Birth is unpredictable. Being open to alternative pathways is a smart way of planning your birth, even if your ideal is at home.
You make the Call
No matter where you choose to birth—find a care provider who listens, supports, and informs you.
Someone who respects your body and your choices, and helps you navigate risk with evidence and being ‘with women’.
Because at the end of the day, that’s what every woman deserves.
Hannah x
Low Level Laser Therapy – My Newest Discovery
Hello everybody! If you’ve been around for more than two seconds, you know I’m a bit of a can-do person. It has its positives, it has its negatives. But when I find out about something new, there’s usually a whole lot of excitement, spreading of the word, and then whatever business venture comes next.
I recently found out about Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), and honestly—once I knew, I felt like I’d been living under a rock.
From Skeptic to Super Curious
Let me start by saying: I was skeptical. I consider myself a pretty holistic, low-intervention type when it comes to health, food, and healthcare. The word laser in general doesn’t sit well with me.
But as I opened my eyes and learnt more, I started to understand the real mechanisms of laser therapy. It’s actually a form of phototherapy—similar to red and infrared light therapy, which we already know has huge health benefits.
As I continued learning, I discovered it’s used to enhance the natural function of the body. The light penetrates your skin and acts directly on the mitochondria (the powerhouse of your cells). It helps reduce inflammation and energises your cells to get on with the jobs they’re meant to do.
It All Clicked…
Funnily enough, about three months ago I read a book all about mitochondrial health. It explained how it's key to your body functioning as it was designed—and how mitochondrial dysfunction is linked to up to 80% of all illness and disease. (Check out Good Energy by Dr. Casey Means if you're curious.)
Then at a conference late last year, I heard more about sunlight, mitochondrial health, and infrared light being used to aid healing. So, when I learnt the true mechanisms of LLLT, I quickly shifted from skepticism to genuine excitement. It all just clicked—it aligned with everything else I’ve been learning about light, health, and energy.
What Is LLLT, Really?
Aside from the light stimulating natural healing at the site of use, LLLT is also an energy source—it brings more energy into the body, supporting its healing potential from the inside out.
LLLT has actually been used since the 1960s (yep—decades!) and now has thousands of studies behind it, supporting its role in healing and recovery.
How LLLT Can Support Women in Pregnancy, Birth & Postpartum
🌿 Pregnancy
Pelvic balancing to support optimal fetal positioning
Relief from common discomforts like pelvic girdle pain or carpal tunnel
Reducing inflammation and promoting tissue healing
🌀 Labour & Birth
Can be used on acupuncture points to promote labour and birth
💫 Postpartum
Speeds up wound healing after perineal trauma or cesarean birth
Reduces inflammation and supports recovery from mastitis
Aids in pelvic floor repair and nerve regeneration
Offers relief from haemorrhoids
That’s it for now—watch this space. My excitement around this therapy is still evolving as I continue to learn and explore. In the meantime, maybe it’s something worth trying?
Hannah x
A Day in the Life ~ A Personal Piece
A day in the life.
Well, it’s been 5 months since I launched my Soul Midwifery business—finally stepping away from the hospital space and living my dream of working privately. I can hardly believe it’s true, as I was desperate to work in this way for so long!
The Reality Behind the Dream
As you can expect, I was a little naïve to some of the harder parts of the job. It all just looked wonderful from afar. As I continue to navigate this space, some things I’ve found challenging at times are the relationships—establishing yourself amongst your community, other services and navigating your support people… and your not-so-support people. I’ve really learnt to ‘find my tribe’ and be true to myself.
For so long in my work life as a midwife, I’ve had to suppress and adapt to serve the policies and not the women, and as I’ve moved into this space, I’m still learning to be fully true to myself. Not allowing others to hold me hostage—and absolutely—it’s been about gathering a support team around me to cheer me on.
The Midwife Gap
Midwives in this space are hard to come by. Would you believe that it’s extremely difficult to find midwives eager to work in the homebirth space? Cue barrier #2. After years building relationships, I thought I had a big pool of fellow midwives to run this race with me. But as the time came and the commitment was needed, the stress kicked in.
So many midwives were too fearful to work independently or didn’t feel safe at a homebirth. Other midwives were fully supportive but weren’t in the life space to work with me. This felt huge in the first 3 months of practice. I couldn’t believe after all this time this could be the thing that holds me back.
But alas, with some reassurance, patience, and continuing to show up and be with community, the support came. And now I feel completely well supported by some beautiful and experienced midwives. Despite this space generally lacking for regional midwives, I know now that I have my people. And I hope more join—just for the simple fact that working in this way is truly life-giving. Women-centered, joy-oozing, and a physiological haven of what is homebirth midwifery.
Behind the Scenes of Private Practice
A few other learning curves include creating and automating life as a private practitioner, building contracts, invoicing, paying second midwives, etc. Starting out can be totally overwhelming. I was fortunate to have enrolled in Mel Jackson’s mentorship as well as joining The Midwives’ Midwife (Jaimee).
Although starting out isn’t the best time to be spending thousands on mentorship, I just knew I needed it. With limited local support at the time, having these discussions and catchups were ground-breaking for my startup. Despite feeling very small, sometimes judged, I’d then jump on these pages with other PPMs around Australia all with overwhelming support. Great discussions on normal birth, navigating difficult systems, and all of the above! I truly felt on fire after every session.
And now I feel a million times more confident with all things ‘business life’. With a template for everything, I felt confident I was on the right track.
Reflections: Is It What I Expected?
A day in the life ~ is it what I expected? Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. There are hard moments, isolated moments—but the moments with women, of truly individualised, evidence-based care, in the comfort of their home—is so satisfying.
It’s harder work personally, but a million times more rewarding professionally. I wouldn’t change it for the world. But I’ll also always be honest and upfront about the struggles.
Hannah x