[ozmidwifery] Massive Infant Massage-athon
Title:
Special event!!!
Massive infant Massage-athon
at The Windsor!
The Bonnie Babes Foundation in conjunction with Infant Massage
Australia are conducting a record breaking Baby Massage-a-thon at The
Windsor, 103 Spring Street, Melbourne, on Tuesday 23rd September 10.00am -
12.00.
Bring your mums
group!! Giveaways!!! Prizes!!!
Parents and babies between the ages of newborn and 12 months
old, are invited to come along and learn how to massage your baby, and be a
part of our record breaking event to coincide with National Babies Day. A small
fee of $10.00 is payable on the day and all proceeds are to the Bonnie Babes
Foundation. To book, please call Laura (03) 9758 2800
The Bonnie Babes
Foundation supports families who have experienced pregnancy loss through
medical research, training grief counsellors and a 24 national counselling
line. See www.bbf.org.au
~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Workshops
Infant
massage with Pinky McKay
Learn infant massage
at a series of four weekly classes. Next series begins on Friday 10 October.
Saturday series of three weeks for couples begins on October 18.Cost $75 per
family, includes oils and handouts. Bookings email [EMAIL PROTECTED] or phone Pinky (03)
98011997.
{Pinky
is a certified infant massage instructor and a member of Infant Massage
Australia).
Terrific Toddlers
Learn how to enjoy and enhance this special stage next workshop
on Sat 27 Sept (Fairfield), Bookings essential (only a couple of places left)
email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
or phone 03 98011997.
~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Highly Recommended!
Pinkys books 100 Ways to Calm the Crying
and Parenting By Heart have been recommended by the Australian Association of
Infant Mental Health.
Special Offer!!! Credit card orders
accepted!
Parenting By Heart and 100 Ways to
Calm the Crying can be ordered through Pinkys website www.pinky-mychild.com.
Copies will be signed requests for inscriptions are welcome postage is FREE
within Australia! Post (P.O.Box
5265 Studfield, Vic, 3152) or fax (03-98010997) orders $24.95 per copy or Both Books for $45.
For security reasons, please dont email credit card details. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Listen to
your child. Listen to your heart. Trust the connection between you. Love,
laugh, enjoy.
Pinky
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
This newsletter is
brought to you by Pinky McKay, author of Parenting By Heart and 100 Ways to
Calm the Crying. Pinky is a Melbourne based writer and editor specialising in
health, education and family issues. To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit www.pinky-mychild.com
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RE: [ozmidwifery] Saturday Courier Mail double page spread
Title: Message Mez think- .the lucrative reproductive technology decent hours, more money, technically interesting but then they may go for ultrasounds, be at the cutting edge, develop emotionally charged super pictures of smiling babes for equally indulgent parents to be who know no different except they want their moneys worth for the private health insurance they pay. Some obstetrician are so good they then become state president of AMAQ and bellyache oops but then again that shows my bias. Cheers Barb -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of jayne Sent: Sunday, 14 September 2003 10:06 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Saturday Courier Mail double page spread I wonder why they're doing obstetrics then How many years are they wasting training in obstetrics when they don't plan on working in this department? At least 25 per cent of doctors training in obstetrics said they did not plan to deliver babies when they graduated.
[ozmidwifery] Article link from Aviva
Message to ozmid from Aviva - passed on to you all at her request : Long time no read! I'm preparing to apply to do law at Uni Adelaide. Will you still talk to me?? Here's a link to an article in British Medical Journal, of interest to all on Ozmid list. Would you pass it on please? http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/327/7415/604?etoc Love, Aviva
[ozmidwifery] Re: presentation - words of wisdom?
