Re: Oz OB's

[TinaPettigrew]

Hi Lynne, Deb and fellow listers,

earlier this year in my birth support work, I too experienced a WONDERFUL woman OB....her approach to the situation we were working with was just sooooo different to her male colleagues that we had also encountered over the two days. These OB's were just disgraceful and could offer nothing to the woman concerned other than hostility, threats and intimidation and power plays beyond your wildest dreams.....totally unproductive and outright contentious which only served to inflame the situation and compound already major stresses....However, the particular woman OB's approach to the situation at hand was just so different and very SIMPLE - respectful and humanistic. 

This OB sat along side the woman, instead of towering over her, she actively and respectively LISTENED, instead of reading the riot act and dictating how it was all going to be, she shared her opinions, she shared her advice, she listened some more and consulted openly and honestly with ALL in the team who were there committed to seeing that the best was made of a very shitty situation. She respected the woman's wishes and TOGETHER they came to the decisions of how and when to proceed.

See simple...now why can't they all be like that?? If only they woke up and realised that they too would feel better and get further in their work with women if they just would quit with the out right authoritative and abusive stance typically taken.
"The power of authoritative knowledge is not that it is correct, but that it counts" ?? (Brigette Jordan)

For me what its all about is, in whatever capacity we work 'with woman'  -  it is to be respectful and humanistic in our approach and reflective about how our interactions affect the women we work with ???

Yours in birth
Tina Pettigrew
B Mid Student knee deep in researching midwifery and GENDER !!!!!