Re: [ozmidwifery] Canberra Birth Centre?

[Leanne Meddemmen]

Ho Monica 
Sorry this has taken so long in the replying. I have been privileged to be 
with some amazing women and families during their birthing. 
The primary midwifery teams (2 teams) have 4 midwives each . They have 
their "own" women and back each other up for annual leave, weekends off (one per 
month), sleeping etc. They provide the women pregnancy, labour and postnatal 
care (7-14 days) and also education sessions. They are on call 24/24 and work 
roughly 12/24 at one time without a break (OH&S) if some one is in labour. 
Though they may have worked during the day doing pregnancy care or postnatal 
visits. The fulltime Midwives have 4 women a month. This is decreased at annual 
leave times, 7 wks PA (worked out well in advance to help with booking families 
on the program), part time midwives have less families depending on what hours 
they work (some 3 days a week some 64 hrs f/n). Both teams have 2 fulltime 2 
part-time midwives.
Pregnancy care visits - initial @ 14-16/40, 20 with Obstetric Registrar, 
26/40 with GLT if having, 30/40, 33/40 primips or 34/40 multips, 36/40 primip, 
38/40 primip and multip and 40/40 primip and multip and 41/40 again for 
induction DISCUSSION and choices - IOL @ 41+3 or ultrasound for AFI & 
biophysical "profile" and await labour. Informed decision nothing 
mandatory.
We don't have exclusion criteria except major medical issues, though some 
women will birth in Delivery Suite "routinely" - Initial VBAC, twins, Induction 
with synto, vaginal breech birth (not common but do happen) PE with medication. 
Salary "package", reimbursement of work use of own vehicle, mobile phone 
provided, arranges own daily workload and keeping hours down if over because of 
long labour/birth. Women aware that visits may need to be rearranged at short 
notice.
Woman can choose their midwife if they have birthed before with them or we 
will ask them if they have birthed in the Birth Centre before, who cared for 
them and if they want to be with that Midwife again (if on PM teams) though some 
of the team midwives occasionally PM women they have been with, though harder to 
arrange as they have a 6 wk rotating roster.
Union involved in salary negotiation and what is now our award. Those who 
were on the Committee worked extremely hard and had alot of moments of 
frustration but kept at it. Think about what women want and work out what your 
Midwives can/will offer the women and work from there. We did a couple of 
Midwife surveys as well and also asked who wanted to do the Primary Model care. 
Please don't call it caseloading (poor connotations and language choice) One 
woman rang the Birth Centre wanting to speak to her Midwife as she was one of 
her CASES.
Hope this helps. If you need further info email me ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) again 
or if you want ring the Birth Centre (02) 62443145.
Leanne ;o )

  - Original Message - 
  From: 
  Monica Hook 
  To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
  
  Sent: Sunday, October 06, 2002 7:46 
  PM
  Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Canberra Birth 
  Centre?
  
  


  
 
Hi Leanne,
I would be very interested in learning more about your primary 
midwifery model. I work in a tertiary referral hospital in Sydney and as 
a consequence of the GMT2 thing going on here we have been asked by 
the  Area Stream Director (a gynaecologist who has no connection in 
any way with obstetric practice) to develop proposals for midwifery led 
care. I feel quite out of my depth and though I'm on the committee I 
don't feel as if I can contribute much. It would be great to see how 
others have instituted such models. We have a long-standing Team 
Midwifery program but its long hours of rostering don't make it a  
viable proposition for most of our midwives. Not all of us are able to 
make ourselves available for 12 hour on call shifts etc. There must be 
other models running though, I'd love to hear how yours works, 
especially as a couple I looked after a few weeks ago described with a 
wealth of gratitude and nostalgia the wonderful birth experience they 
had had in Canberra with their last baby- obviously you are doing 
something right!
Many thanks, 
Monica---Original Message---
 

From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Friday, 04 
October 2002 09:51:52 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: 
[ozmidwifery] Canberra Birth Centre?
 
Hi Mary,
My name is Leanne and I am a Midwife at the 
Birth Centre at Canberra Hospital, we would love to see you and give you 
a gander around. The Birth Centre has a Primary Midwifery model and a 
team Mid model for women. I'm not sure about bookings in May. if you 
would like to email me ([EMAIL PROTECTED])   
and give me an address or ask specific questions I woul

Re: [ozmidwifery] Canberra Birth Centre?

