K Murphy, London I have noted the interesting messages posted so far, generally all very supportive of midwifery led care. Speaking as an obstetrician I think that somebody needs to point out that Childbirth has become very safe in our era in the main because of the intricate and ubiquitous medical suppport systems that are rarely openly acknowledged. Women need to know that fewer that half of all first time mothers deliver spontaneously in modern teaching hospitals (the majority need ventouse, forceps or C. section). Epidural rates are 50-80%. Contrary to widely held opinion obstetric intervention does not affect a small number of exceptional cases but, in fact, it affects the majority of first time mothers. Yet maternal and perinatal mortality in our era is at an all time low point in historical terms. It was much higher when things were left to nature (the old-fashioned term was 'watchful expectancy'). In fact there are concerns that the recent move to midwifery led care for so called low risk mothers may be associated with the very recent upward trend in perinatal mortality (2002-5). Let us not throw out the baby with the bath water. Women need to know all of the facts to be in a position to appreciate the risks involved and to make an informed decision about the place of birth.
Celia Savage, Cranleigh, Surrey Home births may be lovely when there are no problems, but what about if a problem does come up and Maternity is a long drive away? We are told that the Maternity unit at the Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford is under threat as part of the re-organisation demanded of the Surrey Primary Care Trust by the Stragetic Health Authority. This is driven by finance, not the well-being of the Mums and babies.
Nelson, New Zealand I'm sitting in NZ fascinated by the birth stories above. They are certainly full of 'they did this or didn't' , the ability to have choice or lack of and certainly strongly supportive of midwifery care. Please consider New Zealand statistics. In 1990 midwives here became Lead Maternity Carers. At that time there was a 12.9% c/s rate with more women birthing in hospital rather than the specialized maternity hospitals. New Zealand midwives are paid by the Government. They give continuity of care and can be Direct Entry trained. Women have the choice of home or hospital birth with the same midwife. Over 85% of all pregnant women have a continuity of care midwife who is not sharing care with a GP or Obstetrician. What an ideal situation and the envy of many countries. The c/s rate is now over 30%. The epidural rate is close to 60% ... So what is going on? First, we know that 100% of pregnant women will give birth no matter where or how. This then leads to an assumption there is nothing we need to do or can do to make a difference in our birth. This is coupled with the fact that there is no way to know what your birth will be like. Childbirth is the only way humans procreate so of course it's natural. However, childbirth is not a naturally occurring event connected to birth skills by the mother and the person (usually father) who will be with her. We value learning to cook to deal with the natural physiological process of hunger. We even learn to void in the appropriate place instead of doing it where we sit. Even our primal physiological urge to have sex is loaded with skills to learn how to be a good lover. Well, childbirth needs to be skilled. As women we need to learn how-to birth and our partners need to learn how-to birth coach. Birth Plans and information do not carry us on the day when we have the naturally occurring pain of childbirth. Please consider having a socially accepted expectation that all families learn how to birth. Anyone who would like the statistics we've collected for the past 6 years in NZ to show that when couples use The Pink Kit Package they self reduce their use of medical pain relief and even their need for c/s delivery in every birth situation. So let's put another possibility into our birth discussions and let's become skilled birthing families whether we birth in hospital, home or Birth Centre and whether we have midwifery, GP or Obstetrical care. We can all have inspirational births. Wintergreen, trustee
Common Knowledge Trust
Fiona /kent I am a midwife and though i agree 100% that there are shortages etc , i feel i must protest at at this overwhelming (from what i read in the e mails)view that hospital midwifery is out to get you. I and my colleagues work very hard at promoting normality, we often end up with women upset as we will not induce them as they request. It is impossible on a labour ward to give one on one care when there are staff shortages, and just not enough of you to go round. There are faults in the system, but most midwives do the best they can with what they have, we are not out to make things difficult ! Postnatal care is also frustrating, as we cannot spend the time we would like to help with breast feeding etc,but it does not mean we do not care. Independent midwifery is great for those that want it, and can afford it, as it guarantees one on one care, but it will not stop obstetric emergencies from happening. It is not fair to always blame the hospital!
