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Hello Anne
- I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL!
I know how isolated and lonely it can be speaking up
for women's rights in an obstetric-dominated hospital
system.
I know how it makes your heart ache to watch women's
birth efforts being sabbotaged by clock-watching "experts".
I know how helpless you feel, how
outnumbered.
I endorse Sally's sentiments of support for all
hospital based midwives who are brave enough to
speak out against unnecesary interventions, and violation of birthing women's
rights. It takes guts. And it can really back-fire on you, which is
tough to take.
Robyn's suggestion of setting up a midwifery group
private practise is worth considering. It doesn't have to be a big,
full-time business to be effective. You could begin with childbirth
education classes which inform, and empower the women. Or an antenatal
clinic, say one morning a week, free to women, with volunteer midwives -- just
to give MIDWIFERY advice. You don't need to be an independent practitioner
or homebirth midwife to run educational classes. Start small, but it WILL
make a difference. And you will also be empowered, strengthened
and encouraged by the women who you help.
A quote comes to mind. It's not directed at you,
but those around you who fail to see the need for change.
"Progress is
impossible without change; and those
who
cannot change their minds cannot change anything".
George Bernard Shaw
Keep the faith and love of midwifery.
Kind regards,
Lois
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2002 5:34
PM
Subject: [ozmidwifery] Love of
midwifery
Dear list,
I am a midwife who is very passionate and very for
woman centred care. I love being a midwife and can not imagine not being
a midwife, but l have become so dissolusioned with the system that it is
breaking my heart. I have been a midwife for 5 years and feel that the
system (especially where l work in a large country city) which is medical
based has not changed. It has actually become worse. Despite being
a strong advocate for evidence based practice and presenting this evidence to
doctors and management, l have been walked all over, some midwives have been
yelled at, 'put in their places' by RESIDENTS and we have basically have our
hands tied. The amount of autonomy we have is decreasing, which makes me
feel sometimes that all the hospital wants are obstetric nurses. They do
not want midwives because they cause too much trouble. Who cares about
the women? Management want to make the doctors happy and stuff the
midwives.
One example, i am really against the use of CTG's
in normal pregnancy and labour. Because of one bad outcome, management
wants to introduce admission CTGs for all women who present in labour. I
produced for them so much evidence based material which actually states that
this is not a good idea, but they introduced it anyway. I dont know why
l try because nothing worse. I dont know what to do and all my collegues
feel like this as well. We need different models of care, we need to
take over the care of women in normal pregnancy and birth. I fully
endorse NMAP but will it have an effect in my workplace. Will it really
change the obnoxious doctors we work with and management who only care about
beds and money? Midwives have tried to get a midwives clinic in this
town for 11 years, but has been blocked by the doctors (one in
particular). We have no free antenatal care except for one midwife who
works with aboriginal women (who we also refer white women to). If women
only knew what was going on and they care they get from their doctors is less
than substandard.
I hate feeling like this. Women are being
ripped off, assulted, and their rights violated, and there is only so much l
can do. I do the best l can for these women but l feel that it is no
where near enough. It makes me feel like l have a hollow pit in my stomach
thinking of coming to work. But l love midwifery, and l know that what
ever happens, l need to go on...
sorry, but l really needed to get this off my
chest.
MIdwife trying to make a difference
Fiona Dunmore
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