----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2002 1:42
PM
Subject: midwifery resolution
I agree that the lack of understanding of even
who the midwife is is wide spread. I agree that the more women know
about the benefits of midwifetry based care the more can start demanding
them.
I am also aware of the lack of support and
understanding from the community for those women who after becoming educated
are left emotionally damaged (so to speak).
Perhaps another avenue would be to also try and
get the option of midwifery led care increased in the private sector?
Many women take out private insurance solely for the births of their
children. The options of care is singular -ob in the private
sector. Perhaps we could sell the benefits of mw led care lower
interevntions thus lower costs to them the insurance companies. It has
always baffled me that if I had car insurance but lived in a high risk area
then my insurance would cost more; why is it that the health insurance
companies do not investigate the massive difference between intervention
rates (thus increased costs -longer stays etc) between public and
private births?
I am unsure how this would work with the
midwifery insurance problem though. I am also unaware of the politics
involved with private hospitals.
I am not citicising informing women of the
greener grass at all; I am contiually trying to think of 'under the radar'
ways to sell the benefits of less medical births.
Maybe we should get involved with feminist
groups at universities and enlighten them and get the reality of what happens
in the birthing room out there. I am continually amazed at how young
intellegent women whom I have met through gender studies courses and so forth,
have very little understanding about child birth. they think it is yucky
because it ruins your sex life and changes you "down there" (some of the
things that have been discussed in some of my classes). They dont seem
to realise that the episiotomy is commonly preformed for male
convienece! Surely that is something for these women to get up in arms
about. The feminists have always been willing to jump up and down about
the rights over their own bodies, but after they leave uni and get jobs they
are in the highest group for private insurance, older births and higher
interventions. the rights over their bodies only seem to stem to their
demands for the cs...why is that?
I did a talk at uni last year that followed a
talk on rape. I began mine with "..oh did anyone catch the story of the
woman yesterday who was drugged, starved, strapped down, had her vagina
repeatedly invaded, she was mutilated, objects inserted into her AND to make
things worse she was 9 months pregnant!!!" everyone was up in arms and
really upset by this. Then I told them that it happens in labour rooms
everyday and nobody considers this abuse?? Infact we often passivley
allow it to happen.
It got them thinking.
Any thoughts??
Jo Bainbridge
founding member CARES
SA
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
phone: 08
8365 7059
birth with trust, faith &
love...
