My compliments to you on your honesty and articulate response to a very pressing issue. We have much to learn from those who are with the dying, don't we. Trish. At 07:24 PM 8/21/99 +1000, you wrote: > >Hurrah! regards, Mary Murphy. >----- Original Message ----- >From: h&m <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: Ozmidwifery <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Sent: Saturday, August 21, 1999 12:47 PM >Subject: life! > > >> Dear colleagues >> >> I have just ploughed through forty emails and a wealth of discussion and >> wisdom. I want to make some fairly fragmented points. On Wednesday >> morning at 4am my mother in law died in our home. After three months of >> Acute Leukaemia she achieved in death what she had never achieved in >> life-power. She made her desires to die at home known to us early on and >> we respected that wish. She was surrounded by her family, her garden, >> and her dignity was maintained to the end. I am reminded of a poem I saw >> on a memorial in the Bavarian forest years ago that said 'we are such >> stuff that dreams are made of and our lives are rounded with a little >> sleep.' It was such a peaceful sleepy death. As the warmth left her body >> we played music and sat around her bed. A short while later we went out >> to watch the sun rise and gaze at the fading stars. There was >> extraordinary peace and beauty in those moments we spent accepting her >> passing. I was confronted by the reality of how different her death >> would have been in hospital. >> >> Our medicalisation of birth and death have given our lives a taste of >> fear when we should be experiencing our most treasured and real moments. >> >From our beginnings to our endings we have learnt to fear life and >> struggle against its simplicity and inevitability. So much energy >> wasted, so many valuable moments lost. >> >> As midwives when we stand watching over birth, protecting the mother's >> wishes, facilitating the power of women, we achieve our greatest >> moments. The more we see the power and potential of women realised the >> less we are really needed and the better the experience is. I warned you >> this was fragmented! It is women that have taught us the skills we have >> today as midwives. So why do we have this fear or resistance to their >> participation in our professional body? Once again we fear. We fear what >> may happen, and how it may not work, and what if, and have we thought >> about that, and we do just what we do every day to birth a death, we >> control, restrain and never experience the possibilities awaiting us. If >> we are frightened of having women have a say in our professional issues >> then I think we should re-examine what being a midwife is. Is it is not >> with women? I also think we should ask ourselves have we really got >> anything to lose. We have not got a spectacular thing happening here >> with midwifery in our country. While we think of all the what if's >> regarding women in our professional body let us ask have we really got >> that much to lose. I don't think so. We have been chasing our tails for >> years now with rhetoric and committees and working parties and more >> rhetoric and committees and working parties and I think we have been too >> safe for too long. We can keep going in circles or we can take a risk >> and see if all of the rhetoric, committees and working parties have any >> basis. >> >> Having recently seen the power of consumers as we (NSWMA) lobby for >> rebates for midwifery care I am even more convinced we need to work with >> women. Yes, there will be problems and yes, it won't be easy but we >> don't exactly have Utopia now so what have we to lose. We need to answer >> all the questions that have been posed on the list and we need the >> doubting Thomas's to help us deal with the practical details but let's >> deal with them and let us move on. I for one think life is to short and >> I'm simply dizzy from all this circular action. The NSWMA voted on >> pursing the matter of consumers being involved in the association as a >> matter of urgency at our recent AGM. It's time to get a move on. Let's >> stop fearing all the possibilities! There are thousands of those and >> most are imaginary. Perhaps what we really fear is it might work and the >> old toothless lion will awake with a roaring powerful reality. Women and >> midwives power in partnership! Is this simply rhetoric to make IMD >> balloons look pretty or is it a belief???? >> >> Hannah >> >> -- >> This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. >> Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. >> > >-- >This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. >Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. > -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
