Issues in private practice: Midwife care—the future

Abstract

The future for private practitioner midwives depends on an understanding of why such care is not only safe for the mother and her baby, but the ideal. Continuity of caregiver has been shown to reduce the mother's need for obstetric intervention. Skilled medical attention is appropriate when and if it becomes necessary. The inappropriate use of obstetric technology carries a cost to the mother, the child, and society. Many constraints exist in Victoria to autonomous midwife practice. The challenge before us is to support one another in our vision for life.