[ozmidwifery] Fw: NSW Heatlh Have your say closes on line 7th of JULY
Hello everyone, If you are interested in letting the State Health Department know some of your concerns about maternity care please go to this online questionnaire and fill it in. I've just done this and it is easy. Took me about 15 minutes to finish. It is a great way to let NSW Health know what you think. Imagine if everyone were to do this. I just kept writing about every birthing women, regardless of risk status being able to access one to one midwifery care. To return a completed questionnaire or to provide comments or a submission. Post to Futures Planning Project, Locked Mail Bag 961, North Sydney NSW 2059. Online form http://www2.health.nsw.gov.au/futuresplanning/Default.cfm Complete the questionnaire online by visiting our website and following the instructions on the screen. By email [EMAIL PROTECTED] For formal submission or to provide responses or comments. By telephone as a recorded message ph 1300 139 250 You can leave a recorded message in response to the questions, or to request information or other assistance.The deadline for all responses, comments and submissions is 7 July 2006 warmly, Carolyn -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit http://www.acegraphics.com.au to subscribe or unsubscribe.
[ozmidwifery] Birth As A Bowel Movement
I had to laugh at this... it's so true!!! Enjoy Natalie BIRTH AS A BOWEL MOVEMENTImagine if you will, that about a hundred years ago, people began having great difficulties having bowel movements (BM for short). It al came about because of some very unhealthy lifestyles. People weren't eating correctly because they were desperately trying to be thin and beautiful. They had malnutrition and took a lot of pills and other drugs to help them become and stay thin. People were so concerned with looking good that they put their health aside to get there. As a result of this lifestyle, many people had a terrible time having BMs. Some people even died. Something had to be done to save these folks. So instead of changing their lifestyles, people flocked to the doctors to have their problem fixed. The problem became so prevalent that people became fearful of having BMs. Everyone dreaded going to the bathroom because of all the horror stories of pain and death. This normal, natural bodily function was labeled dangerous and hazardous and needed to be monitored and controlled to save lives. Over time, it became the "norm" to go the hospital whenever someone had to have a BM so that doctors could monitor the process and intervene if they needed to. This continued through the years and is still practiced today. An onslaught of new life-saving technology and machinery was invented for us in aiding people to have a BM. It has become such a common practice to go to the hospital to have a BM that people have become uninformed. They don't trust their own bodies to have a BM on their own. People are scared to have a BM that having one anywhere besides a hospital is considered irresponsible, dangerous and risky. Even though the old, unhealthy lifestyles, which caused the problem in the first place are no longer practiced, having BMs is no longer considered a normal event. Even the healthiest of people go to the hospital to have BMs out of fear that something might happen. The go "just in case". So, you have to have a BM and even though you are a healthy man and having a BM is a normal, natural physiological function that your body was designed to do, we go to the hospital. We grab the hospital bag and head out the door in a hurry. During the car ride you get very tense because the cramps are coming on strong and you can't get comfortable. You try breathing through them but this only helps a little with all the stop and go traffic and bumps in the road. Not to mention that you just wish you could be at home and have privacy. Upon arrival at the hospital, you are wheeled up to a room and instructed to put on a gown with nothing else on (it has a large opening in the back which will show you rear end if you get up and walk anywhere). You are told to lie down so that a nurse can examine you. Then a strange female nurse comes in and explains that she is going to have to insert 2 fingers into your rectum to check the progress of your feces. You obviously feel humiliated because someone you don't know has just touched a very private and personal part of you. Then the nurse straps a monitor to your belly to measure the severity of your cramps and stick an iv in your arm. This is very distracting and makes the pain of the cramps even worse. Soon, your cramps become stronger and you are getting very uncomfortable. At this point, the nurses change shifts and new nurse comes in. She says she needs to check you again since it's been awhile and you don't seem to be making any progress. She inserts 2 fingers again and shakes her head from side-to-side and gives you a very disapproving look. You have not made any progress. You want to try so badly to relax so you can make progress but with the iv, the strangers, the fingers in your rectum and the negative attitudes of the staff, there are just too many distractions and you can't. By now your cramps are very painful and it takes all you've got to just stay on top of them. The hospital team decides to insert a wire up your anus to determine if, indeed, your cramps are as bad as you say they are. They again insert 2 fingers to check the dilation and fecal decent. They tell you that if you don't make any progress in the next 30 minutes, they may have to cut the feces out. This causes you to be even more tense and you have a hard time trying to relax just knowing what may happen if you can't push it out yourself. After another hour of laying in bed, the female doctor comes in and does yet another exam with 2 fingers because he says he wants to be sure the nurses were doing it right. He feels it is time for you to begin to push. So you are in bed, flat on your back with your feet up in stirrups trying to have a BM and pushing with all your might while the strange nurse and a doctor intently watch your anus. The feces is not coming down fast enough so the doctor decides that your anus must not be big enough for the feces to pass through so they make a large cut in your anus to make it bigger. They
RE: [ozmidwifery] Birth As A Bowel Movement