[Leanne Meddemmen]

Hi Mary,
My name is Leanne and I am a Midwife at the Birth 
Centre at Canberra Hospital, we would love to see you and give you a gander 
around. The Birth Centre has a Primary Midwifery model and a team Mid model for 
women. I'm not sure about bookings in May. if you would like to email me ([EMAIL PROTECTED])   
and give me an address or ask specific questions I would be glad to try and 
help.
Leanne

  - Original Message - 
  From: 
  Mary 
  Murphy 
  To: list 
  Sent: Friday, October 04, 2002 6:43 
  PM
  Subject: [ozmidwifery] Canberra Birth 
  Centre?
  
  I have a personal interest in a baby who is due in Canberra in May 
  03.  The woman had her first baby 5 yrs ago and had a ?woman 
  obstetrician.  she desn't know about any other model.  I would very 
  much like to give her information about a midwifery model of care.  Can 
  someone please send me information I can pass on?  Also, I will be 
  visiting Canberra in 3 weeks and would very much like to see your Birth 
  centre.  Is that possible?  Thanks, 
MM

Re: [ozmidwifery] Day 3 weight loss

[Leanne Meddemmen]

Not something I 've recorded for a Neonatal screen for 15 years. When they
ask for weight I always use the birth weight, and that it what all the
Midwives do where I work. The hosp Day 4 weighs, but working in the CMP
(ACT) I don't weigh unless I'm concerned about output and then not until day
4.
Leanne : )

- Original Message -
From: "maxine hardinge" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2002 2:54 PM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Day 3 weight loss


> a question for the midwives who are not weighing babies on day 3 - how do
> you complete the guthries card? it is my understanding that the weight and
> age are both needed for the Newborn screening test.
>
> maxine
>
>
> _
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Tania re VBAC

[Leanne Meddemmen]

Hi Tania 
I am a Midwife and work in a BC (public). Our initial criteria said the same
thing 10 years ago when we opened. We do have women with prev uterine
surgery incl LUSCS in our birth centre however currently women having their
first VBAC are unable to birth in the BC, but if they have had other normal
births they can. We would like to change this (for the first VBAC) and hope
to do so soon! As we do both team and Primary Midwifery care we do accept
women having VBAC on our program as the Midwife is with them where ever they
birth and if fact we have no exclusion criteria for women, but women with
"needs" birth in DS. My only suggestion to you is to get POLITICAL. Send a
letter to your health minister for your state and the federal one, send one
to the AMA, the newspaper and anyone else you can think of. Don't forget to
send it to the CEO of the Hospital you wish to birth in, the Director of
women's health for the hosp or area health service, BC in charge Midwife.
Add the stats and evidence based practice, World Health Organisation
recommendations and anything else that supports your rights. Ensure that you
make it clear at the bottom of your letter with the "cc" so that the Hosp is
aware that the exact same letter is going lot of places. You could send also
any copies of the Hosp
correspondance as well. I don't know if this will change things for you I
only hope it does. It may help other women.
May you Birth in the Birth Centre but if it doesn't work out remember to
take with you lovely things from home, esp your own pillow cases so you can
bury your nose in them when in labour, a small bedside lamp to make sure you
have dim lighting and a birth wants list. Electric aromatherapy burner (no
problem with having oxygen round and naked flames) are also good.  If you
haven't already find out the hosp practices (read the manuals)re monitoring,
Check out bean bag, birth balls, matresses etc etc.

Yours "with women"
Leanne :)


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re Apgars

[Leanne Meddemmen]

Hi
As with most of the replies we don't do routine 10/60 apgars unless a babe has a
low 5/60 Apgar score (nor in other A.C.T hosps that I know of). Our Prof of
Women's and Childrens health did say that 10/60 are a better indication of
adaptation to extra uterine life but I have not followed this up by
researching. Maybe it is because of the length of time that you have for
resus with babies. We do routine Cord blood gases on those babies that
require resus and emergency C/S and assisted births and anything else that
they can think of for future litigatin purposes! I got the impression
(and I may be wrong) that 10/60 is more common overseas. We do have space on
our birth summary for three Apgars and I have seen and done them @ 1/60,
3/60, 5/60 and 7/60 for babies requiring an active resus.

Yours "with women"
Leanne :)

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web site

[Leanne Meddemmen]

Hi everyone,
Hope you are all well. I have been reading with interest the B/F info comments
re the web site(Ninemonths) and decided to look and comment. Well to say I
was dismayed is an understatement and I didn't even get to the BF info. I
hope you all know that many babies are born jaundiced, mongolian spots occur
on the abdo, babies breasts are swollen at birth, many baby boys testes are
not descended and babys heads are temporarily distorted (poor language)and
the Vit K-cancer link is believed by many professionals to have been a scare
mongering campaign by the media. I wouldn't recommend this site at all.
Leanne

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