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Active Birth workshop feedback

Some lovely feedback came in today, from a midwife who attended my Active Birth workshop in Warwick recently. She and her colleagues from Lincoln had been enthusiastic from the start, and they obviously were ready to be energised around making some changes. This is what she wrote to me:

"I attended Andrea’s workshop last weekend in Warwick with four other colleagues. We have gone back to our unit in Lincoln and taken the place by storm!!! The beds are moved, I have placed a large amount of information relating to active birth on our "Taking normality forward" board, our labour ward tour is changing as from this Sunday, the dates are filling up for a new parent workshop I had alreadt planned and there has been a massive change in moral and practice in just the last five days.

Even the doubting Thomases have had to admit there must be something in it with the increase in either reduced analgesia or drug-free normal births many amongst primips. You can almost feel the excitement and eagerness in the air.

I am currently the leader on a 6 month project to take forward normality and felt that the workshop would be a turning point. I had no idea though what a profound effect it would have on the five of us who attended and how quickly it could grow within the unit. We all feel like different midwives and if the growth and change within our labour ward, unit and community continues then we will truly have made a real move towards women centred care.

Thank you Andrea for relighting our passion and belief in midwifery and the wonder of pregnancy and birth".

Jane Kania, Midwife, Lincoln Maternity Unit

I am thrilled to hear of the changes that these midwives have made in their unit. I trust they will keep it up, not always an easy task, given the pressures midwives are under, the system itself (which can be resistant to change) and the reactions of other staff, which can be undermining and demoralising. I was impressed by the commitment of this group, however, and know they will appreciate the impact they will have on the women in their care, and that this will sustain them in the long run. Congratulations to you, Jane, and your colleagues, and best wishes for the future of maternity care in Lincoln.

Posted by andrea at April 27, 2005 10:20 PM