September 15, 2003

Workshop stories

The group today in Sydney were a very diverse. Some had years of midwifery experience and others were relative newcomers to the profession. We have childbirth educators and doulas as well - an interesting mix that is always a strength of these Active Birth workshops.

We talked about the new developments in midwifery and the need for midwives to retain and develop their skills. There were the usual mix of stories about working as a midwife in our hospitals - some terrific, many ridiculous. The prize for “silliness” goes to one of our largest public teaching hospitals in Sydney who have just moved into a brand new facility. Even though they knew they would need to update the skills of their staff so they could assist at water births in the new baths, this was not done, and so a compromise has been put in place. If a woman using a bath during labour develops a problem, the midwife must call for lifting equipment so that he hapless woman can be removed, without endangering the staff. Imagine levering a woman in advanced labour into a lifting contraption! Of course, it is assumed she is completely unable to help herself! By the time the lifting gear is in place and the removal has been completed, who knows how the baby and mother might be faring? It would have been so much easier to train up the staff, given that managing a water birth is so simple and easy for a midwife.

Several of the participants are from private hospitals, where the caesarean rates are sky high. Obstetricians, fearing litigation, are adopting “slash and burn” tactics to scare women into thinking that the care of a doctor is essential for the well being of their baby. One of the childbirth educators told me that parents int her classes are insisting the “only this doctor could have saved the baby”, obviously parroting information they have been given by the doctor himself. This educator thinks that doctors are taking acting lessons to “ham up” the gravity or seriousness of a situation so that they can justify what they see as their pivotal role in the ensuring the safety of birth. She might have something there..... I have certainly been at a birth (many years ago now) where, after a particularly heavy handed, and quite possibly unnecessary forceps birth, the obstetrician (the Medical Superintendent of the hospital at the time) leaned forward over the exhausted and battered woman, held up his gloved hands and pronounced “these hands have saved your baby”! I was too shocked to even feel sick, but the woman was very grateful and showered thanks over him. These guys give the caring and empathetic doctors a bad name and most (but not all) have now disappeared into retirement. Good riddance.

Posted by andrea at September 15, 2003 08:51 PM

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