[ozmidwifery] *Elizabeth Meryment: Unnecessary birth pain*

[Philippa Scott]

re: *Elizabeth Meryment: Unnecessary birth pain* Elizabeth Meryment 17 September 2005 It is evident to me as a mother having had both a c/s & a Vaginal birth that you (Elizabeth Meryment) have absolutely no idea of what the issues surrounding birth choices really are. Women who chose to give birth without drugs and intervention dont choose to do it for the glory, but because it is safer for themselves & their babies. It is in fact 80% of the time (says WHO) safer to have your baby away from hands on obstetric care. If you consider even Continuos Electronic Foetal monitoring, an intervention which reduces a woman's capacity to move freely during labour & thus deal better with the pain. Research shows that Continuos EFT does not improve foetal outcomes, which is the reason you would use it, and yet it does increase the rate of surgical & instrumental delivery. In turn c/s increase a mothers & babies chance of dying by four. So lets see. If I have Continuous EFT I am unlucky to prevent any complications for my child but I am more likely to increase the risk of death. That does not sound safer to me. The argument really is not about how women should give birth, each should choose what is right for them. Did you know that in New Zealand one to one midwifery is offered to all and 75% of women choose that option. It is also considerably cheaper & we have all seen the blow out caused by obstetric costs to the Medicare safety net. This is not about making women feel good or bad about their choices, no one can do that we all choose how we feel. This is about giving women back the freedom to exercise their right to choose a care provider that is right for them. Lets use OB's for complicated pregnancies and birth's as they are trained for & use midwives for the other 80%. We will ultimately have more successful maternity service for it. If health pregnant women still want to use an OB because they feel safer even after being presented with the facts then that's ok too. But give us the choice to decide for ourselves, lets make it truly informed consent. Which means that reporters should keep their personal agenda's to themselves. Regards, Philippa Scott Doula Birth Buddies Supporting Women ~ Creating Life President - Friends of the Birth Centre Townsville