Welcome Paivi,
You have got it right, don't ever doubt that there is a better way for women
to receive pregnancy care than the way it's happening now. What you are
suggesting is very right.
Feeling that you are setting women up for disappointment is part of
instigating change to some degree. They may not benefit initially but they
pass on their knowledge & expectations & slowly the mindset changes. The
next generation may be the ones who benefit. Change is not always Immediate.
Some of the most experienced childbirth educators have been at it for
decades, but change will happen if you persist.
Good on you, I take my hat off to anyone withal vision for improving womens
services who works on that vision, not just 'talks the talk', keep going,
you need a dream to have a goal.
If there is any way we as a group can help, let us know.
All power to you!
Brenda
----- Original Message -----
From: "Päivi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 5:58 AM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] another induction
Hi everyone!
A short introduction of myself: I am a mother of two / a maternity store
owner / a childbirth educator and a natural birth activist from Finland. I
have been reading Andrea Robertson's books and diary for a while and got a
lot of help from her company in organising a new consept of childbirth
preparation in Finland. Now I decided to follow this list for a while.
In Finland childbirth is pretty medicalized, even though it is the
midwives providing the care ( in doctor's supervision). I have now started
a 7 week program for mothers and farthers to be, trying to educate them
about the normal physiology of birth and the enermous inner strength and
ability, that they have within their bodies. I am working together with
couple of midwifes. Natural Childbirth is considered very "hippy" over
here and is very very rare. Mothers don't generally feel a need for any
preparation and the trust for the health care system is great. The first
group, that I just finished a moth ago was a succes, some of the fathers
especially said how sceptical they were to attend this course, but
everyone was extremely happy in the end and felt sorry for all others,
that were not attending. I think I have started something great, and
hopefully it will grow into something big and the happy moms and dads will
spread the word and more and more parents will find out about their
options for a better birth. I am also educating all my sales people in the
store about natural childbirth and breastfeeding, so they can even give
advise in the store if the subject comes up with the moms.
The discussion about the induction and the doctor going away for a holiday
got me thinking how bad we really have things over here... In Finland you
do your prenatal visits at the "neuvola", where the nurse will see you
until your birth. Some of the nurses have no practical knowlege of
pregnancy and birth and quite often give unaccurate information for moms.
But the "neuvola" service is well respected, and if they advice to start
bottlefeeding for example, there is no reason to doubt this... We don't
have a single Birthing Centre here, and homebirth is almost nonexistent
(only ab.10-30 births a year). No expences are covered for a homebirth and
it is hard to find a midwife for the job. The maternity hospital, which is
considered closest to the midwifery model of care has ARM 32%, oxytocin
53%, episiotomy 14%, epidural 25%. So, the moms, that I am trying to
educate don't really have a lot of choice here. They choose between couple
of very similar hospitals, that's about how much they can do. When the
labor starts, they will go to the hospital, and which ever midwife will be
on shift will care for them. Often they will be cared by 3-4 midwifes
until the baby is born. Sometimes it feels almost unfair to educate and
train these moms for a natural birth, when you know what is waiting for
them in the hospital. I am dreaming of opening a birth centre here in the
future.
Paivi
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