Justine
What a fantastic response! I was considering composing one, but you said it
all. It is not a matter of safety (although we all know that argument inside
out). It is about women's choices, and supporting women's choices.
Interesting how the system can support a woman choosing an 'unsafe' elective
c-section, but does not support a woman who wants to birth her baby at home
or in a birth centre.
I was talking to two nurses today who work at a rural hospital staffed with
only nurses (no doctors available except via phone). No one is complaining
that nurses are incapable of caring for ill people and performing many of
the duties normally carried out by drs. But, there is concern about midwives
providing care for normal labouring women (which is in their scope of
practice).
Rachel
From: "Dean & Jo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [email protected]
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: [ozmidwifery] Indigestion at breakfast....
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 16:44:43 +0930
Beautiful JC...you are amazing with words ;o)
Jo
SA
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Justine
Caines
Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2005 2:05 PM
To: OzMid List
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Indigestion at breakfast....
Dear All
My response to Miranda.
JC
xx
Dear Miranda
Your headline today was perfect. It is unfortunate that the story did
not follow.
I am a Mother of 4, with twins due in November (yes I know what
contraception is!).
I live in rural NSW and have been without a maternity service for 15
years (long before I had my babies).
We have no specialist Obstetrician nor a GP with obstetric training and
probably never will.
We do however have 3 local midwives who would provide care to low risk
women in our local hospital.
Currently I travel 150 kms to receive antenatal care. I have no choice
in this care, and the conditions of the nearest unit are pre-historic.
Miranda I read some time ago about your experiences and understand
(correct me if I am wrong) that you chose caesarean section. I respect
that you made that choice. Do you believe that as a woman I too should
have choice? Because currently like 50% of rural women I have none.
Do you believe that the safety of both myself and baby is important?
(From your story it would seem so)
If you do a little more research on what is happening in the majority of
rural units and even some on metropolitan fringes then you would
understand that I (as a healthy woman) would be much safer in my local
community with midwifery care (even without on site medical care). My
³choice² now is to dodge Kangaroos in labour (no doubt in the middle of
the night) in an area with no mobile coverage, or risk an ambulance ride
if it is all too quick. Why do I say risk¹ well our Ambo¹s who are
amazing people are not equipped for a post partum haemorrhage (they do
not carry syntocinon which stops bleeding, a drug midwives are trained
to use and carry). So if I have the baby enroute and have a big bleed
after they simply become good drivers. Most women do not know this and
when we are often talking 2 hour (road) transfers (and then some!) this
is very important. If I was in my local community in a midwifery unit a
midwife would have the drug and the required knowledge to stop the
bleeding.
My 3rd baby was a 50 minute labour from one small pain to a baby in
arms. I know I am much safer with midwives caring for me in a system
that already has safe transfer arrangements for all other conditions (we
live and drive cars and work on farms and have accidents in the country
that require transfer).
By the way where I live is by no means remote, It is in the Upper Hunter
Valley, 2 and a half hours north west of Newcastle.
Women and babies deserve better. Midwifery clinics can offer a choice
to women that are patently unsafe now. Midwifery clinics are not just
better than birth on the side of the road, they can safely assist the
majority of women with healthy pregnancies and refer the minority of
women needing medical assistance. At the moment none of this happens.
I would be happy to talk with you should you be open to hearing stories
of rural women in this situation.
Kind regards
Justine Caines
Phone (02) 65482248
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