About

Meet Mel

Dr Melanie Jackson (AKA Melanie The Midwife) loves to help midwives and women around the world better understand and apply the research relating to matrescence (the process of becoming a mother). She does this as the host of The Great Birth Rebellion Podcast, supporting and mentoring midwives, as well as educating mothers.

Melanie has a PhD in Midwifery - Birth Outside the System: Wanting the Best and Safest. She has various publications in academic journals and is on the editorial board for The International Journal of Birth and Parent Education. Mel has worked in multiple research roles and lectured at Western Sydney University.

Since 2009, Mel has been a Privately Practising Midwife, providing homebirths in the Blue Mountains. She has mentored midwives into private practice in every state and territory across Australia and supports rebellious midwives around the world through The Assembly of Rebellious Midwives and The Convergence of Rebellious Midwives.

Melanie also provides education through her Transformative Birthwork online course, which helps women maintain their autonomy throughout their pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey.

Mel's Qualifications

B. Health Science (Naturopathy) Western Sydney University

Grad.Dip Theology Presbyterian Theological College

Masters Nursing (first grade honours) Sydney University

Grad. Dip Midwifery (with Distinction) Western Sydney University

Grad. Cert (Pharmacology) Griffith University

PhD Midwifery (Birth outside the system) -Western Sydney University

Images of Mel

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Mel's Publications

Collins, E. C., Schmied, V., Kildea, S., Keedle, H., Jackson, M., & Dahlen, H. G. (2024). Midwives’ experiences with PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic: The Birth in the Time of COVID (BITTOC) study. Midwifery, 134, 104016.

Collins, E., Keedle, H., Jackson, M., Lequertier, B., Schmied, V., Boyle, J., ... & Dahlen, H. G. (2024). Telehealth use in maternity care during a pandemic: A lot of bad, some good and possibility. Women and Birth, 37(2), 419-427.

Jackson, M. K. (2021). Choosing freebirth. International Journal of Birth & Parent Education, 9(1).

Dahlen, H. G., Downe, S., Jackson, M., Priddis, H., De Jonge, A., & Schmied, V. (2021). An ethnographic study of the interaction between philosophy of childbirth and place of birth. Women and birth, 34(6), e557-e566.

Jackson, M. (2020). Giving birth outside the system in Australia: Freebirth and high-risk homebirth. In Birthing Outside the System: The Canary in the Coal Mine (pp. 59-79). Routledge.

Jackson, M. K., Schmied, V., & Dahlen, H. G. (2020). Birthing outside the system: the motivation behind the choice to freebirth or have a homebirth with risk factors in Australia. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 20, 1-13.

Yates, A., Jones, L. K., & Jackson, M. (2019). Women’s experiences of perceived traumatic vaginal birth in Australian maternity settings. International Journal of Healthcare, 5(2), 1-11.

Jackson, M. K. (2014). Birthing Outside the System: Wanting the best and safest. A grounded theory study about what motivates women to choose a high-risk homebirth or freebirth (Doctoral dissertation, University of Western Sydney (Australia)).

Jackson, M., Schmied, V., & Dahlen, H. (2013). Birthing outside the system: In pursuit of the best and safest. Women and Birth, 26, S17-S18.

Jackson, M., Dahlen, H., & Schmied, V. (2012). Birthing outside the system: perceptions of risk amongst Australian women who have freebirths and high risk homebirths. Midwifery, 28(5), 561-567.

Dahlen, H., & Jackson, M. (2012). For some women, unassisted home births are worth the risks. The Conversation 2012a.

Jackson, M. (2011). Birthing outside the system. Women and Birth, 24, S10.

Dahlen, H., Schmied, V., Downe, S., Tracy, S., Dowling, H., Swain, J., ... & Priddis, H. (2011). Facilitating physiological birth positioning in three different birth settings: An exploration into facilitators and inhibitors. Women and Birth, 24, S1.

Dahlen, H., Schmied, V., Tracy, S. K., Jackson, M., Cummings, J., & Priddis, H. (2011). Home birth and the National Australian Maternity Services Review: too hot to handle?. Women and Birth, 24(4), 148-155.

Dahlen, H., Jackson, M., Schmied, V., Tracy, S., & Priddis, H. (2011). Birth centres and the national maternity services review: response to consumer demand or compromise?. Women and Birth, 24(4), 165-172.

Dahlen, H. G., Jackson, M., & Stevens, J. (2011). Homebirth, freebirth and doulas: casualty and consequences of a broken maternity system. Women and Birth, 24(1), 47-50.