My heart bleeds when I see this sort of discussion going on. I am all for healthy and passionate debate, but we should be standing together, not tearing each other apart. The medical profession doesn't need to attack us, we do that ourselves(like all oppressed groups). How can we express our disagreement over the current policy oriented maternity services without it becoming targeted on one group or another? I am grateful for those hospital based midwives who welcome my client and put her at ease when we transfer for medical assistance and try so hard to "soften" the harshness of the hospital environment, while still providing the clinical care required. . Thank you! I think that the only way we can change "the system" is to make women aware of their rights and help them function without the fear. As Caroline Flint says, "everyday, tell a woman about your job as a midwife" and soon the whole population will know". cheers, MM
It seems that there are those who feel a midwife working in a hospital setting has "sold her/his sole to the devil" for doing so. But they are the ones on the "front line" so to speak who fight every day for the rights of birthing women, without them it would be worse. Yes there are lots of problems in every hospital in regards to care of women, but the fact is women do birth in hospitals and we need our best, most passionate midwives there standing beside them or all is lost and it will all become obstectrics care under doctors sole control with "ob nurses". If no one has the passion to work in the hospitals who's left??????? We are never going to get anywhere if its so easy for external forces to cause us to turn on each other so easily "United we stand, divided we fall"??????????? Yes there are going to be differences of opinion which we are all entitled to express, thats what I love about the country we live in. But we must have one goal and that is to get and give the absolute best care for women and their families no mater whether they turn up at a Birthing Centre, Hospital, in their own home or where ever. We must fight to be the worlds BEST place to have a child and make every pregnant women wish they could birth here no matter where she goes in Australia. This is the first time I have ever written anything on here so as you can tell this has sparked an interest in me. And I hope it makes sence! Amanda ----- Original Message ----- From: "wump fish" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au> Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2005 2:25 PM Subject: RE: [ozmidwifery] re: hospital based midwife > > It is sad to hear yet another hospital midwife feeling under attack. It > can be argued that hospital midwives have an even greater role to play in > changing the maternity service and catering for women's needs. I turned > down the chance of working as an independent in the UK because I believed > that the women in hospital needed me more. They were birthing in a strange > environment amongst strangers, many in vulnerable social situations. The > statistics demonstrated the poor chances these women had of avoiding an > instrumental birth or c-section. > > It is because most women give birth in hospitals, and because the > statistics for physiological birth are shocking - that hospital midwives > are so important. It is time we asked ourselves how we can improve these > outcomes for women and increase satisfaction rates. Many of us are, and as > I have said, I have come across far more motivated midwives in the > Australian hospital system than the UK. Let's not kid ourselves that there > is not a lot to fight for if we do not want to end up as obstetric nurses. > We are prevented in many ways from making our own clinical judgements by > guidelines, policies etc. We are prevented from developing and maintaining > midwifery skills such as waterbirth, suturing, full spectrum care - in > some hospitals even catching the baby. > > It is only by acknowledging our position and refusing to accept that over > 30% of women (fit and healthly by global comparison) are unable to give > birth without an operation. By looking at our own contribution to > individual care and to the midwifery profession. By standing together as > midwives regardless of where we practise that we can start to change > things for ourselves and the women we care for. > > We need to stop taking discussion and debate personally and take a leaf > out of the drs book. Discuss, question, debate.... and learn. I am pleased > that this debate has drawn some lurkers out to provide us with their > valuable perspective we would otherwise have been ignorant of. > > Rachel - another hospital midwife > > > > >>From: "mariet" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>Reply-To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au >>To: <ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au> >>Subject: [ozmidwifery] re: hospital based midwife >>Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2005 10:30:49 +1100 > >>I wanted to respond to this because it touches something I've felt for a >>while. I've been a lurker on this list for ages but not a contributor >>because, despite many years as a midwife (and I use the term advisedly, I >>don't consider myself an obstetric nurse) I've had the impression from the >>language used on this forum that the work I do and even the women I look >>after is somehow not as valuable or important as community based midwifery >>or birth centre care. I don't for a moment think that this is the stated >>position of most of the contributors to this list. But to a hospital based >>midwife it certainly can come across that way. I've never been accused of >>being a shrinking violet but I haven't cared to expose myself here, to >>dismissive comments about the place I choose to work or the people I work >>with. Not all hospital midwives do their 8 or 10 hour shift and ignore it >>for the rest of the day. >> >>People are people. I have had atrocious handovers of care from the midwife >>on the shift before me. I have also had atrocious handovers of care, or >>refusal to share antenatal findings, from homebirth midwives bringing >>women into hospital. >> >>Women who come to the place where I work come from a wide cross section of >>the community. Many come from countries where English is not the first >>language. Some are highly educated, some are illiterate. There are early >>attenders and women having their fourth child in succession without >>booking in or having any antenatal care. Not to put too fine a point on >>it, not all families are committed to providing the best start for their >>babies. As midwives we give care to all these women, the best we can. >> >>I joined this list in the hope of learning more and gaining support for >>some of the difficult times and knotty questions that arise. I've learned >>heaps and am so glad I joined; getting different viewpoints from the ones >>I encounter every day has been so valuable and opened my mind to many new >>things. >> But I can't say I've been confident that I would receive support, I came >> to the conclusion long ago that my place of work would overshadow what I >> had to say and I do not feel inclined to apologise for the fact that not >> only do I work in a hospital Delivery Suite, I even feel satisfactin and >> joy in much of what I do. >> >>Another hospital midwife > > _________________________________________________________________ > Be the first to hear what's new at MSN - sign up to our free newsletters! > http://www.msn.co.uk/newsletters > > -- > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.12.6/152 - Release Date: 10/31/2005 > > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.12.6/152 - Release Date: 10/31/2005 -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