Thanks Jo and Melissa for your responses. Whilst your comments are invaluable, I was actually wonderingabout midwives perceptions on whether they think it is possible to have an active birth in a public hospital. As a clinician myself, I find that it is becoming a rarity to see a woman come intotheunit in which I work and have an active birth, without some formof intervention.Indeed it is not all about the obstetrical model. The last woman I cared for in labour, duringa night shift, was in the unit 10 minutes and stated, "I want an epidural. It is my right!"That's a hard call! Nola
Re: [ozmidwifery] Saturday Courier Mail double page spread
Title: Message Gotcha! Mez think- .the lucrative reproductive technology decent hours, more money, technically interesting but then they may go for ultrasounds, be at the cutting edge, develop emotionally charged super pictures of smiling babes for equally indulgent parents to be who know no different except they want their moneys worth for the private health insurance they pay. Some obstetrician are so good they then become state president of AMAQ and bellyache oops but then again that shows my bias. Cheers Barb -Original Message-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of jayneSent: Sunday, 14 September 2003 10:06 PMTo: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Saturday Courier Mail double page spread I wonder why they're doing obstetrics then How many years are they wasting training in obstetrics when they don't plan on working in this department? At least 25 per cent of doctors training in obstetrics said they did not plan to deliver babies when they graduated.
Re: [ozmidwifery] Re: presentation - words of wisdom?
I think thats it it has to come from the woman ie I want an active birth. ie Thanks fior that information but at the moment I dont want whatever ie arm ctg Yes its possible in a public hospital to be in charge as long as the midwife supports the woman and thats the problem to often the mw has her own agenda ie active birth no drugs intact perinem time management etc if a woman is making an informed chioce then we should support her . [also give har alternatives etc ] Recently I supported a woman through her planned c/s no medical reason the woman had a wonder ful birth experience and her baby and her are bonded and b/f with passion. Her last birth was "normal" and she had severe PND was medicated b/f a disaster and problems with 4 yr old still .She needed to run the show and she did jan ps it was hard for me - Original Message - From: Nola Aicken To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 1:03 AM Subject: [ozmidwifery] Re: presentation - words of wisdom? Thanks Jo and Melissa for your responses. Whilst your comments are invaluable, I was actually wonderingabout midwives perceptions on whether they think it is possible to have an active birth in a public hospital. As a clinician myself, I find that it is becoming a rarity to see a woman come intotheunit in which I work and have an active birth, without some formof intervention.Indeed it is not all about the obstetrical model. The last woman I cared for in labour, duringa night shift, was in the unit 10 minutes and stated, "I want an epidural. It is my right!"That's a hard call! Nola
Re: [ozmidwifery] Re: presentation - words of wisdom?
Hi Nola, I guess it depends on where you are. The woman (primigravida) I birthed with at 0615 today wanted an epidural but being in a small hospital and one of our GP anaesthetists being on leave it was not going to happen so she was told that if she really wanted it she would be transferred. She managed beautifully without, though she did have Pethidine (by hook or by crook) 7 hrs prior to the birth. Her contractions were so spaced out that she would definitely have been talked into synto in most places (and maybe even here during the day) but though it was offered it was declined and she birthed beautifully of her own accord. Baby on the breast and feeding like a trooper within 45 mins despite low apgars at one and five minutes (miles of cord entwined many times around neck and body). A satisfying shift. Cheers Judy From: "Nola Aicken" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [ozmidwifery] Re: presentation - words of wisdom? Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2003 01:03:02 +1000 Thanks Jo and Melissa for your responses. Whilst your comments are invaluable, I was actually wondering about midwives perceptions on whether they think it is possible to have an active birth in a public hospital. As a clinician myself, I find that it is becoming a rarity to see a woman come into the unit in which I work and have an active birth, without some form of intervention. Indeed it is not all about the obstetrical model. The last woman I cared for in labour, during a night shift, was in the unit 10 minutes and stated, "I want an epidural. It is my right!" That's a hard call! Nola Hot chart ringtones and polyphonics. Click here -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit to subscribe or unsubscribe.
RE: [ozmidwifery] What an inspiration...
