[ozmidwifery] horrified

[Barry MacGregor]

Dear All Having moved from a relatively large regional hospital with ?midwifery care to a large city referral hospital, I  am becoming more and more amazed at interventions that some midwives see as normal.  Women come to the postnatal ward following a forceps delivery of their baby and our handover is given as a NVD.  No mention of episi or forceps until you read the notes.  For some bizarre reason, I don't think that there is anything normal about forceps!!   Further to this, the practice here is to strongly recommend that babies receive a comp feed of formula via a bottle if they haven't fed for 5 hours.  Apparently, the reason being that babies need to feed at least this often!  At my other place of employment these babies were monitored a bit more closely, never given a bottle, and sure enough when these cherubs worked out what the breast was all about they tended to feed quite often and well.   Also, at this new place of employment I have had numerous women ask me to put their baby to their breast for them like the last midwife did.  I always let them know that they can't take the midwife home with them and so they need to try themselves and that I will be back in 5 minutes to see how they are going.  Low and behold 5 minutes later mum has baby to the breast suckling beautifully.  When I told an experienced midwife how I go about this she said "don't they complain that you are not helping them".  Well not to my knowledge, but who knows. Why do we need to further deplete our women's confidence with offering bottles and putting babies to breasts for them.  Isn't their confidence shattered enough after their babes are delivered!!! in clinical controlled environments.    Finally, why are midwives their own worst enemy!  I am astounded by the amount of midwives that go to private obs, and recommend that their daughters do the same.  How can we educate women to use midwifery centred care when many midwives don't believe in it themselves.   Love this list because it helps me feel a little less lonely in my beliefs. I keep battling on and learning as much as I can from women. newly graduated Midwife Sonia