From: "Ken WArd" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au
To: <ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au>
Subject: RE: [ozmidwifery] Scottish dads push wives toward C-sections? I
don't think so
Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2005 11:04:10 +1000
I have given women drugs in labour at their partners demand. Also epidurals
and c/s organised because the partner wasn't coping. It is devesting when a
woman is labouring well, and her partner, or sometimes her mother, isn't
coping and undermines the woman's confidence in her body. I have often felt
like giving him the drugs. One feels hopeless and helpless when adverse
comments and stressed support people influence the woman. And lets face it,
in the hospital setting who has the strongest and personal relationship,
and
therefore more likely to influence ?
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Gloria Lemay
Sent: Friday, 14 October 2005 5:59 AM
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;@uniserve.com;;;;;;;
Subject: [ozmidwifery] Scottish dads push wives toward C-sections? I
don't
think so
This is a group that no one has thought to blame the high cesarean rate
on. Hmmmmmm. Gloria
Scotland on Sunday - October 2, 2005
Squeamish men pushing wives towards Caesareans
RICHARD GRAY
HEALTH CORRESPONDENT
FRETTING fathers-to-be are fuelling Scotland's soaring Caesarean section
rate because they do not like to see their pregnant partners in pain,
midwives have warned.
They claim many worried husbands are afraid of the mess and noise that
accompanies natural childbirth.
Instead they are encouraging their wives to give birth at large
consultant-led hospital units where they can get powerful painkillers
and
surgery.
But midwives claim these over-protective men are unwittingly causing
their
partners to have unnecessary Caesarean sections and drugs by taking them
to
these "baby factories".
They say more women would have natural births if they used smaller
midwife-run maternity units.
The proportion of women choosing to have Caesareans has leapt from 6.2%
to
9% in the last 10 years with more than 4,600 women choosing to have the
major surgical procedure in 2004.
Experts claim the increase in popularity is mainly due to the
misconception
that Caesareans are a safer and pain-free option to traditional
childbirth.
But the abdominal surgery can leave mothers in pain for weeks afterwards
and
they are prone to getting infections in their wound.
The controversy surrounding Caesareans has led to tensions between
midwives
and doctors over the best way of providing services to pregnant women.
Earlier this year the Royal College of Midwives launched a campaign to
promote "normality" in childbirth.
Phyllis Winters, a midwifery team leader at Montrose Community Maternity
Unit, believes the celebrity trend of opting for Caesareans has helped
create the myth that surgery is the easier option.
But she believes squeamish husbands have also played a part in the
decline
of natural childbirth.
She will present her claims at a conference organised by the National
Childbirth Trust (NCT) and the Royal College of Midwives in Dunfermline,
Fife, on Thursday.
Winters said: "A lot of couples take decisions about childbirth together
and
men in particular feel wary about childbirth.
"They are frightened about seeing their partner in pain and about what
can
go wrong. As a result they often prefer to go to the consultant led unit
where they perceive there is a higher level of care.
"Unfortunately there is also a higher level of intervention when it is
not
needed. In Montrose less than 8% of the births we deal with at the
midwife-led unit get transported to the specialist unit due to
complications
"Women need more positive role models to have natural births and perhaps
then we will see a change in the way society views what is a natural
life
event.
"Men also have to understand that by going to a midwife-led service they
are
not taking a risk."
Currently just 63% of all babies born in Scotland are delivered
naturally,
but midwives claim the vast majority of births using Caesarean sections
and
induction should be allowed to happen naturally.
Patricia Purton, director of the Royal College of Midwives Scotland,
agreed
that fathers-to-be played a significant role in helping women choose
their
method of birth.
She added: "I would go further, as a lot of women's mothers have only
ever
experienced consultant led services and so that has become the norm as
far
as they are concerned.
"The problem is that often in large hospitals, childbirth is made to fit
around the service rather than letting nature take its course and
fitting
the service around the labour."
A survey of 800 new fathers carried out four years ago by parental
support
group Fathers Direct and the NCT revealed many of the anxieties faced by
new
fathers when their partners give birth.
It found nearly a third of men felt powerless during the childbirth
process
while most said it was difficult to see their partners in pain and being
unable to help. A third also said that they felt ill-informed about the
choices couples faced during pregnancy.
It said that many men wanted a more active role in the delivery process
Shona Gore, an antenatal tutor with the NCT, said: "Men are often pushed
into the role of the protector during a pregnancy and it is only natural
that they want the best for their partners.
"At the start of my courses almost all of the men want to go down the
consultant led route as it appears to be the safer option, but one of
the
aims of our classes is to give couples time to reflect on the decisions
they
face.
"There is a culture in this country that hospital is the safest place to
be,
but this attitude is now slowly changing, particularly with fears about
MRSA
"
But Jack O'Sullivan, from Fathers' Direct, said it was unfair to blame
high
Caesarean rates on men.
He said: "Fathers play a vital role in the decision-making process of
childbirth and they are naturally concerned about their partners'
wellbeing.
"But often they are relying too much on their fears rather than good
information. There needs to be better advice for expectant first-time
fathers and they need to be more involved in the maternity process."
The disagreement between doctors and midwives over the best method of
childbirth has led to confusion for many mothers who now face a
difficult
choice.
Many doctors feel midwife- only births present an unnecessary risk due
to
the lack of medical provision at hand.
But the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has also
expressed
concern about the country's high Caesarean rate.
Doctors claim attending a consultant led unit did not mean that women
would
have more intervention during birth.
One obstetrician from Glasgow said: "Medical staff from doctors to
midwives
try to discourage women from having inductions and Caesareans where ever
possible.
"There are a lot of women who ask for Caesareans as they are scared of
labour and feel surgery is a quicker way to go but the risks involved
are
higher than in natural birth.
"We try to help them make an informed choice."
Labour pains
THERE has been growing alarm over the number of Caesarean births among
the
600,000 babies born in Britain each year. The figure has risen fourfold
in
25 years to become one of the highest in the western world.
The reasons for the rise include the increasing age of mothers, with the
average age of those having their first child around 30.
Caesarean section as a lifestyle choice - dubbed "too-posh-to-push" -
has
also become a factor. And the decision of former Spice Girls Victoria
Beckham and Mel B to opt for the operation have also been linked to the
trend.
Last year doctors in England and Wales were told to curb Caesareans on
demand. Guidelines issued by the National Institute for Clinical
Excellence
(NICE) said GPs should emphasise the potential dangers.
A recent study by Aberdeen University's medical school warned women who
had
Caesarean sections were 6% less likely to get pregnant again.
The study also showed that women who have a Caesarean wait up to six
months
longer to conceive their next child than those who have natural births.
Other research has shown women who have the procedure are four times
more
likely to get an infection, 10 times more at risk of bladder injuries
and
five times more likely to need surgery later on.
