[ozmidwifery] roadside birth

[Susan Cudlipp]

Dear all In the West Australian Saturday edition was a short piece about the Qld government apologising and 'promising to improve its health services'  following a woman delivering a 34 week stillborn baby en route to Rockhampton hosp on May 16th. The main points reported were: woman went to Emerald hosp with pain at 34 weeks obstetrician and midwife discovered baby had died woman referred to Rockhampton 270 kms away because "was at high risk of having a breech birth" sent in own car as "she was not displaying any signs of labour" went into labour 20 kms from Rockhampton and stillborn baby delivered by husband This sounds soooo crazy!  Why could she not be cared for at Emerald hosp by the "midwife and obstetrician" who saw her there? Why was she sent on a 3 hour drive away from her family at such a traumatic time? Why did an obstetrician feel unable to deliver a breech despite the fact that it was a 34 week baby who had very sadly died prior to labour - surely the medical reasoning for NOT doing a vaginal breech birth  is supposed  to be about the baby's safety????  Or are they all now so fearful of babies coming bum first that they will not even allow a stillborn baby to arrive that way.   According to the West the concern is about whether or not she should have been sent by ambulance.  My concern is why it was deemed necessary to send this poor couple ANYWHERE in these circumstances.   Can anyone shed some light on this?  Following the "Bringing Birth back Home" theme of the weekend this story really saddened me. Sue