Have read similar to do with cats birthing. -Original Message-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Natalie DashSent: Monday, 26 June 2006 9:23 PMTo: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.auSubject: [ozmidwifery] Birth As A Bowel Movement I had to laugh at this... it's so true!!! Enjoy Natalie BIRTH AS A BOWEL MOVEMENTImagine if you will, that about a hundred years ago, people began having great difficulties having bowel movements (BM for short). It al came about because of some very unhealthy lifestyles. People weren't eating correctly because they were desperately trying to be thin and beautiful. They had malnutrition and took a lot of pills and other drugs to help them become and stay thin. People were so concerned with looking good that they put their health aside to get there. As a result of this lifestyle, many people had a terrible time having BMs. Some people even died. Something had to be done to save these folks. So instead of changing their lifestyles, people flocked to the doctors to have their problem fixed. The problem became so prevalent that people became fearful of having BMs. Everyone dreaded going to the bathroom because of all the horror stories of pain and death. This normal, natural bodily function was labeled dangerous and hazardous and needed to be monitored and controlled to save lives. Over time, it became the "norm" to go the hospital whenever someone had to have a BM so that doctors could monitor the process and intervene if they needed to. This continued through the years and is still practiced today. An onslaught of new life-saving technology and machinery was invented for us in aiding people to have a BM. It has become such a common practice to go to the hospital to have a BM that people have become uninformed. They don't trust their own bodies to have a BM on their own. People are scared to have a BM that having one anywhere besides a hospital is considered irresponsible, dangerous and risky. Even though the old, unhealthy lifestyles, which caused the problem in the first place are no longer practiced, having BMs is no longer considered a normal event. Even the healthiest of people go to the hospital to have BMs out of fear that something might happen. The go "just in case". So, you have to have a BM and even though you are a healthy man and having a BM is a normal, natural physiological function that your body was designed to do, we go to the hospital. We grab the hospital bag and head out the door in a hurry. During the car ride you get very tense because the cramps are coming on strong and you can't get comfortable. You try breathing through them but this only helps a little with all the stop and go traffic and bumps in the road. Not to mention that you just wish you could be at home and have privacy. Upon arrival at the hospital, you are wheeled up to a room and instructed to put on a gown with nothing else on (it has a large opening in the back which will show you rear end if you get up and walk anywhere). You are told to lie down so that a nurse can examine you. Then a strange female nurse comes in and explains that she is going to have to insert 2 fingers into your rectum to check the progress of your feces. You obviously feel humiliated because someone you don't know has just touched a very private and personal part of you. Then the nurse straps a monitor to your belly to measure the severity of your cramps and stick an iv in your arm. This is very distracting and makes the pain of the cramps even worse. Soon, your cramps become stronger and you are getting very uncomfortable. At this point, the nurses change shifts and new nurse comes in. She says she needs to check you again since it's been awhile and you don't seem to be making any progress. She inserts 2 fingers again and shakes her head from side-to-side and gives you a very disapproving look. You have not made any progress. You want to try so badly to relax so you can make progress but with the iv, the strangers, the fingers in your rectum and the negative attitudes of the staff, there are just too many distractions and you can't. By now your cramps are very painful and it takes all you've got to just stay on top of them. The hospital team decides to insert a wire up your anus to determine if, indeed, your cramps are as bad as you say they are. They again insert 2 fingers to check the dilation and fecal decent. They tell you that if you don't make any progress in the next 30 minutes, they may have to cut the feces out. This causes you to be even more tense and you have a hard time trying to relax just knowing what may happen if you can't push it out yourself. After another hour of laying in bed, the female doctor comes in and does yet another exam with 2 fingers because he
[ozmidwifery] EMTALA Laws
This is something very interesting that I read on aUSA listI belong to. Are the same laws applicable in Australia? It was a particular discussion about VBAC's and how more and more hospitals in the USA are refusing them. regards Diane Gardner PS Looking forward to meeting lots of you in Geelong Here's an interesting little tidbit that I thought you might find enlightening. Borrowed from the RMA List.Subject : The Federal Emergency Treatment and Advanced Labor Act (EMTALA)as it pertains to hospital care for birth.This is taken from the Winter 2006 - Number 76 issue of Midwifery Today:"The federal Emergency Treatment and Advanced Labor Act (EMTALA) requires hopsitals to admit women in active labor and to abide by their treatment wishes until the baby and placenta are delivered. The act wasoriginally passed to prevent hospitals from "dumping" patients who can't pay, but it'ssince been applied in all sorts of other ways and includes specific provisions that apply to laboring women.The attorneys we've consulted on the VBAC ban issue have told us that hospitals are much more afraid of being found in violation of EMTALA than they are of malpractice suits because the act is routinely enforced and eachviolation subjects them to fines between $50,000 and $100,000.I can't emphasize enough the importance to individuals who may find Themselves in this situation of memorizing phrases such as "It's a violation of My rights under EMTALA to force me to undergo a cesarean," or "I'minvokingMy right under EMTALA to refuse a, b, c." Whether the hospital in question says it Bans VBACs is unimportant; according to EMTALA, you have the right to be admitted to a hospital once you're in active labor and, once admitted, you have the right to refuse any recommended treatment. You can also remind them that VBACisn't a treatment, it's the natural culmination of a normal physiological process. Cesareans are the treatment.Also, it's helpful to know that EMTALA begins to apply once you are Anywhere within 250 feet of a hosptial; you don't have to be in the emergency room. You can be standing in the hospital parking lot, and if they so much astouch You against your express consent, they are in violation of EMTALA. For anyone interested in reading more, we've compiled a legal primer on the rights of pregnant women http://www.birthpolicy.orghttp://www.birthpolicy.orgEditor's Note: To learn more about this important subject, go to http://www.emtala.comhttp://www.emtala.com . There you will find frequently asked questions (FAQ), as well as links to the statue and case law."
