On 05/09/2004, at 1:12 PM, Vida Rye wrote:
<x-tad-smaller>Just</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>as</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>an</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>aside,</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>we</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>attended</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>our</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>first</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>antenatal</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>class</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>the</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>other</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>day</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>and</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>in
the</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>group</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>there</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>was</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>me</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>and</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>another</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>midwife</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>-</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>we</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>were</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>both</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>hoping</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>to</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>have
home</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>births</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>and</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>everyone</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>else</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>was</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>planning</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>to</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>be</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>in</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>hospital</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>and</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>I</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>was
stunned</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>and</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>saddened</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>(all</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>over</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>again)</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>by</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>the</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>level</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>of</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>fear</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>already</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>in</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>the
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to</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>whatever</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>happens.....</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>we</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>need</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>to</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>work</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>together</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>collectively</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>to</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>reverse
this</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>situation.
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Hi everyone
I am a student midwife and not long ago joined the group, and have been reading with great interest the discussions that have ensued. It is great to see such an active list! Anyway on to why I felt I had to reply here. Vida you mentioned the level of fear in your antenatal class... as part of my early training I had to attend antenatal classes as an observer, this was also something that really shocked me. These women were petrified of birth, all of them had imprinted in them visions from the tv that negatively portrays this [but that's a whole other discussion I think]. I was astounded. (I have 2 children, and could not remember ever feeling this way), I spoke to the midwife afterwards about this, and she explained that it was a relatively common thread that she saw in her classes, and she took it upon herself to try and combat the fears these women had.
Vida you also say
<x-tad-smaller>we</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>need</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>to</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>work</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>together</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>collectively</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>to</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>reverseI could not agree more. I think in my fresh humble opinion, that it is partly because of all the negative stuff women are exposed to regarding birth that gives this fear (you know what I mean, the panting, on their back, screaming type scenario!) Although I am only a few months into my training, the most powerful thing I have seen so far was a video we were shown at uni of a woman having a home birth. I remember sitting there watching it, and thinking to myself, why isn't she screaming? She should be screaming?! How naive was I, thinking back to it though, I now just think 'wow, what a powerful image of this woman calmly breathing her baby out, with her husband behind her supporting her, and the midwife softly encouraging her. And although this scenario is not for all women and I can totally respect that, it would be interesting if this kinda stuff was shown on tv, or even in the antenatal classes, just so women can see that it does not have to be this horrid experience they are thinking it would be.
this</x-tad-smaller> <x-tad-smaller>situation.
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Hope that all makes sense....
Katrina