Anon NE Hants I was an unmarried Mum in the 1960s. I had to work up to the day I had my baby as my father(who had been v. loving)had, in traditional manner, "cut me off without a penny" and thrown me out. My mother, despite her attempts to make me have an abortion, loyally came to the hospital when I was in labour and was packed off smartly by the staff. A large nurse told me I could have a potty or go to the loo after my enema. "Loo" I replied. Afterwards the nurse fell about laughting and said "Lor, darlin, I never saw anyone run so fast..!" As it was my first baby, the labour went on all day and most of the night. I was alone in a bleak room and the nurses cut off the bell. I bit through one of my fingers. Still the hospital did present my baby boy with a large blue knitted cardigan (saying "we haven't had time to sew on the buttons yet") when I left. I was interested to hear on your programme that this barbaric aproach to childbirth was pretty par for the course in the 1960s.
kate, paris i'm living in france at the moment and have had quite a time of it with regards to being pregnant and dealing with the system over here. It all seems to be very tricky to get the type of birth you want unless it's epidurals and lots of drugs and intervention that you're after. And on top of that everyone seems to book themselves into the maternity ward/clinic they want almost before they even get pregnant, so unprepared english parents to be get in a right old muddle. as a result of which
we got tangled up with a very unsympathetic doctor who was also very rude, and didn't like being asked questions (surely what you're meant to do. especially if you're pregnant for the first time and in a foreign country).
But after a last-straw type of experience with the doctor in question, we decided something had to be done, and managed to find a sage-femme liberale (independent midwife) who does home births. It seems to me that most of the women i meet here want all the medecin, and to spend a week in hospital being told how important it is to wash your baby in soap, and to shampoo it's hair every day and to especially use nasal sprays and ointments and such like. could this have anything to do with france's huge pharmaceutical industry that needs to be kept afloat somehow. "get 'em young" appears to be the motto. And no-one i've met so far seems to be very well informed about what happens when you're pregnant or when you give birth. the doctors seem to have the opinion of "if you need to know then we'll tell you. and you don't need to know. in fact just do what we say and take these pills."
but, i'd better stop there as i'm getting too ranty. I'd best not forget that the system seems to be working fine for a whole lot of french women having babies every day.
It was just a bit of a shock that's all. the sort of thing i wish i'd been prepared for so i was ready for how to go about things here. There's definately been times when i wished i had been able to move back to the uk to have an NHS birth with friendly midwifes and doctors who don't mind if you ask the odd question. but then i suppose it depends very much on the hospital and staff in question. i must say i'm a big believer in treating the staff well so that they'll be able to treat the patients well. But i should finish by saying that i think midwifes do an amazing and important job.
they deserve all the support and respect they get. and more.
Ruth Hill, Brighton When my baby was 'diagnosed' as being in the breech position at 36 weeks, the NHS went into panic mode and told me that my previously planned home birth was out of the question. My hopes for a natural vaginal birth were also met with incredulity and barely concealed panic. During various lengthy meetings at the hospital I was repeatedly cited research statistics that said that vaginal birth was dangerous compared with c-sections, even though the research only applied to deliveries involving a high level of intervention by an obstetrician - something I expressly did not want - as opposed to a natural, hands-off, midwife-led birth. Even though I myself was healthy, fit and strong and had prepared myself both physically and mentally for the rigours of birth and had had a perfect, uncomplicated pregnancy, I was suddenly considered 'high risk' and my baby described as 'abnormal'. Everyone at the hospital made it very clear that I was putting myself and my baby at needless risk. Luckily for me, Mary Cronk, along with another idependent midwife Joy Horner took me under their wings at short notice and were with me when I gave birth to a perfect baby girl, at home, on Thursday morning. I truly believe that they saved my life. Despite this being my first child, labour was very fast (6 hours in total) with no pain-relief needed besides a TENS machine. Baby came out feet first and delivered herself, twisting and turning as needed to come out. No intervention was needed at all, but when it was all over and my placenta was examined, Mary and Joy discovered that it was peculiarly lobed with three big blood vessels joining the two parts. These could easily have been severed had I accepted the caesarian the NHS were insisting on. Problems with bullying from the NHS carers continued post-natally so Mary and Joy have stepped in once again (I would be happy to elaborate on these issues if anyone wanted more details). I think it is a great shame that NHS midwives have lost the skills, confidence and experience to handle normal, albeit unusual, breech births and thank my lucky stars for professionals like Mary and Joy.
Maggie Vaughan Excellent programme but what it failed to point out is the fact that the very existence of Independent Midwives such as Mary Cronk are being threatened with withdrawal of their practice certificates because of the Govt's / NMC's refusal to ensure Ind MWs can get P11 insurance cover. This is likely in about a year but CAN be avoided if the Govt. really cares.
All those specialist skills Mary described will simply disappear and the home birth rate will plummet.
This cavalier dispatch of such a valuable repository of skills should be fought tooth and nail by the whole of the maternity sector. I hope there will be another program covering this
gladys warren I feel bullied in the industry. I am foreign and am not recognised. I'd like to talk to someone about my experiences.
