Home or hospital? It’s often one of the first things families think about in pregnancy. But where you give birth is only part of the picture. The bigger question is who will be with you.
At MAMA Midwifery, a private midwifery practice in Melbourne, the answer is the same wherever you give birth: your own midwife, who knows you and your story, with a whole team behind her. Someone you’ve spent unhurried hours with, who knows what matters to you and your family.
Here's what birth support with MAMA looks like in hospital and at home.
In this post:
Birth support in hospital
Birth support at home
Postnatal care in both settings
FAQs
Hospital birth support with your own midwife
Many MAMA families plan a hospital birth, and we love being part of it. Our midwives can support you at any public or private hospital in Victoria. Your hospital team, or your private obstetrician, remains your primary carer. Your MAMA midwife adds to that care, as the familiar face from early pregnancy to the weeks after your baby arrives, supporting you to feel safe, heard and respected.
During pregnancy, you’ll see your hospital team for some appointments, and your MAMA midwife in our clinic for unlimited, unhurried appointments. We have antenatal shared care arrangements with Joan Kirner Women's and Children's Hospital, the Royal Women's Hospital, Monash Medical Centre, Mercy Hospital for Women and Frankston Hospital. If your hospital isn't listed, you can still book MAMA visits.
Before the birth, your midwife will help write a birth plan that reflects what matters to you. And if plans change, she stays with you, helping you understand your options to make the choices that best support you.
When labour starts, you don’t have to sit at home timing contractions and wondering whether it’s time to go. Your midwife can come to you, help you settle into early labour support and help you decide when to head to hospital. She’ll come to hospital with you as your support midwife, explaining what’s happening so you’re heard in every decision.
Home birth support with your own midwife
For many families, there's something about being in your own space, whether that’s a water birth in a birth pool, your own bed, or the floor, surrounded by the people you love. A MAMA home birth is midwife-led, which is different from free birth (birthing without a midwife).
During pregnancy, you’ll have unlimited, unhurried appointments in our clinic with your primary midwife. You’ll also get to know a few other midwives in our team, one of whom will be the second midwife at your birth. We talk honestly about what home birth involves, including the reasons you might need to transfer, and agree on a clear transfer path together.
You’ll have 24/7 phone access to a midwife from our team for advice whenever you need it, whether that’s a question at 2am or working out whether early labour has really begun. When labour starts, we’ll talk you through what’s happening and help you decide when it’s time for us to come. Your midwife will then come to you, check on you and your baby, help you settle into labour and keep your space calm.
For the birth, a second midwife from our team joins your primary midwife, so you’ll be cared for by familiar faces. They bring equipment for home birth and first-line emergency care. Some births don’t go exactly as expected. If you or your baby need hospital care, transfer is a calm, shared decision, and your primary midwife comes with you. For many families who plan a home birth, birth unfolds at home as they hoped. Once your baby arrives, your midwives stay for several hours, usually until you’re tucked up in bed and ready to sleep.
What does the evidence say? A 2019 review of about 500,000 planned home births found no difference in perinatal or neonatal mortality compared with planned hospital birth for women with low-risk pregnancies (Hutton et al., 2019). Throughout your pregnancy, labour and birth, your midwife keeps a close eye on how you and your baby are doing, and will be open and honest with you if hospital becomes the safer place for your care.
Postnatal care: after your baby arrives
Home or hospital, the first weeks with a newborn can feel like a beautiful blur. MAMA care doesn't stop at the birth. Your midwife visits you four times at home in the early postnatal period, helping with feeding, checking on your recovery and talking through whatever's on your mind. Unlimited postnatal clinic appointments follow for up to six weeks. You'll also have a birth debrief with an experienced counsellor, a space to talk through your birth and how you feel about it. Our clinic becomes a familiar place too: somewhere to bring your baby out of the house, see faces you know and meet other new parents nearby.
Wherever you birth: your own midwife, with a whole team behind her
This is what continuity of care means at MAMA: Having your own midwife doesn't mean relying on one person. You'll meet our backup midwives along the way, so if your midwife needs rest or is at another birth, you're likely to already know who's coming. In 2025, our primary midwives attended 90% of their clients' births, and our team brings more than 150 years of combined midwifery experience. We look after your partner too, giving them the information and reassurance they need to support you.
Questions families ask:
Do I have to have a home birth to have a MAMA Midwife?
Not at all. With MAMA, you can birth at home or in hospital and keep the same known midwife throughout.
What does private midwifery care cost?
MAMA birth packages include unlimited antenatal and postnatal care with your own midwife, from pregnancy through birth and up to six weeks after, so you can have as much support as you’d like. Packages range from $6,500 to $10,300. The easiest way to understand what’s included and what it would cost for you is to talk it through with our team.
When should I book in with a MAMA Midwife?
As early in pregnancy as you can, so you have the most time to get to know your midwife. You can book a Discovery Appointment with a MAMA Midwife to get started.
Your own midwife, whatever unfolds
Whether you feel most at home in your own space or most comfortable in hospital, you deserve to feel known, safe and cared for. Choosing MAMA means having someone beside you who knows you and your family, wherever you give birth.
Still deciding? That's completely okay. You don't need to have it all worked out before you talk to us. Helping you understand your options is where our care begins.