Re: [ozmidwifery] EMTALA Laws
That's really interesting. You read a LOT on US forums about women being dumped by their surgeons, particularly if the client wants to give birth and the surgeon wants to slice and dice. We really need women in Australia to know that they're in charge, not the hospital staff. Way too many women ask me "Can I say no to anything in the hospy?" but when I say, "Yes, you can say no to EVERYTHING!" I have to also say, "But it's quite possible you'll be totally ignored or it will be taken as a sign to just send in more staff to bully you..." The US situation with midwifery illegal in some states and women being refused VBAC is truly horrifying but it's worth bearing in mind that our c-sec rate was higher than theirs in 2005! We're heading that way! J - Original Message - From: Diane Gardner To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 8:41 AM Subject: [ozmidwifery] EMTALA Laws This is something very interesting that I read on aUSA listI belong to. Are the same laws applicable in Australia? It was a particular discussion about VBAC's and how more and more hospitals in the USA are refusing them. regards Diane Gardner PS Looking forward to meeting lots of you in Geelong Here's an interesting little tidbit that I thought you might find enlightening. Borrowed from the RMA List.Subject : The Federal Emergency Treatment and Advanced Labor Act (EMTALA)as it pertains to hospital care for birth.This is taken from the Winter 2006 - Number 76 issue of Midwifery Today:"The federal Emergency Treatment and Advanced Labor Act (EMTALA) requires hopsitals to admit women in active labor and to abide by their treatment wishes until the baby and placenta are delivered. The act wasoriginally passed to prevent hospitals from "dumping" patients who can't pay, but it'ssince been applied in all sorts of other ways and includes specific provisions that apply to laboring women.The attorneys we've consulted on the VBAC ban issue have told us that hospitals are much more afraid of being found in violation of EMTALA than they are of malpractice suits because the act is routinely enforced and eachviolation subjects them to fines between $50,000 and $100,000.I can't emphasize enough the importance to individuals who may find Themselves in this situation of memorizing phrases such as "It's a violation of My rights under EMTALA to force me to undergo a cesarean," or "I'minvokingMy right under EMTALA to refuse a, b, c." Whether the hospital in question says it Bans VBACs is unimportant; according to EMTALA, you have the right to be admitted to a hospital once you're in active labor and, once admitted, you have the right to refuse any recommended treatment. You can also remind them that VBACisn't a treatment, it's the natural culmination of a normal physiological process. Cesareans are the treatment.Also, it's helpful to know that EMTALA begins to apply once you are Anywhere within 250 feet of a hosptial; you don't have to be in the emergency room. You can be standing in the hospital parking lot, and if they so much astouch You against your express consent, they are in violation of EMTALA. For anyone interested in reading more, we've compiled a legal primer on the rights of pregnant women http://www.birthpolicy.orghttp://www.birthpolicy.orgEditor's Note: To learn more about this important subject, go to http://www.emtala.comhttp://www.emtala.com . There you will find frequently asked questions (FAQ), as well as links to the statue and case law."
[ozmidwifery] Melena stools?
Just wondered if I could pick everyone's brains about my 8 month old grandson who lives in the UK. He has had reflux practically from birth, and is now producing 'black' stools which my daughter says has blood in it (obviously I knew that from the black stools but didn't want to worry her). He is formula fed and has been since birth, however the doctors do not seem worried despite my daughter taking him to see different doctors on many occasions. She is now waiting for a referral to the tertiary hospital to see a specialist - am I worrying un-necessarily? He is putting on lots of weight, and at 8 months old he is in clothessized upto 18 months. I'm afraid that as a midwife, I only really know about newborns! Cheers, Sadie
[ozmidwifery] FW: WOMEN AND DEPRESSION CONFERENCE 2007
FYI jo From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, 27 June 2006 1:37 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: WOMEN AND DEPRESSION CONFERENCE 2007 ANNOUNCING THE SECOND WOMEN AND DEPRESSION CONFERENCE 2007 CARLTON CREST SYDNEY 23 - 24 - 25 MAY 2007 Please pass this information on to whomever you feel might be interested in participating. The Conference Secretariat is now building our new data base. The call for papers will go out at the end of July 2006. Anique Duc For the Conference Secretariat Anique Duc Herwill Creations 21 Mungay Creek Rd WILLAWARRIN 2440 AUSTRALIA Women and Depression Conference 2007 http://www.womenanddepression.herwill.net/ Gather The Women 6th Congress http://www.gatherthewomen.org/ [EMAIL PROTECTED] 61 2 6567 1585