Title: What an inspiration... Dear Susan, Thanks for sharing your background and congratulations on the Body Soul Sunday Telegraph coverage - I did read it and well done! I hope you get many more enquiries and participants from the story and thanks so much for your inspiration and passion to offer such a beautiful and needed space. I know that Tracey Askew has been speaking withyour colleague JannineBarron and that they have decided to postpone thePregnancy Retreat planned for Bundanoon next week until they can do more marketing and get more numbers. Hopefully this coverage will raise more awareness for all of us who are working with bringing back the sacred in birthing and the rite of passage into motherhood. Congratulations again... Warm regards Maree Lipschitz Motherhood Mysteries11 Oakley RoadBondi NSW 2026Ph/Fx: (02)9130 7283Mob: 0417 428 007Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Web: www.motherhoodmysteries.com.au 'Nurturing mothers through ceremonies workshopsthat explore the inner experience of motherhood as a timeless _expression_ of the feminine spirit' -Original Message-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Susan BasserSent: Wednesday, September 10, 2003 5:23 PMTo: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: [ozmidwifery] What an inspiration...Hi thereMy name is Sue Basser and Ive been an avid reader of your discussions. Not only am I learning a lot, but Im also inspired by your collective commitment to the empowerment of women, as the centre of the birth experience.I feel inspired to share my story and in fact the reason I am on this discussion group.I live in Byron Bay and although I have never had a child myself, I have been a support person to 6 friends 1 in the old Paddington Birth centre, 4 homebirths and 1 home to hospital birth. I love being a support person in birth and I feel privileged to have experienced such sacred and joyous moments.My lifes work, I guess is broader. I have always been committed to the process of empowerment, as a youth worker, as a community facilitator, as an organisational development consultant, and as a counsellor and healer. More recently I have moved this life long commitment into the area of organising retreats an opportunity for an individual or a group to take time out to connect with self and purpose, and to renew .thus the name of my business, Byron Renewal. I believe that we all have the capacity to know what we need in our lives, to live to our highest. Sometimes, we dont make the time or space to remember that, so a retreat can provide that opportunity.Anyway, one day my dear friend, whose 2 births I supported, Jannine Barron (founder of Natures Child), asked me if I would work with her to create a retreat for pregnant women. I felt honored to join with her and especially honored to create a space for women to acknowledge and prepare for the potentially most empowering experience a woman will have giving birth.Drawing on the vast and extraordinary expertise in our North Coast region, we pulled together an amazing specialist team midwife, childbirth educator, pregnancy masseurs, ante natal yoga teacher, belly dance teacher, hypnobirth practitioner, healers, naturopath, preggie photograper, belly painter and caster, oceanic body worker And created a 4 day program of nurturing, pampering, relaxation, inspiration, celebration and empowerment ~ The Byron Pregnancy Retreat.Then in August, we ran our first retreat. Six women came from Sydney (4), Sunshine Coast (1) and local (1). And I have to say, it was the best thing Ive ever been a part of. Pregnant women are amazing. The depth that the women were prepared to go, in connecting with their baby and with themselves was amazing. It was a profound experience for me, and I spent most of my time making cups of tea!Some of the things women said afterwards were: The retreat has left me with a sense of profound liberation with my pregnancy and given me the strength to do everything I can to ensure a sacred and fulfilling experience for me and my baby. Thank You. I came here, quite terrified of my birth and I leave feeling fearless and empowered I feel like Ive re found the real me at this retreatI was surprised at the level of transformation that took place. One woman said, that had she been told that the retreat was going to do that, she would have thought she didnt need it. Then at the celebration circle on the last day, this same woman was in tears as she shared how much shed changed within herself.More than anything these women realised that the birth experience is theirs (and their babies of course) .and that it belongs to no one else. They acknowledged that although they had been told so many horror stories by family and friends, they could choose to start with the premise that an easy,
[ozmidwifery] Hello again
Dear List, It is with pleasure that I have rejoined the ozmidwifery list from my new position at the ACMI. Some of you may know of me from my former life as national president of the Maternity Coalition or as someone involved with the National Maternity Action Plan. I finished that job with mixed feelings of relief and regret in early July and started at the College a few weeks later. I am very excited about working for the ACMI for the next 3 years. It's an exciting time for midwives at present, with new opportunities and momentum to address the challenges facing the midwifery profession and to give both midwives and women greater choice about how they work/are cared for. I will post to the list any media releases the College issues, as well as general information that may be of interest. Please contact me off list by email or phone if there is anything about the ACMI, its activities or policies that you want to discuss. It's nice to be back on the list regards Barb. Dr Barbara Vernon Executive Officer Australian College of Midwives Inc Level 1, 97 Northbourne Ave TURNER ACT 2612 Ph: 02 6230 7333 Fax: 02 6230 6033 www.acmi.org.au -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit http://www.acegraphics.com.au to subscribe or unsubscribe.
