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Hi Alphia - if I could just work that out, maybe I
wouldnt feel so frustrated. It doesn't take a whole lot of support/
feedback to help a new mother feel confident that she can handle her
baby and her new life - her way! Yet there seems so much to undermine
her
and the tide againt trusting herself is very
strong.
For instance, I am constantly amazed at how
much reading women do - I have had mothers quote verbatim from 'experts'
-invariably men who dont experience hormones/ breasts/bellies or 24 hour care
and responsibility no matter how wellmeant/ caring, their advice. It seems
in many cases the reading cant be 'smoothed' to fit the woman and her baby, but
rather she struggles to either make her baby "fit" the model, or strives
herself to live up to unrealistic images of perfection.
I feel sad that birthing/ mothering in so many
cases is an academic exercise (head stuff), not a more
relaxed, experiential sharing between women - mothers and midwives -from the heart.
Pinky
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, March 13, 2005 3:19
PM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] returning to
list
Dear Pinky and Kerreen,
Pinky, I totally agree with you
- but shouldnt we be questioning then why so many mothers do this? What
is at the base of it.
By the way Kerreen - I have read your book and
thoroughly enjoyed it - it is such a valuable piece of research that is
providing to the public insight which would have otherwise been lost. I
have enjoyed the voices of your respondents very much.
The voices of your
obstetricians provide us with a glimpse of the power relations that existed in
the different time periods that you examined - and although many feel that we
haven't come very far - your book demonstrates how far we have actually come
(not that I want to gloss over the many problems that current maternity
practices are facing).
Take care everyone
Alphia
At 10:21
AM 12/03/2005, you wrote:
Hello Kerreen,
Re
professional dominance of mothering - I absolutely agree - this isnt just
about the baby, although that is bad enough, but when mothers surrender
their power to professional domination, they are set back in so many
ways - for the longer term- so that what should be an empowering and
delightful experience is thwart with angst, fear and
dissatisfaction.
I am going to respond to this
article.
Pinky
----- Original Message ----- From:
"Kerreen Reiger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To:
<[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005
5:31 PM
Subject: RE: [ozmidwifery] returning to list
Hi
all
I am finally returning to the list after a long absence due to work
commitments. Already I am glad to be back, eg in light of this discussion
about babies' settling/crying. For those who don't already know
me, I am a founder of Maternity Coalition and a social
scientist/historian who's worked on maternity care issues for many
years. I'm now studying working relationships in maternity care
settings and a paper at ICM will be the first out on this research. Some
details of my last book are below for those interested, including
discount sales.
I have both a longstanding professional
and strong personal interest in relationships between professionals and
mothers. What bothers me about return of emphasis on
regimentation of babies is not only the neglect of bubs'
variability but further professional dominance of mothering. We have
two new babies in our family (my first g'children!) and within a few
weeks I saw the impact of lousy professional advice on b'feeding and
management, but also some excellent support that encouraged my
daughter-in -law to feel that she was the 'expert' on her baby!
How we ensure this across midwifery and maternal, child nursing remains the
challenge it seems. Who is actually contesting this article in the MJA
or the press? Thanks for drawing our attention to
it.
cheers
Kerreen
About Our Bodies Our Babies: the forgotten
women's movement:
In Our Bodies, Our Babies: the forgotten women's
movement, Kerreen Reiger traces the struggle of Australian women and others
to change approaches to childbirth, to claim their right to choices in
childbirth, and to educate themselves about birth and breastfeeding. She
explores a social movement which has radically changed our maternity care
practices, allowing fathers to participate in the birth of their children
and babies to 'room-in' with their mothers. It laid the foundation for new
models of care such as birth centres. The book draws on interviews with
mothers, midwives and doctors, and on archival material from women's
organisations such as the Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia (NMAA)
and the Childbirth Education Association. It discusses the relevance of the
childbirth and the breastfeeding movements to feminism and women's rights,
arguing that the needs of mothers as citizens need to be taken more
seriously. Our Bodies, Our Babies is essential reading for all health
professionals involved in maternity care
Discounted copies
now available at $15 (originally $38.95) plus postage: please contact me for
an order form. Email:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
________________________________
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mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics.
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Alphia Possamai-Inesedy Ba (Hons.)
PhD.
Candidate
School of Applied and Human Sciences
Bankstown Campus,
University of Western Sydney
UWS Locked Bag 1797
South Penrith
Distribution Centre
NSW 1797 Australia
Phone: 02 97726628
Fax: 02
97726584
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