It concerns me that Australian midwives are so slow to see the
advantages in forming partnerships with women, listen to them and work
with them to provide the types of birth services women want. It is
difficult in many areas to convince midwives to even contemplate taking
on their own caseload.
Perhaps time will alleviate my concerns. I hope I see all Australian
midwives working 'with women' before I die.
Jan
Hello Jan and everyone. Jan I couldn't agree more!!
As a recently graduated midwife, educated via a Bachelor of Midwifery (predicated on continuity and woman-centred care) I am now working fulltime shift-work across my scope of practice (rotating thu pregnancy, birth and after birth care) and I can't believe that midwives feel that full-time shift work is a wonderful way work!! Having just completed my midwifery studies with full time uni and a caseload of between 10-15 women a year across the 3 years of the B Mid...I was NO WHERE nearly as tired I am now with doing the full-time shift work.....it sucks big time!!!
Where I work is a large regional midwifery unit in Victoria, and the move is towards implementing one-to-one midwifery care for women, with a known midwife throughout their pregnancy, birthing and early parenting journey - caseload. However, this move is being met with strenuous opposition from many of the midwives who WILL NOT even contemplate that perhaps there is another way to be 'with woman' than the current fear based, institution focused, inflexible rostered based system of maternity care. So like Jennifairy, I too am also working with a MIPP to keep my skills up of supporting women in their on own power to birth at home on a partime basis where I am sharing a small caseload of women with another midwifery colleague, while continuing to work to educate midwives on the benefits of one-one midwifery care with known women....whilst continuing to practice the bulk of my midwifery in what now seems like on planet Mars!!
Yours in reforming midwifery
Tina Pettigrew.