[ozmidwifery] Media releases from ACMI - Labour Pain
Dear all, At the risk of sending you slightly old news - I'm sending copies of the media releases I prepared and issued during the Midwifery conference in Darwin the week before last. We got strong media interest - over 20 radio stations, and some major newspapers and television. For your info If you'd like to know more about any of them, pls contact me off list. Dr Barbara Vernon Executive Officer Australian College of Midwives Inc Level 1, 97 Northbourne Ave TURNER ACT 2612 Ph: 02 6230 7333 Fax: 02 6230 6033 www.acmi.org.au MEDIA RELEASE Wednesday 3 September 2003 NO RAINBOW WITHOUT RAIN: NO BABY WITHOUT PAIN! Epidural makes you bored at the most beautiful time of your life, says Dutch midwife of 25 years experience, Ms Beatrijis Smulders. Speaking to a national meeting of midwives from across Australia today, Ms Smulders said that women in the Netherlands expect the pain of labour to be a major challenge, like any other woman does. The difference is that they dont want or use pain relief like epidural because they and their carers know that you keep the birth safe by having pain in labour. The Netherlands has among the lowest rates of maternal and infant death in the developed world. It also has the lowest rates of medical intervention in childbirth. The safest way to have your baby is by having labour pain, Dutch midwife Beatrijis Smulders told a national meeting of Australian midwives today. Your task as a woman is to have a strong labour, Ms Smulders said. Midwives work to help women be strong in themselves and to embrace the pain of labour as a normal and healthy part of bringing a new human being into the world. It is normal for women to have moments during their labour when they feel fearful. So be fearful for a while but dont try to control it. Then your body takes over and your baby is born. In the Netherlands, the vast majority of women give birth in the care of a midwife, who services are free to the woman. Only women who have a medical problem have an obstetrician, says Ms Smulders. And when the woman needs an obstetrician it is because something is wrong. If you are going to take the responsibility for a safe birth you should take the responsibility for the pain. MEDIA CONTACT via Dr Barbara Vernon 0438 855 529 -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit http://www.acegraphics.com.au to subscribe or unsubscribe.
[ozmidwifery] Media release - Birth Costings
Another Darwin releaseFYI. Dr Barbara Vernon Executive Officer Australian College of Midwives Inc Level 1, 97 Northbourne Ave TURNER ACT 2612 Ph: 02 6230 7333 Fax: 02 6230 6033 www.acmi.org.au MEDIA RELEASE Friday 5 September 2003 MIDWIFERY KEY TO EASING PRESSURE ON HOSPITAL FUNDING The signing of the Australian Health Care Agreements by State and Territory governments last week has created an urgent new need for find cost savings in the delivery of health services. The national conference of midwives being held in Darwin will be hearing today that some Australian research, published in the latest edition of the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, highlights the potential for dramatic savings in maternity services that could be achieved through greater use of continuity of care by midwives. There has never been a more critical time for state and territory governments to look at reform of maternity services than now, says Dr Sally Tracy, Professor of Midwifery at the University of Technology, Sydney. The overuse of medical procedures for women having babies is costing state and territories governments millions of dollars a year more than is necessary to deliver safe evidence based and effective childbirth services. Professor Tracy says. The use of epidural is the key trigger for a cascade of other medical procedures during childbirth. What women arent being told is that when they have an epidural they are exposing themselves and their babies to at least twice the risk of their baby needing to be pulled from their body with forceps or vacuum, or removed through a major abdominal operation. Prof Tracy will be telling delegates at the Darwin conference that the high levels of medical intervention now commonplace across Australia are not necessary to achieving the best outcomes for women and babies. In fact the reverse could be true. Many of these procedures have not been evaluated for their safety or their long term impact on women. Nor are they necessary in many cases to ensuring mothers and babies stay healthy. Professor Tracys research, called Costing the Cascade shows that for the tens of thousands of healthy women in NSW having a baby, the relative cost of birth increased by up to 50% per birth for women having first baby and 36% for women having second or later baby once the cascade of intervention began. A proven strategy for lowering intervention rates and their associated costs, is the use of continuity of care by midwives for women during pregnancy and childbirth. Funding of midwifery services can be achieved without increasing budgets for maternity services and would in fact deliver significant savings. A system change that makes much greater use of the skills of midwives is long overdue. MEDIA CONTACT via Dr Barbara Vernon0438 855 529 -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit http://www.acegraphics.com.au to subscribe or unsubscribe.
