Re: frustration

[Lois Wattis]

Hello Jo and listers - I suspect we all encounter similar experiences as Jo describes in every hospital in every state.  The knowledge about VBAC among midwives and ob's is still dominated by fear - unsubstatiated by research and evidence.  I think Jo is on the right track suggesting VBAC clinics.  That would be the ultimate objective, but in the meantime we can start small (as CARES and others already have) by educating women and midwives with truth and facts and positive experiences.    I have a plan to start antenatal/active birth classes specifically for VBAC women in my area, and to develop opportunities for these women to be supported at their birth by VBAC-aware midwives or doula's with whom they have developed a trusting relationship during their pregnancy.  Education at this level will filter through to the non-believers in the hospitals as more VBAC women experience positive outcomes.  There are MANY midwives already in "the system" who know the truth but are bound by outdated hospital policies in their care processes.  It's up to them to effect changes to policies, and they DO have the scope to do that if they try (I'm not saying it's easy, but it CAN be done).  We have to work together - WITH THE WOMEN - but ultimately it's the women who will change things.  (End of sermon...)   Lois     ----- Original Message ----- From: Dean & Jo Bainbridge To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2002 7:41 PM Subject: frustration Hi List, I have to keep all names out of this but I really would appreciate some feed back regarding a frustrating situation. As co-ordinator of CARES, I am getting very upset by the continuing trend of mixed messages.  Hospitals give CARES the official line on where they stand on vbac (usually "strongly support vbac"  hmmm...) and the information we have for women is up to date and relevant to South Australia and yet we have on a regular basis women being told the opposite to hospital officail stances and even down right rubbish!  For eg.  one women wh has made an amazing transformation from being utterly terrified of vbac to an empowered inspiring amazing woman who knows she can do it.  She chose the hospital based on their vbac policy of support and positive views, she has made the informed choice to have intermitant monitoring with an independant mw as her birth support.  When going on a tour of the hospital she was shocked by the information she was given by the mw on duty.  She was told that the risks of rupture is too high to not have continuous monitoring.  The way the information was presented would have made anyone who was not informed and well read pacing off to book for a section right then and there. Why is it that this sort of thing can happen?  What can a group like ours do to try and make this sort of scare mongering or (at the very least) misinforming women?  At the rate we are going, I would like to see vbac clinics where women get seen by those supportive of vbac and those who at least support the hospitals policy on vbac!  In a perfect world perhaps. Dear listers, what can we do?   Jo Bainbridge founding member CARES SA email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] phone: 08 8365 7059 birth with trust, faith & love...