Being a local I was quick to whip up a letter to the ed....
Kylie Carberry
Freelance Journalist
p: +61242970115
m: +612418220638
f: +61242970747
Bring on the birthing unit
Three out of my four children were delivered into the hands of a midwife, with no obstetrician in sight, and I had no doubts my babies and I were being provided optimal care. If any glitches had manifested, I knew that my midwife was trained to analyse the problem and, if necessary, refer me to a specialist. It was my first child who was delivered by an obstetrician simply because I was very young and unaware of an alternative. There were many times during my prenatal visits where I felt I was a number in a large birthing queue. Because my pregnancy was normal, and there was nothing to indicate my impending labour would not be the same, I often wondered why I needed specialist care.
It vexes me to hear reports that a midwifery-led unit at Shellharbour would be perilous, headlines claiming that babies lives would be put at risk. It might be worth noting that western countries where midwives are widespread as the primary care-givers of pregnant women also have the lowest infant mortality rates, and equally low maternal morbidity and mortality rates. Lower, indeed, than the rates in the
Ultimately, it should be the womans choice what modality she chooses to birth her baby. But currently, it appears the choice is finite.
>From: "Denise Hynd" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au
>To: <ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au>
>Subject: [ozmidwifery] Article re Shellharbour
>Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 16:06:15 +0800
>
>
>
>
> Babies 'at risk' without doctors
>
> Author: By JENNY DENNIS
> Date: 13/07/2005
> Words: 326
> Source: ILL
>
>
>
> Publication: Illawarra Mercury
> Section: News
> Page: 2
>
>
>
> ILLAWARRA doctors fear babies will die if midwife-only births
>are allowed at Shellharbour Hospital.
>
> Clinicians fear their concerns could be ignored in the face of
>political pressure to have the Shellharbour birthing unit reopened.
>
> A recommendation to introduce midwife-only births at
>Shellharbour has followed a trial of the practice at Wollongong
>Hospital which was found to work well.
>
> A review of the trial has found the midwife-only model could
>be viable and safe for low-risk births at Shellharbour Hospital.
>This is despite safety concerns raised by doctors.
>
> "I don't know of one doctor in the Illawarra who supports the
>move," an Illawarra doctor told the Mercury. He said the plan to
>reopen Shellharbour's birthing unit would place doctors at the
>hospital in an ethical dilemma.
>
> "Ethical doctors can't refuse to help in an emergency and
>they're relying on the fact that people will come running if there's
>a problem."
>
> Reopening the unit would place more stress on the hospital's
>emergency department, which since January 1 has been operating
>without specialist emergency physicians.
>
> Illawarra Patient Safety Committee chair Paul Kovac said
>safety was about the ability to respond to rare, life-threatening
>situations that child birth inevitably threw up.
>
> "Women undergoing midwife-only labour need to understand they
>are taking certain risks by choosing to have their babies at a
>facility where there's a lesser (medical) cover," Dr Kovac said.
>"It's not just having a doctor on site, you need to have the right
>doctor."
>
> A spokesman for NSW Health Minister Morris Iemma said the
>safety of mothers and babies was paramount in consideration of
>maternity services and a midwifery-led model would only proceed at
>Shellharbour if the steering committee believed it could do so
>safely.
>
> A Wollongong ambulance officer said the report's
>recommendation that an ambulance be available for immediate
>transfers between Shellharbour and Wollongong was unrealistic. His
>best estimate of transfer time between the two hospitals was one
>hour.
>
>
>
>
>
>>Hi All,
>>
>>As you know, a Midwifery Group Practice has been
>>operating for the last 12 months at Wollongong
>>Hospital. This was a "pilot" which was meant to be
>>moved to Shellharbour Hospital after a twelve month
>>trial.
>>
>>Above is an article published in today's
>>edition of the Illawarra Mercury. The article is
>>titled "Babies 'at risk' Without Doctors"
>>It would be great if the Mercury received a few
>>letters pointing out the safety (superiority?) of
>>midwifery-led care for low-risk women! >
>>Letters to the editor can be sent to:
>>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>
>>Rachele
>>
>>
