Fabulous! Thanks for sharing. Jen
--- Tania Smallwood <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Ahhh, god love him, John Svigos says that midwives > can't do caesareans... > > http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,11369843%255E2682,00.html > > > > Midwives deliver what mums need most > By LISA ALLISON and MIA HANDSHIN > 13nov04 > EXPECTANT mothers are turning to midwives to deliver > their babies, driven by spiralling obstetric fees > and dwindling birthing services. > > Limited birthing options might even be turning more > women towards home births but doctors are worried > they are not safe. > > At Mount Barker, only 400 of the 1600 pregnant women > are using the district hospital's maternity services > while hundreds of women are waiting at Adelaide's > Women's and Children's Hospital for midwife > services. > > Co-head of the Midwifery Group Practice Anne Nixon > said there were 200 women on the waiting list for > the unit, which offered continuity of care. Women > are cared for by a main midwife and a back-up so > they will know the person who helps deliver their > baby. > > The unit has 13 full-time equivalent midwives but is > set to expand by another six, doubling the unit's > capacity to 1000 births over the next year. > > That is still unlikely to meet demand, given the > unit only takes in women from a 20km radius around > the hospital. > > Ms Nixon said women often chose midwifery because > private obstetrics could increase the amount of > medical intervention during birth. > > Her colleague and co-unit director Roz > Donnellan-Fernandez said the continuity of care the > unit provided led to impressive results when > compared to the hospital's other maternity services. > > > The unit's vaginal birthrate is 24 per cent higher > and epidural rate 24 per cent lower – a saving of up > to $1500 a woman. > > Adelaide obstetrician Dr John Svigos, who practices > privately and at the Women's and Children's, > however, disagreed doctors "intervened"; they > "assisted" women to have children. He acknowledged, > however, many women did prefer midwives. He said > midwives and doctors should always work together. > The doctor needed to be there as back-up. > > "Midwives are not trained to do caesareans," Dr > Svigos said. "I don't pretend that we can give the > same care as a midwife but, if there is a problem, I > can deal with it." > > He pointed out many women were happy with hospital > births, using "all the technology they can lay their > hands on". > > Adelaide midwife of 12 years, Wendy Thornton, 44, > lives in Hahndorf and delivers between 30 and 40 > babies a year. > > She says in her experience, women were increasingly > opting for midwives because they don't want their > birth to be over-medicalised. The high cost of > private obstetricians also was a problem for some. > > "Obstetricians can charge a gap between $1200 and > $2000 and it does effect some people," Ms Thomas > said. Find local movie times and trailers on Yahoo! Movies. http://au.movies.yahoo.com -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