[ozmidwifery] Media release - midwifery workforce
Dear all, Another media release issued in Darwin Dr Barbara Vernon Executive Officer Australian College of Midwives Inc Ph: 02 6230 7333 MEDIA RELEASE Thursday 4 September 2003 CALL FOR NATIONAL ACTION TO AVERT MATERNITY CRISIS Maternity services are facing a crisis in the next 3 years unless there are concerted efforts to attract newcomers to the midwifery profession and to provide more rewarding work opportunities for existing midwives, a national forum of midwives in Darwin heard today. The comments came following the release last month of an Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee (AHWAC) Report on the Midwifery Workforce, which showed that Australia has a national shortage of midwives. The report shows that in most States and Territories midwives are leaving the profession faster than new students are being trained with more than 1,800 positions currently unable to be filled. With the midwifery workforce ageing, this national shortage is expected to worsen in the next 3 years. Together with a reduction in the number of obstetricians, the decline in the midwifery workforce will force closures of maternity services and less choice for pregnant women unless the federal and state governments act promptly now. One of the key strategies for addressing the impending crisis in maternity services from too few midwives is to provide opportunities for more satisfying and fulfilling work for midwives said Ms Pat Brodie, Vice President of the Australian College of Midwives and one of the presenters at the Darwin conference. Midwives graduate and are ready to fulfil their role according to the international standard, but sadly their skills are quickly lost because of lack of access to satisfying work experiences. The current models of care restrict and limit the scope of the midwives practice and only serve to increase the medicalisation that is at epidemic proportions in Australia. The crisis is here now said Ms Brodie and midwives will not stay if they cant fulfil their role. The crisis in professional indemnity insurance affecting both obstetricians and midwives presents a major opportunity for a new approach to maternity care that would see midwives working in partnership with women. The Darwin conference has brought together more than 400 midwives from across Australia, including practicing midwives, senior midwifery managers, educators and employers to discuss problems with the workforce and other issues facing the profession. Australian College Of Midwives Incorporated MEDIA CONTACT via: Dr Barbara VernonMob: 0438 855 529 -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit http://www.acegraphics.com.au to subscribe or unsubscribe.
[ozmidwifery] Media release - indigenous birthing
Last one... FYI Dr Barbara Vernon Executive Officer Australian College of Midwives Inc Level 1, 97 Northbourne Ave TURNER ACT 2612 Ph: 02 6230 7333 Fax: 02 6230 6033 www.acmi.org.au Media RELEASE Friday 5 September 2003 SEPARATION OF MOTHERS AND BABIES DOES NOT WORK In a country that prides itself in providing safe maternity care too many Indigenous women and babies are still dying, a national meeting of midwives being held in Darwin heard yesterday. National statistics show the rate of death for Indigenous mothers is 2 to 3 times higher than for non-Indigenous mothers. The reliance on high tech obstetric services has been unable to improve these poor outcomes. The practice of separating women from their communities and towns to give birth at obstetric centers is in urgent need of review was the message from a number of speakers at the Darwin conference yesterday. The wider implications of transferring women to regional centers to give birth adds to the emerging social disintegration of families. Indigenous women are saying You mob just arent listening. Giving birth with family support has been shown to make a difference. Midwives, Aboriginal health workers, and older Aboriginal women working together with communities, make births safer. The health of the next generation is also at risk. We now know that the high rate of Indigenous babies born too small or too soon will affect the future levels of chronic disease in Indigenous communities. Aboriginal controlled health services like Congress Alukura in Alice Springs, while showing improved outcomes for pregnant women, have never been adequately resourced to provide the service those women want. Many Indigenous women across the NT want culturally safe birth with the support of midwives, health workers and families in both hospital and community settings, the conference heard. International evidence in Canada, the United States and New Zealand demonstrates that safe and effective maternity care can be provided in remote settings to Indigenous populations. The Australian College of Midwives urges both the federal and state governments to listen to Aboriginal women and to act now to provide services that improve outcomes for Indigenous mothers and babies. The conference being held in Darwin this week is the national biennial conference of the Australian College of Midwives and has brought together more than 400 midwives from across Australia, including managers, practitioners and educators. MEDIA CONTACT: Sue Kildea 0418 289 199 -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit http://www.acegraphics.com.au to subscribe or unsubscribe.
