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Brenda
you make some interesting points; so is what we aspire to in high rates of
mdiwfery care caused by an inability by women to get other options in care -
this is outrageous, no different really to the system we have now where womens
choices are limited.
There
seems to be huge issues with a lack of understanding between different health
professioanls in who is repsonsible for what when a midwife admits a woman to a
hospital. In some of the reports I have read about adverse outcomes,lack of
role understanding coupled with a lack of collaboration and
communication can play big roles when things go pear shaped. Scary stuff really!
Lisa
BEWARE:
REALITY CHECK:
I don't want to disillusion alot of you but
a reality check is way overdue about what's going on across the
Tasman.
The saying: 'Be careful what you wish
for.............................' is very applicable here.
What MW have
gained in autonomy, they have lost in the respect of their professional
colleagues, the community & women generally. The whole maternity system
has an 'uncomfortable feeling'.
I've thought alot before writing this
all down, not wanting to 'upset' people, & of course it grieves me because
it's my home & I'd love to be there !!
SO here goes: this is looking
at the situation without the 'rose tinted spectacles'. But of course it's
generalising in some aspects.
As a Kiwi who spends time every year in
NZ & came through the changes seeing the system evolve there, I feel I
really need to say that Aust would not be doing it's women a service to
emulate the system EXACTLY as it is implemented there. It may appear idyllic
but it isn't, and not a day goes by that there's not an article in some
newspaper there decrying Midwives (they are NOT popular
politically &
have created alot of emnity & alienated health professionals with whom we
would much rather have collaborative practice) . There is a national midwifery
shortage, the same as here & because of the way the system is set up there
large areas of the country have women with reduced
choices in pregnancy
care, not enhanced.
I specifically went to the Manawatu, Wairarapa
& Horewhenua districts looking to relocate there 6 months ago. I go every
year with the same intention ie checking out the system & the situation.
This year I spoke to all Pg women I saw, esp around Carterton, Greytown for
those of you that know the area (because my elderly parents live in Upper Hutt
& I wanted to be close).
In Martinborough alone, (a small rural town), I saw 6 Pg women in the
street over the space of an hour & each one was birthing either in Levin
or Hutt Hospital (ie 1 hour drive North, or South through the Rimutuka ranges,
ie narrow & windy as hell, icy & sometimes closed in winter ! ).
There was no MW in their community, they were totally horrified at the
thought of birth at home & they had reduced options because the GPs have
been 'squeezed' out of providing maternity care. I spoke with a group of IP in
Levin & they are overwhelmed & understaffed, travelling alot of
mileage over narrow windy roads to clinic. The majority of their births are in
hospital & they (the IPs) are turning women away because they are
overbooked.
One woman in Wellington tried 13 MW before she found 1 as her LMC !
I was offered 10 jobs in 1 week !
There are few private maternity hospitals there.
I also have a very close friend in the outer Auckland region who
keeps me up to date with cuttings, emails etc. There is alot of general
dissatisfaction there with the whole system too.
There are alot of IPs
who have 'burned out' & returned to the hospital system over the last 4
years overwhelmed by work & commitment to on call 24/7 because the women
have no other options for local care !
The system is not one to emulate
here.
Surely we want more choice for women, not
less, and we certainly don't want to alienate our
professional colleagues who we need to be working WITH, not AGAINST.
I
really believe that Aust MW need to look more closely at the system in NZ
before holding it up as a model of care they aspire to. It needs alot of
'tweaking' to make it ideal. I love NZ, but in this arena it's not
perfect & I think MW need to look very closely at the big
picture.
Off the soapbox now !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With kind
regards
Brenda Manning
www.themidwife.com.au
----- Original
Message -----
From: "Andrea Robertson"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To:
<ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au>
Sent: Friday, July 07, 2006 12:15
AM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] NZ stats
> Hi Pauline,
>
> As I understand it, those that don't go to a midwife end up with a
> doctor (usually an obstetrician) and the NZ caesarean rate is over
> 20%. It looks like you have either either a midwife or a caesarean in
> NZ. Simple choice!
>
> Regards
>
>
Andrea
> currently in the UK where 68% of women have midwifery care and
almost
> all the rest have a caesarean section (the UK current
stats are very
> similar to OZ, and yet they only have 3% private
obstetric care
> compared to almost 40% in OZ. ?????).
>
>
> At 11:31 PM 6/07/2006, you wrote:
>>I'm a mid student and a
kiwi. At present in NZ 78% of women choose
>>a midwife as
their lead maternity carer. It's nice to know that it
>>is
possible, when the choice is there.
>>
>>Pauline
Moore
>>WA
>
> --
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