well said Tania, I have been trying to think about all of this and what
to say but am a bit fragile due to a difficult birth this week...talk
about the politics and consequences of blood gases int hospital system
for a baby transferred in!!!!!
I would have Lisa's straight talking and advocacy in my corner any
time...I do think it is a skill that we have to acknowledge some people
are better at than others...I am not great on the in your face stuff, I
wish I was, I am not good at confrontation and I really wish i was...
I do what I believe I need to do and refuse to do what I don't think is
needed but i take the stress with me and I find the fights eat up my
energy which is definitely flagging
Lisa reminds me that we need to support and embrace and argue and
challenge - not to be afraid of our individuality or difference, I wish
I had her energy and ability to speak out regardless of how we would see
things
I am a glass half full kinda person, I try to be anyway, if unsure
assume the positive aspect rather than negative so that what is a debate
does not get seen as personal, I often see people getting upset and am
surprised because I didn't read it that way
maybe we are so used to being out on a limb alone and always defending
ourselves we struggle to see that difference in debate or practice or
context is not a personal attack?
Belinda
Tania Smallwood wrote:
I’d like to add to the current conversation about cord blood gases…
I’ve been lurking just lately, as many of you know, I’ve had to make a
difficult decision to stop practicing independently due to family
commitments…and so, when the bloke I’m married to is actually here, I
don’t spend as much time as I used to reading and contributing to
Ozmid. Just yesterday I had a few moments to catch up, and when I
read the thread on blood gases, I was sure that I’d missed some mails
(perhaps I have, there seems to be a few problems with mails doubling
up, or getting temporarily lost in cyberspace!). Halfway through the
mails, it seemed to go from a lively and informative debate,
(something that’s been missing from this list for a while IMHO) to a
slinging match, with people getting upset that others are honest and
up front about their views.
Can I just say that I know Lisa B, and if there is a midwife who has
walked in the shoes of every midwife torn between hospital policy,
threat of losing her job, and what’s best for the women, it’s Lisa.
She’s worked in a position of authority for over 2 years at one of
Adelaide’s esteemed private hospitals, and I’m sure the conversations
we’ve had about what she had to fight for there are only a small
portion of what actually goes on. She’s well aware as we all are, of
what a battle it can be in the system, and along with me, and all the
IPM’s I know, has utter respect and admiration for those attempting to
change things one birth at a time. I also see Lisa as a straight
talker, and sometimes even I find it confronting to hear what she has
to say, and I know her better than most on this list! But that
doesn’t mean that I pack my bags and go away, I may not agree, or I
might think hey, that’s a bit blunt, but I also think that she’s made
me think about things that I’d otherwise just go along merrily with,
and not look at in a truly critical light. I actually think that
along with */everyone/* on this list, she has oodles of knowledge and
skill, and heaps to contribute.
I know I will never be a strong enough midwife to do what most of you
do, go in every day and beat my head against that wall and hope to
Goddess that a woman gets away with a good birth. But please, don’t
stop contributing because it’s hard. Being a midwife is a hard road,
no matter where you decide to direct your skill and passion. We’re a
downtrodden minority group, with ideals about women that are not
shared by most of the people in power. Refusing to keep the dialogue
going is never going to be productive, all it will do is stagnate us
where we are, and I think we all want midwifery and provision of
evidence based maternity services to improve and become stronger in
this country.
That’s all from me for now,
Tania
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