FW: [ozmidwifery] Interesting stats on doctors quitting
Somewhat belatedly, The ACMI put out a release in response to the RANZCOG report and we did get a few media interviews in Vic and ACT. For info... Barb Vernon. MEDIA RELEASE Friday, 22 August 2003 MIDWIVES: SOLUTION TO QUITTING DOCTORS 'Midwives, as specialists in normal birth, are well placed to fill the gap expected to be created by private obstetricians quitting practice in the next few years' said Vanessa Owen, President of the Australian College of Midwives. Ms Owen was commenting on a survey released today by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, reporting that as many as 150 of Australia's 300 privately practicing obstetricians plan to leave obstetrics in the next 5 years. 'Women often choose a private obstetrician because it's been the only way to have certainty about who will be there at the birth', Ms Owen said. 'But as every woman knows who's ever been cared for by her own midwife throughout pregnancy, labour and birth, having your own midwife is a fantastic alternative'. 'Research has proven that continuity of midwifery care is safe, cost effective, and delivers better outcomes for mothers and babies' said Associate Professor Sally Tracy, at the University of Technology in Sydney. 'Women have less need of obstetric procedures, higher satisfaction with their birth, and less vulnerability to post-natal depression'. Indeed research published in the British Medical Journal shows that healthy women with normal pregnancies who use a private obstetrician are twice as likely to have interventions such as induction, vacuum extraction or caesarean section than women without their own private doctor. Current shortages of midwives across Australia can be readily addressed if the federal government would fund places for would be students. In 2003, more than 1,500 people applied for places in Bachelor of Midwifery courses, for 120 places. 'The federal government should take urgent steps now to fund Bachelor of Midwifery student places, as a positive strategy to minimizing the impact on women of private doctors quitting obstetrics in the next few years' Ms Owen said. 'Midwives have a crucial role to play in providing care to the healthy majority of women and in collaborating with obstetricians to care for the minority of women who really need medical care during labour and birth.' MEDIA CONTACT: Dr Barbara Vernon, Executive Officer02 6230 73330438 8555 529 -- From: pauline [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2003 09:41:38 +1000 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Interesting stats on doctors quitting There is a very similar article in today's Melbourne Herald-sun( page 17 - Mums-to-be face crisis) what are all these women going to do with no doctors to deliver their babies.. - Original Message - From: Andrea Robertson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2003 8:09 AM Subject: [ozmidwifery] Interesting stats on doctors quitting This article appears in today's (Saturday) Sydney Morning Herald. What is interesting (amongst other things) is the assumption that the public system won't cope with the extra numbers of women who are not using the private hospitals. These numbers are not high, in the overall scheme of 250,000 babies born each year in Australia. When you think how much these few women cost the taxpayer from over-servicing (i.e. unnecessary interventions) by obstetricians, we might all be better off if they just use our excellent public hospitals! Andrea -- Pressure to deliver - the private crisis By Ruth Pollard, Health Writer August 23, 2003 Almost half the country's obstetricians are planning to abandon private practice in the next five years, affecting the delivery of up to 17,000 babies by 2008. Some will enter the public hospital system and others will practise gynaecology and related specialties. But it was not just medical indemnity that was driving the doctors away, it was the constant pressures of practice and its impact on family life, a survey by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists found. The college's president, Andrew Child, said the drift from private practice illustrated a cultural change within the profession. It is that commitment in private obstetrics to being available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for your patients, particularly for solo practitioners, that affects people, Dr Child said. It is possibly a generational thing: the concept of being on call 168 hours per week is something that the younger generation just won't consider. When obstetrician Amanda Dennis and her husband decided to have a family, she knew she could not balance her family life with private practice
