Hi Julie,
I worked in a private hospital in Hobart for a short time when working and travelling. The disadvantages were working within a medical model of care with high intervention rates and the birth being directed by the obstetrician. I only stayed a short time as I felt I would lose my midwifery skills if I stayed longer. The obstetricians even did their own VE's most of the time.
The midwives at this hospital were lucky as they got to do the 'catch' with normal births, with the obstetrician present. I do have some good memories of 3 primips I looked after that birthed how they wanted to...... one squatted to birth her 9 pound baby (intact) and then had a physiological third stage, one stood to birth her OP baby and another laboured in the bath and birthed her baby (out of the bath) with no analgesia. To me these were a win in a system where most women labour on
the bed with an epidural. But it is quite disempowering for the midwife that after the birth, the obstetrician takes over delivering the placenta, as if the midwife isn't capable. I would have to agree with others in that it isn't practising midwifery in the truest sense of the word. You don't get to do any antenatal care or get to meet the women before they are in labour. Having said that I know that there are many midwives working in this system ( for their own reasons) who are doing their best to work with the women and give them the best birth possible. Anyway this is just my experience. Possibly other places are different...... one I can think of is Selangor in Nambour.
Cheers
Michelle
Julie Garratt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Julie Garratt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Dear wise women,I'm wanting to get an idea on what the disadvantages and benefits are to working in a private hospital . I must admit, as a direct entry midwife, I probably have a less than positive view of the private system having been told by lecturers that doing clinical placement there would be a waste of time. ( You become very "birth centric"' when you have to catch 40 babies to register). I think I'm asking for a balanced view here if one exists.Julie, longtime daily lurker :)
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