----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2004 11:01
PM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] midwife is a
midwife...?
I have been feeling exactly the same way -
especially of late.... Unfortunately, there is a huge distinction between
true woman centered midwives and obstet nurses......
After working for the most part of two years on
trying to set up a midwfery-led model at our local hospital... have just
been told that it won't go ahead.... reason = fear factor ie.
Camden/Campbeltown fiasco... and many of our midwives have had a change of
heart.....
After being explained what the new model will
entail (or rather NOT entail)....(from someone from our Area Health Service)
I was flabergasted to hear that the midwives would be provided with
extra training/courses - including one which teaches them how to provide
woman/family centred care.... I remember my jaw dropping.....and initially
being unable to speak....
once I regained brain power... I remarked on
what a sorry state midwifery is in today ... where the core of
midwifery.....the real essence of midwifery care... has been lost amongst
the myriad of intervention and subserviance....
What do they teach at uni??? Is this a
reflection on hospital midwifery care today - that we need to provide
midwives with an "extra" or "refresher" course on the essence of
midwifery ie. midwife= 'with woman' ???!!!!!
I would like to add, that I hold true woman
centered midwives in the highest regard... I have had 2 hospital births and
1 homebirth. One out of the two hospital births was with a fantastic
midwife... and my homebirth was AMAZING!!!! The way I feel about
the midwives in those 2 different settings is almost like a teenager
who idolises a lead singer of a band... I am awe struck and will forever
feel a strong sense of a spiritual connection to them. They were a huge part
of three of the happiest days of our lives!!
My beautiful birth experiences have
opened my eyes, heart and mind to the wonder of birth and in
turn, have charged me with passion for woman centered midwifery...
kind regards,
Nicole
Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, April 09, 2004 1:25
PM
Subject: [ozmidwifery] midwife is a
midwife...?
I read this today and wanted to chat about
this without fear of being lynched! lol
And given a birth I attended last week with the worst hospital
midwife I have ever met who was SO much less good than the obstetrician I
am totally off the idea
of a midwife is a midwife....
I am totally off the idea of a midwife is a
midwife....
I would like to hazard a discussion that one
of the problems we encounter is that there ARE a proportion of midwives
who do not support what our definition of a midwives role/responsibility
and so forth and these midwives are firmly entrenched in the system...so
when a woman births in a hospital (as so many do) and go down the ob model
(as so many do) they encounter some of these midwives and leave the woman
thinking the midwife was "awful".
I know a that there are those wonderful woman
focused midwives who still work labour ward and so on, so I am not
suggesting they are all 'bad'; but would you say that the midwives who do
fit our definition are the ones who put their hands up for birth centre
care and so on, thus leaving the 'obstetric nurse type' who are less
supportive to actively assisting the woman in any other way other than
increasing the drip or topping up the drugs.
In a long winded, public holiday type way I
am saying that : there are a few people who would read a sticker like "I
chose carefully: I chose a midwife" and say "the midwife I had was a
bitch! I would never chose her!" The public are almost blind to the
fact midwives are midwives not nurses, so to then extend that
understanding to the two types of midwives (which I call ob nurses -"yes
doctor, no doctor type" and the with woman midwife) is an ask.
Perhaps we need to suggest a system that does
define the midwife from the obstetric nurse?? I have heard
from practicing midwives that they are not supportive to things like case
load or community midwifery because "...don't want that type of
responsibility" (actual quote). I have no idea of how this would be
done and not suggesting it would even work; but we must be aware when
addressing the general public we are aware that there is a difference
between those midwives who see women as someone to be empowered and
those who see the woman as someone to be rescued: but do the general
public??
"My Midwife empowered me
to birth beautifully!"
(awaiting the hate mail! lol)
Jo
Bainbridge
