Re: [ozmidwifery] a labouring woman is a labouring woman???

[Justine Caines]

Title: Re: [ozmidwifery] a labouring woman is a labouring woman???

Hi Sue and all

I understand and yet don’t understand what you are saying.

I agree with Mary, one to one care is NOT a luxury. As Sheila K says it is essential to safety! and in relation to what you say I see it essential to the education of women and essential to instill trust in them enabling them to re-learn what should be innate (the ability to birth beautifully (mostly) without fear.

The relationship is what is missing so really we can’t say what women would want.  Under the current paradigm that scares the hell out of women and forces them to share their most intimate moments with strangers I’d say their reaction is pretty standard.

I see myself as no different to many other women (yet I was one of the 0.2% of women that formed a close relationship with my m/w and would have jumped off a cliff with her!) I also was not in a unit where the drugs were on tap (at home).

I see midwifery units without epidural service as the key to reclaiming normal birth. With this should come a total re-education to pain.  If women had any idea of the post birth euphoria after natural birth I think many more would be willing to try and if the eyes they looked into were one’s they knew they would have a little more faith and perhaps just do it!

In solidarity
Justine
Mum to Ruby 4.5, Clancy 3, William 21 months and Tobias 6 weeks
(all beautiful Homebirths)