i can really see what a difficult position it must be to teach child birth classes in an Australian hospital but I still felt there were huge problems with the classes we did at the hosptial we attended 3 years (which we chose for their low intervention rates, and where we had a WONDERFUL experience). I started getting some really sour looks by the end for constantly contradicting the teacher's "You WILL do this..." "This MUST happen.." with "Well you don't actually, we have already discussed this with our midwife and there is no problem at all with doing X instead".
We would have had a lot more patience for the classes had the instructor said "At this hospital we recommend that everyone have an actively managed third stage, which means we do x x x. We recommend this because x x x x." Instead she said something like "And then the midwife will give you the syntocin injection" no explanation of what it was, or why it was being done, and in language that would prevent most people from even thinking there might be an alternative. I don't think that it is helpful to ignore the realities of the environment that women are going to birth in but it would be nice if more hospital CBEs actually presented information from which choices could be made rather than instructed couples in how to follow hospital policy. cheers Jo At 1:47 PM +0800 29/5/05, Susan Cudlipp wrote: >I agree wholeheartedly with Nicole's post. It is very hard to give a balanced >view when one knows that we are working within an obstetric model and the >intervention rates that come with it. >We try hard to instill the ideal of natural birth but are aware�of the risk of >setting the women up for feelings of failure�if we emphasise this and ignore >the 'other' stuff. >Even women who are booked for elective C/S come to classes and we have a duty >to inform them too. >Also inherent is the time factor - how much can you reasonably get across >within the time allocated to classes. >Sue >"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do >nothing" >Edmund Burke > >----- Original Message ----- >From: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Nicole Carver >To: <mailto:[email protected]>[email protected] >Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 3:08 PM >Subject: RE: [ozmidwifery] Childbirth Education classes > >Hi All, > >I have worked as a child birth educator in a hospital which has >fairly�comparable intervention rates to other public hospitals in Victoria. >However, to me we have a lot of unnecessary intervention, particularly >induction of labour, and the cascade of intervention that then sometimes >occurs. > >The quandary for a CBE in this environment is: do you educate for the ideal, >or the reality of the environment that the women will birth in? If you tell >them the reality, you would sit them in a circle of ten women and say only >four of you are going to have a birth without intervention. What do you want >to know to help you cope with a birth with intervention? Or do you teach them >all natural, and know that many of them are going to be devastated by the >reality of the actual birth that happens? Their partners too. It's a tough >one. I struggled with it, because I also worked in the system. The women who >advocate for themselves, or the midwives who do so, have to be very strong. >Ultimately the power rests with the obstetricians. There are no alternative >employers of midwives in my town. When teaching CBE classes I compromised, and >taught about both. And ensured that the realities of the different >interventions were discussed, so that women did not think that C/S is >comparable ! to vaginal birth and so on. > >I can imagine a CBE working in the private system would be faced with even >higher intervention rates. The other problem is having obstetricians coming >after you for teaching THEIR women about things they would prefer they did not >know. > >I think changes need to occur across the whole system, starting with midwife >led care. It would be great if midwives could do the education for the women >for whom they would be providing birthing care. The intervention rates would >plummet, and education about intervention in birth could be made optional, and >therefore available�for those who want to know absolutely everything, or for >those for whom intervention may be more likely.Otherwise a midwife could set >the scene for the ways she has learnt to practice in birthing to maximise >women's chance of a positive and optimal birth experience. > >I do think child birth education today is a reflection of our system. I also >think CBE's try very hard to do their best for women and their support people. >They are stuck in the middle of a far from ideal situation. > >Nicole Carver. > >[Nicole Carver]��-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Dean & Jo >Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 2:43 PM >To: [email protected] >Subject: RE: [ozmidwifery] Childbirth Education classes > >I feel there needs to be legislation to bring cbe OUT of the institutions to >the community. In SA we are sooooo proud of our state wide Perinatal >guidelines, there is probable cause to push the need for education to be >statewide also. We need the government to push safe and happy birthing by >promoting education that impacts these things. And then the little piggies >can fly > >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Diane Gardner >Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 1:57 PM >To: [email protected] >Subject: [ozmidwifery] Childbirth Education classes > >Wow am I steamed! I've just had a woman ring me in an absolute mess. She >attended the Prenatal classes run by St Vincents Private just recently and and >is scared out of her wits. She said she had been so excited and looking >forward to birthing her baby until she attended the classes. She said they fed >in negative, pain, complications�and drugs! > >What is going on here? We wonder why women go into labour in a hospital >screaming and begging for drugs. Just what sort of programming are these >classes installing into women and�taking away their ability to trust their >bodies for birth. How long do we have to put up with this and how much worse >is it going to get before the hospital Boards�GET it or is the money rewards >for doing all this more important than birth. > >Sorry to vent here SO loudly but I'm getting so fed up with this same old >story. Where does one have to start to have these classes�brought�back to�the >real world and some sensible and simple tools for birth!� Sheesh > >Breathing and counting to 10.......20.........30 grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr >ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! > >Diane > > > >-- >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. >Version: 7.0.322 / Virus Database: 266.11.17 - Release Date: 5/25/2005 > > >-- >No virus found in this outgoing message. >Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. >Version: 7.0.322 / Virus Database: 266.11.17 - Release Date: 5/25/2005 > > >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. >Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.11.17 - Release Date: 25/05/2005 -- Jo Bourne Virtual Artists Pty Ltd -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
