June 19, 2003

Meddling in the affairs of midwives?

Yesterday I had a classic case of “shoot the messenger” syndrome. We were discussing the ways that the topic of pain is covered in classes and exploring how we could be sure that women are given all the information about the various effects and consequences of taking drugs during labour. It was clear that there were a couple of midwives who felt very uncomfortable about this session, and afterwards on the feedback one of them wrote that she was “sick and tired of non-midwives telling midwives what to do” when women clearly wanted to take drugs for easing the pain.

It has been a long time since anyone levelled the charge that I was a “non-midwife” meddling in the affairs of midwives. The fact that I am not a midwife has always been a great advantage to my work and I have never found it to be a problem. In fact, I know a lot about midwifery and have learn much from the many women whose births I have shared. No-one can claim to be an “expert” anyway, given that there are so many possibilities when it comes to the way women manage their labours.

Perhaps this midwife was feeling embarrassed by her lack of knowledge on the topics we were exploring ( I am often surprised that midwives are not aware of the effects of these drugs on the baby and also the research that has been done on the long term effects of pethidine and nitrous oxide) and I realise that these can be uncomfortable subjects for a midwife who has been happy to provide women with any drug that either she or mother thinks fit.

Being confronted with a gap in one’s knowledge and the unpalatable fact that some of the information being given to parents may be lacking, or even inaccurate, is difficult for an educator. We all must try to keep up with the research and be ready to change our story as new evidence comes to light. It is clear that many practitioners are unaware of the research, and it is part of our role to keep everyone informed. I certainly see my job in this light.

Posted by andrea at June 19, 2003 05:50 PM

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I saw you kept her evaluation form for posterity!!!

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