🌀This is a small snippet of the amazing folk that brought their wisdom to the 32nd Home Birth Conference in Sydney, Australia. I got to sit with some of these people and find out what messages they brought to the conference, what they were seeking, their thoughts on the state of the maternity system in Australia, their feelings around men at birth, how they feel we can best support homebirth in Australia and, most importantly, what they planned to bring back to their community.
As a student midwife I often feel unsure about my journey; the clouds of doubt often surface as I question the integrity of the system and my place in it. The many women I have come across at the conference and during the podcast series have been working so strongly to advocate for women, birth and human rights, and yet injustice is still happening. Many stories of this injustice have not been told, and many still are silenced while business as usual carries on.
After this conference I feel myself again asking: What is our call to action? What would it look like if all of these amazing midwives, who are currently struggling within the system, stepped away from the repression, over regulation and intimidation of their integrity? Do they have to be brave to do this? Is it better to play the game? Or is playing the game further adhering to the ‘dutiful girl’ role?
I don’t know the answers, all I know is that I have these questions. A part of my role in this lifetime is to be a messenger and I feel that this is born from a history of women being persecuted and denied education. I have an impulse for change, cracking open the shell and releasing the old, and bringing in group awareness. I see this as larger than myself, and my deep quest for truth and meaning seeks a new awakening; a new way of doing things for humanity.
I applaud the conference for getting these people together, and yet I wonder: What is our call to action? What can we do to support each other rather than expending our energy on continually adhering to the absolutely ludicrous restrictions placed on midwives.
What would a system look like if it had noone to regulate?

Musings from the Conference
“The vision for me is that home birth is normal, most accessible and accepted way to birth.” (Amanda Trieger, Naturopath and Doula) 
“All women should have a safe space to come together.” (Amanda Trieger, Naturopath and Doula)
“Women need to return home to the earth to birth.” (Natalie Rose, Student Midwife)   
“As a student midwife I am a little afraid that being registered would limit my ability to work in authenticity.” (Natalie Rose, Student Midwife) 
“If we can drop down from our minds into our bodies, we realise we are not seperate from each other.” (Natalie, Student Midwife) 
“We use risk so often, perhaps we should look at the needs of women.” (Beth Sandstrom, Midwife)
“Women having a more empowered position in society would be a good start.” (Ella Kurz, Midwife) 
“I come with the knowledge that the women taught me about birthing.” (Maggie Banks, Midwife)
“We have the opportunity in NZ for midwives to behave the way they need to behave to support women.” (Maggie Banks, Midwife)
“If a male obstetrician has a great interest in a birthing woman, then the best thing he can do is get her connected to other women.” (Maggie Banks, Midwife)
“Midwives are an immensely powerful group, they could say no collectively and bring immense change, yet this is about courage and support.” (Maggie Banks, Midwife)
“We need to get women and doulas to recognise the emotional manipulation that can happen. In some circumstances, women end up saying yes to something that they would never have wanted because they are put in a position as though the...