Thank you, Kim.
I think there's enormous benefit to the continuity-of-care model that midwives have as well as to our fee structure. The continuity means that we're working in small groups. Care is provided by anywhere from one to four midwives in most cases, although there are some very innovative group and collaborative practices. This means we really have a chance to build the relationship and build trust with our clients. The person you meet antenatally is the person who will be present at your birth. There are no strangers. That's very important to people, particularly when we are providing trauma-informed care.
I can think of examples. I care for many Muslim birthers in my community. It's very important to them that there be no men involved in their care, and in a home birth situation, we can control the environment and ensure that they are receiving care from an all-female team, for example, if that's important to them.
In the case of queer families, I've provided home birth for queer families in which one of the parents is transgender and is very concerned about the discrimination they might face during a birth in the hospital. A home birth has been a way to provide them with safe and respectful care in which the correct pronouns are used and the family can really celebrate the birth without having to defend their human rights.