October 31, 2002

Caerphilly Birth Centre in Wales

The Caerphilly Birth centre is a special place in Wales. For the past five years it was operating as a small obstetric unit then it closed, to re-open as a midwifery led Birth Centre in February of this year. They have 29 midwives, who operate pre and post natal clinics for women giving birth in the Birth Centre but also in other units in the area, including the Royal Gwent Hospital in Cardiff.

So far, there have been 140 births in the Birth Centre this year, well above the predicted number for the first year, and their results have been outstanding. Only 11% of women have had to be transferred to the main hospital and they have reduced their use of pethidine to only 7%. More and more women are also choosing a homebirth with the midwives - up to 10% at present and rising.

They have been told they will have to drop staff numbers by about 7 midwives as they are overstaffed. Naturally no-one wants to move - the midwives in this unit love their job and are really enjoy the births they are able to facilitate - all very normal.

At the Royal Gwent, the picture is very different. This is a very high tech unit with high epidural and caesarean rates. They are chronically short staffed, so as an interim measure, “Caerphilly midwives” (as they are labelled by Gwent staff) are being seconded to work shifts there. None of the Birth Centre midwives like this arrangement because they are under constant pressure to work in non woman friendly ways and to justify their reluctance to adhere to the strict protocols in the unit. Whilst these midwives shouldn’t be subjected to the bullying they are obviously getting, they could re-frame their shifts in the Gwent in a different light - as an opportunity to show their colleagues there is another way of working. They are unlikely to be sacked, so this gives them enormous power to state their position clearly and to buck the current system. This may be a very uncomfortable and unfamiliar role to adopt, but it could be the making of them...... they should recognise their talents and start trumpeting their special qualities that enable normal births to occur even in a rather hostile, medically dominated setting. Now there is a real challenge - are they going to be up to it?

Posted by andrea at October 31, 2002 04:46 PM

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Hi Andrea

Just a short note to say that the Birth Centre in Caerphilly has actually had 150 births since January, still not enough! I have every confidence that we will resolve all the issues within the birth centre. Thanks for your support for the unit. I'll speak to you soon.

Tracey

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