[ozmidwifery] The value of online forums/lists

[Helen and Graham]

I have been thinking about the value of online lists/forums lately ( having been a lurker both on ozmidwifery and C-Aware for a few years now), and wondering how many midwives routinely give out a list of available forum websites to the women in their care.  I think it would be extremely valuable to them and much more empowering than a lot of the other educational material (pamphlets etc) we dish out routinely at antenatal visits and classes.    For those of you who already do, could you tell me which ones you think are the best to recommend both for general pregnancy/birth education as well as the more situation specific ones such as C-Aware.  C-Aware for those that don't know is a great resource for all those women trying to achieve VBAC and promotes general discussion on caesarian birth.   Obviously not all women will feel the need to access such forums/lists but I believe it would be valued by enough women to at least give them information to decide for themselves.    Also wondering how the powers that be would handle it, given the unreliable nature of so many of the e-medicine websites around. So if any of you working in a hospital currently do, then have you met with obstacles from management e.g. it being considered inappropriate???   In addition, logging on to forums such as C-Aware should be mandatory for all student midwives and trainee obstetricians as has been suggested by that list recently and is apparently already being implemented by a few of the universities (for student midwives anyway I think).   Interested in your thoughts on this topic......   Helen Cahill