What I wonderful way to have a baby no intervention or medicalization of a natural process. The woman wants to be congratulated for that. A very rare way to have a baby nowdays unless you have the baby at home. As a student I was privy to this type of birth only once and although it was fast it was great. Regards sharon
_____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nikki Macfarlane Sent: Wednesday, 24 January 2007 6:16 PM To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Mum Gives Birth In Toilet - Monash Medical Centre You know what, I have a different take on this. If the newspaper article has reported accurately what the parents said (and I highly doubt they have, but for the sake of argument lets give themt he benefit of the doubt!), there are some serious failings of expectations here and little empathy going on from the medical staff. The mother was rushed to hospital by ambulance and arrived in the later stages of labor - this in itself appeared to be distressing for her as it appeared she was taken by surprise by the speed with which labor was progressing. So, now having arrived in advanced labor, she is not checked as she expects to be and does not appear to have a midwife in the room with her. Now that may be because she does not appear to be in strong labour, or that there is no midwife available. But from the mother's perspective, it is not what she expects. She feels out of control, in intense pain, and not receiving the level of hospital support she is expecting. She could have called for help and support or asked her husband to go and find a midwife. But her expectations were not being met. And it is a pretty reasonable expectation to have a midwife at the very least to reassure a mother who feels she is in strong labor, and realistically to be checking or staying by her side if she appears to be imminently birthing. At the point at which the baby is born, both parents describe themselves as frantic. This was not the experience they were hoping for. Yes, she did it without pain medication or any intervention. Yes, this is what many women aspire to. Yes, this is better for baby and mother healthwise in most circumstances. However, the mother felt unsupported, and the father felt panicky. And the hospital's response? "We are as disappointed as Kay and Michael that the birth of their second child did not go according to plan, but babies have a mind of their own sometimes." Really? What a leap! To make the assumption that the midwives feel the same degree of disappointment as the parents. Yes, babies do sometimes come quicker than anticipated. What would have been nice is for this mum and dad to have been heard and had their sense of distress and lack of support acknowledged. Whether the midwives felt justified in their actions or not, the parents still felt the way they did. The mum was in the hospital for at least an hour and appeared to have no midwifery support during that time. I get that there may have been none available. But to dismiss the whole affair with a patronising comment about how the midwives are just as upset as the parents is hardly effective communication and certainly not displaying good listening skills towards the parents. Now of course, the whole newspaper article may be complete tosh and the parents/midwives may not have said anything that was attributed to them in the quotes. Always a shame that such stories are not seen as an opportunity to talk about how incredible our bodies are or how tragic it is that the health system the world over is failing women because of shortages of experienced midwives, or a multitude of other approaches that would be more beneficial towards women and babies. Nikki Macfarlane Childbirth International -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.17.8/649 - Release Date: 23/01/2007 8:40 PM -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.17.8/649 - Release Date: 23/01/2007 8:40 PM
