Midwife and Mother of 1 child

Hi, My name is Nicola Dutton and I have been passionate about Midwifery and being ‘with woman’ since the age of 10. 

My lifelong journey began in Wales UK, when my mother was pregnant with her fourth child. I was totally involved in the pregnancy and couldn’t wait for my mum to birth her baby. She showed how normal and family orientated the process was. Fit and well, the pregnancy developed and I was woken to time her contractions whilst she sat on the loo. I was full of quiet excitement and anticipation of the impending birth where I was to help support my Mum. Unfortunately, the Community Midwife who arrived at our house was unknown to us and quickly announced that children did not attend births and I could not go as my Mum was carted off to hospital by ambulance 30 miles away. It turned out that my little sister was born by caesarean section – footling breech. How I wish I’d been her Midwife. She says that there wasn’t any support at the hospital to birth her baby and being away from her family, she discharged herself after 2 days. Once home my sister, my baby was immersed into family life, cherished and loved by us all.

Jumping 8 years, I knew that those early impressions of being ‘with woman’ and pregnancy and birth being a normal life event meant that I should follow my heart and intuition and I enrolled in a Bsc of Nursing degree at Monash University, Frankston with the aim of pursuing my midwifery after completion.

In the last year of nursing training, I was pregnant. I knew that hospitals were full of sick people and I never felt healthier so I choose a birth centre in Melbourne that would support my choices to birth, as I knew my body could birth without unnecessary aid or intervention. The birth of my daughter Naomi was life altering, affirming my beliefs that pregnancy, labour and birth was a normal life event. The support and encouragement of the midwives was invaluable. I’ll never forget them! The sense of satisfaction I felt, ‘I did it!’ was awesome and no one can take that achievement away.

So, after 3 years of Nursing and Mothering, I travelled back to the UK to embark on my lifelong dream and commenced my Midwifery degree at Thames Valley University, Ealing. I learnt all about the Challenges of Childbirth, Continuity, Choice and Control and how the medical domination of Childbirth had reduced this very normal life event to ‘Accidents waiting to happen’ and ‘only normal in hindsight’. The option of homebirth and continuity of midwife care were available but not common. However, I did attend a planned homebirth and arrived after the baby was born in the middle of the night, in the midst of quiet and calm, candles lighting up the birthing space with the proud father catching the baby with no fuss or commotion. The Midwife ‘helped’ the placenta out and I immersed myself in the beautiful atmosphere that I’d been invited to share. I truly felt honoured to be there and it was such a contrast to the cold, clinical environment of the ‘birthing suite’ at the hospital, where intervention was commonplace, I was home.

I completed the Midwifery course in 1998 and couldn’t wait to get back to Australia to practice what I’d learnt, only to find options in Childbirth were even less than in England and that Obstetrics dominated. Fortunately, seek and you will find. The hard to find options of Midwifery models of care and homebirth were available.

I worked in the Know your Midwife Programme at Boxhill hospital from 2000 to 2008 offering continuity of carer in the hospital setting. During this time, I was also fortunate to attend many planned births at home. These paths led me to move fully in to private practice in 2005 as a director in the first private midwifery group practice in Melbourne – Midwives Naturally. During the last 10 years I have grown even more passionate about being ‘with woman’ wherever they choose to birth their babies. These opportunities have also enabled me to work with women in partnership, throughout the childbirth continuum. 

I provide women and their families with informed choices, based on up to date evidence and Midwifery knowledge, attending regular conferences, seminars and workshops that support the normal birthing process. I’m inspired by the birthing woman’s ability to birth their own babies, their strength and determination to achieve a satisfying birth experience, without intervention, which enhances their breast-feeding and parenting experience.

I have since completed the eligibility criteria & prescribing course requirements that allow me to offer Medicare rebates for pregnancy and post birth care. Special interests include acupressure, waterbirth, homeopathy and ensuring that women have access to all holistic modalities to optimise their birth outcomes. 

I am also a strong advocate for human rights in childbirth & building a legacy for Naomi and all women to have a choice of where they birth and with whom they birth with. I am also strongly committed to developing our midwifery profession as a Victorian committee member of the Australian College of Midwives.

2015 brings an end of an era as Midwives Naturally Group Practice closes its practice. However, with any endings there is opportunity for new beginnings and I look forward to continuing to offer women and their families alongside Clare Lane in our newly formed partnership.