Dear Dr Barbara As a member of ACMI I feel you do us proud, thank you Denise Hynd ----- Original Message ----- From: "Barbara Vernon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Ozmid" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 11:20 AM Subject: [ozmidwifery] Today Show's Caesarean birth
> Hi everyone, > > For your info I've sent the following message to the Today Show Producers > this morning. > > Barb. > Dr Barbara Vernon > Executive Officer > Australian College of Midwives Inc > Level 1, 97 Northbourne Ave > TURNER ACT 2612 > > Ph: 02 6230 7333 > Fax: 02 6230 6033 > www.acmi.org.au > > > Dear Today Show producers, > > I write on behalf of the Australian College of Midwives to express > disappointment at your decision to highlight the estimated 20 millionth > Australian by filming a planned caesarean section birth. > > At a time when Australia's rates of both planned and unplanned caesarean > sections are soaring to 2 to 3 times international standards of best > practice (10%-15% is recommended by the World Health Organisation as the > maximum rate at which women and babies benefit from this procedure), your > article this morning adds further to the popular misconception that > caesarean section is a safe and appropriate everyday 'choice' for women. > > Evidence in medical journals now shows that there is a significant degree of > medical over-servicing in maternity in Australia today, driven more by > concerns about litigation than the best interests of women and their babies. > Women themselves are the ones being blamed for high rates of caesarean > section. Yet few journalists are asking the important questions - Why is it > that women believe major abdominal surgery to be a safer way to have their > baby than vaginal birth despite research evidence to the contrary? What > does this say about the failure of our maternity care systems? What are > they being told by their doctors? Are they being given evidence based > advice? > > The most common reason for planned caesarean sections today is that the > woman has had a previous caesarean section. Yet the evidence shows that > even women with a previous caesarean, with few exceptions, are more likely > to benefit from vaginal birth than from a repeat caesarean. > > A recent UK House of Commons report recommended that all women considering > CS should be informed that the risk of dying from complications related to > CS is 4 times higher than for vaginal birth, and 5-6 times for their baby. > Not to mention the significant increased risks of problems like > pos-operative infection, respiratory distress for the baby and post-natal > depression. > > One can only hope that today's story highlights to women that it is > desirable to avoid caesarean section whenever possible. It graphically > portrayed that the woman was a bystander to her own babies birth, drugged > and neglected in the background while her newborn baby's first experience of > life was medical procedures from strangers on the infant resuscitation > trolley. It is particularly unfortunate for both the baby and the mother > that the hospital portrayed does not even provide for immediiate > skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby despite this being accepted > practice in other operating theatres, and supported by research evidence to > have significant benefits both mother and baby. > > The College welcomes the Today's Show's interest in the important issue of > childbirth. We would urge you to have more regard for the research evidence > on best practice when deciding on how to portray this issue in the future. > We would be happy to provide information on any area of pregnancy and > childbirth should you be interested when preparing a future article. > > Yours sincerely, > > Dr Barbara Vernon > Executive Officer > Australian College of Midwives Inc > Level 1, 97 Northbourne Ave > TURNER ACT 2612 > > Ph: 02 6230 7333 > Fax: 02 6230 6033 > www.acmi.org.au > > > -- > 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.
