Hi Andrea,
What a great idea to increase public awareness of what
midwives are all about.
The BBC have a penchant for great doco series, reality
without OTT drama.
Unfortunately Australia is so
Americanised both culturally & politically that it believes
anything the USA promotes is the truth.
In any programme concerning birth we see on commercial
TV ( and the sad reality is that comm TV is the most watched tele in Oz
despite the calibre of their material) high drama is
created because the consumer finds the "normality" of birth
unbelievable.
So, in following their leader, the Aust media always
portrays anything connected with childbirth as dramatic & fraught with
danger. Hence the viewing public believe that this is gospel;.childbirth
is potentially a fatal disease & therefore must be medically managed by
specialists (pref male & expensively dressed).
This is the word of TV & therefore the
truth.
The idea of reality TV showing the true nature of
Midwifery would undoubtedly get caught up in some Tertiary centre where lives
are saved on a daily basis. Homebirth would only get a passing mention & the
Birth Centre segment would focus on the transfers out with 'life threatening
complications' unless the mother-to-be was a)beautiful a)famous c)a minority
group (sympathy vote) or d)same sex couple.
When Australian women learn to differentiate between
the American model of care & true women centred care as practised in other
civilised countries, then Oz Midwifery will actually become 21st century.
Australia desperately needs to change their
American mind set, it is retarding their growth, especially in the midwifery
arena.
Until then the old adage: "you only get what you ask
for" will continue.
The power for change is in the hands of the
consumer.
Asking women to compare the attitude of
their maternity care giver with that of a salesman hoping to sell them a new car
will usually get the message across.....................see the mental lights
come on !
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, July 16, 2005 8:42
AM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] ?National
Education program
I have just returned from the UK, where they are showing a
program called "Desperate Midwives" every week on BBC3. This program
follows a group of 6 midwives from Derby City Hospital who go about their
daily tasks, either in the hospital, the home, community or birth
centre.
Due to my travels, I was never able to see it, as being on BBC
3 it required a set top box,and none of the hotels I was staying in had
pay TV. However, it has been very well received and is very supportive of
midwifery.
The midwives were a bit upset at the title, which was chosen
to cash in on the other "Desperate" series, and the BBC have explained
that they see it as midwives doing a stirling job despite desperate
shortages, and sometimes desperate conditions.
Perhaps this would
be a good starting point for talking to a TV network in Australia? It
works in the UK, would be relatively cheap to produce, as no sets or
scripts etc and fits the current fad for "reality television". If they
chose a group of midwives that worked in a hospital where various
alternative models of care were provided, that would enable a wide variety
of pregnancies to be followed. The UK series showed care of women with all
sorts of pregnancies and births, even terminations, post natal issues,
water births, home births, twins, premature babies, NICUs etc.
I
hope it is still on when I get there in October. Even recording it
requires special equipment as it can't be saved onto regular
tape.
Just a thought.....
Andrea
At 01:15 PM
15/07/2005, you wrote: >Fantastic idea, a National Educational
Television Programme. >ABC perhaps? >Who has a contact person
there ? >Individual, specialised service is a big issue right now for
the 30 >something's. >IOL, Choices in Birthing etc are areas
where women are treated enmasse, in >2005 women want to be treated as
individuals. They will listen if it's >explained to them that they are
being treated for someone elses >convenience, not necessarily for their
own or their babys
benefit. > >Brenda > >Brenda >----- Original
Message ----- >From: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Robyn
Thompson >To: <mailto:ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au>ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au >Sent:
Friday, July 15, 2005 11:19 AM >Subject: RE: [ozmidwifery] Channel 7
induction story... > >This doesn't sound like the Brian Pete I
know!!! > >Someone needs to sit down and talk to him. If
this is true then he needs >face to face consultation with women and
midwives, expressing their concern >about unnecessary intervention;
women and midwife friendly media needs to >know and most of all women
need to be educated and informed about the risks >of induction of
labour. Maybe we can get to a broad audience by setting up >a
National Educational Television
Programme? > >Robyn > > >-----Original
Message----- >From: ><mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED] >[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Behalf Of Tania & Laurie >Sent: Thursday, 14 July 2005 12:28
AM >To: <mailto:ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au>ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au >Subject:
Re: [ozmidwifery] Channel 7 induction story... > >
What the?? > > ----- Original Message
----- > From: "Tania Smallwood" <<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >
To: <<mailto:ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au>ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au> >
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 6:21 PM > Subject:
[ozmidwifery] Channel 7 induction story... > > >
> > > How misleading a promo can
be... > > > > A news story saying
that Brian Peat, chief Ob at the Women's
and >Children's > > hospital is considering
recommending that all women be induced at 39 >weeks, >
> given the evidence that babies over 39 weeks gestation are at high
risk >of > > death and
disability. > > > > Oh
dear... > > > >
Tania > > > > >
> -- > > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE
Graphics. > > Visit <<http://www.acegraphics.com.au>http://www.acegraphics.com.au>
> to subscribe or
unsubscribe. > > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >---- > > >-- >This
mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. >Visit <<http://www.acegraphics.com.au>http://www.acegraphics.com.au>
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to >subscribe or unsubscribe.
----- Andrea
Robertson Birth International * ACE Graphics * Associates in Childbirth
Education
e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] web:
www.birthinternational.com
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