FAQ
What does Endorsed Midwife mean?
An Endorsed Midwife is a midwife who has done their Graduate Certificate in Midwifery and registered with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA). This means the midwife can have her own Medicare Provider and Presciber numbers so can order the pathology and radiology tests and any medications required during pregnancy.
Insurance?
As part of being registered with AHPRA, all midwives in private practice are required to have professional indemnity insurance (PII). Currently there is only one insurance provider available in Australia (MIGA). As of 1 July 2025, MIGA now provide PII for homebirths.
How many people can be at the birth?
If you're planning a homebirth, you can have as many people present as you wish.
With a hospital birth, it depends on the hospital you are booked at.
We aim to have two midwives present at every birth, whether at home or hospital. Hopefully one is your chosen private midwife, and the other is a midwife we hope you have met at least once.
What does the 1st midwife and 2nd midwife do?
The first (primary) midwife is the midwife 'in charge' of the labour and birth.
It is her role to:
- document the labour and birth
- notify the Government about the birth
- to provide the details about how to notify the birth with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
- to provide details about how to apply to Services Australia for Centrelink payments and enrol baby in Medicare.
The second midwife is present to help the primary midwife with whatever is required and includes cleaning up after the birth and emptying the birth pool if one was used.
How does the Medicare rebate work?
The Medicare rebate will depend on whether you have a health care card and whether you have hit the Medicare safety net or not. It is something that is discussed at the initial consultation. At this stage, there is no Medicare rebate for a home birth.
How many antenatal/postnatal appointments do I need?
Included in the $7,500 fee is 10 antenatal and 10 postnatal visits. This is discussed at the initial consultation to ensure that the serivce you receive is tailored to your individual needs.
Can you do telehealth if I'm travelling?
Telehealth or phone calls can be provided while you are travelling. Provided that there has been an initial in person appointment first, then you can claim a Medicare rebate for this service as well.
What might not qualify me for a home birth?
It is ideal to be considered low risk to have a home birth. Low risk means that it is a single baby in the head down position at the time of labour, with labour occuring at or after 37 weeks, no significant medical conditions and no significant obseteric (pregnancy) complications. If you are unsure whether you are low risk, please ring for a chat.
What is considered high risk?
The Australian College of Midwives has National Consultation and Referral Guidelines that define risk into three categories.
They are:
A: discuss with midwifery colleague
B: consult with medical practitioner
C: refer to medical practitioner or relevant healthcare provider
Examples of high risk would include pre-existing medical conditions (like type 1 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, twins or triplets) and previous pregnancy complications (like giving birth before 37 weeks or pre-eclampsia).
What's the difference between a home birth and a free birth?
A home birth is with a midwife or doctor present. A freebirth means there is no medical person present, usually just family, friends or both.