Jacquie Groom, Switzerland I found the comments about the problems of 'giving birth in a foreign language' brought back a lot of memories - my daughters were born in the Netherlands and Switzerland respectively. Both times my hold of the language was a bit shaky, and it seemed that whenever it was vitaly important, there was no-one around who spoke English. I was booked up for a home birth in the Netherlands - which is the norm - but my daughter was very late, so I was booked in for an induced birth. Waiting in hospital the night before the induction, labour started ... but I couldn't make anyone understand that it was actually underway. They kept on telling me, in slower and slower Dutch, 'No, you're having the baby tomorrow, not today' Finally, almost in hysterics, I got someone to examine me, who found I was nearly fully dilated. At last I was allowed to phone my husband and the ward went into panic mode to call the doctor etc. Emily was born about an hour later... I still remember that awful feeling of not being able to make myself understood at a moment of real panic as a first-time mum.
Sara, Cockermouth, Lake District AT 32 I had a quick, but frightening hospital delivery of my daughter, Emily, who is now 12. Midwives changed while I was pushing,and although they were nice people, I didn't really know who was there and when, as I was just fixed on taking in gas and air because the contractions were so fierce and painful. The midwives in the baby unit, where I put my baby, hoping for a bit of sleep, ignored me because I made no fuss and I had to ask them to show me how to breastfeed and bath my baby. It was a lonely few days. At 42, I was stunned to be offered a home birth, here in Cockermouth, Cumbria and reassured that as an older mother it was possible and they positively encouraged it. My partner and I were very excited about it and reassured when they delivered the baby unit and oxygen etc a few days before the due date.We waited and waited, but our son didn't want to make an appearance, so I was given a membrane sweep at 5pm on the last day of Christmas term, Mad Friday, it's known as up here, and then we went into town to get a takeaway curry with our daughter EMily. As we were sitting in the pub waiting for the curry I realised things were starting to happen, so we dashed home. We prepared the sitting room and got mugs out for tea for the midwives. EMily went to bed only after we promised to tell her if anything happened. We then waited, together, until I felt the familiar strong contractions that I'd had with Emily. At about 11.30 we called the midwife, she said she'd phone her colleague and the hospital and the emergency services, so that everyone would be on stand-by. Within half an hour she arrived, had a mug of tea, set out her things and calmly checked me over. We had lit the multi-fuel stove and it was lovely and warm, so I was able to just be in my shirt and pants, free to move around. The midwives left us in private in the sitting room, coming in to check me at intervals. When it was clear that our baby was ready to arrive everything was in place for him, even the shower curtain over the sofa and on the carpet. They let me have some gas and air for the contractions, but then suggested I stop so that I could feel the contractions to push. They were gentle, but firm midwives who knew when to be there and when to leave us in private - fantastic and I felt really safe and cared for. As our baby emerged into our home they showed me how to catch him between my legs and bring him up to my body, the cord still pulsating. IT was warm enough in the room for us to hold him naked against us for a few minutes,so that he could root away and try to suckle for the first time. It was magic. His feet were really long and he was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. Then they gently did the cutting of the cord and took him away to check him, weigh him and wrapped him in the sheet we had provided for him. When they were happy with him, they delivered the placenta, it needed a bit of a tug and help from me, but all was well and we were allowed to look at it. I was amazed by how little mess there was and although I kept asking whether I had made a mess they reassured me that I hadn't. They cleared things away, while we sat together, all three of us on the sofa, basking in the moment; Robin gently suckling. Then they brought us both a cup of tea and asked if I wanted a bath. One of the midwives filled in forms and packed things away, while the other took me upstairs to our bedroom and then ran the bath for me. She helped me in and then washed me gently, running the flannel over my back and talking gently. Meanwhile, my partner was sitting, terrified downstairs, holding our son, Robin, for almost an hour, hardly daring to move in case he dropped him I think! After my bath, the midwife brought Robin up to our room and handed him over to me. She then showed me how to get him to latch on correctly and was with me for at least an hour checking the position and that I was happy with what I was doing. She saw that I was tired and took Robin and tucked him up in his Moses basket at the foot of our bed. Then Phil, my partner, went to get Emily from her ro
Jill .. Luton Some years ago when I was in antenatal, 'Resting' a terrified woman was wheeled in, brought in by emergency ambulance. Her distraught family eventually arrived .. lively , lovely Italians, and calm reigned. Next day, early, staff arrived with a wheelchair to take her for X-ray.. chaos and noisy confusion. I knew 'Bambino' so got a smile. 'Uno ' I said, then 'Due' and bravely tried 'Photographia'. The lady then cheerfully got into the chair, patting her very large tummy.
Peace and quiet.. but not for long. A very harrassed consultant, coat waving, burst into the ward and shouted, "Where is the lady who speaks fluent Italian" !!
Victoria Clift-Matthews, London I'm the editor of a midwifery journal and I've been reading these responses to the programme. Clearly it's brought out a lot of emotion in people, particularly anger, and quite a few strong opinions. This shouldn't be any real surprise given that it's such an emotive topic and people experience things so differently. I'd be very pleased to hear more as I am always looking for people with an interesting perspective: Lucy from Herts, Keely Bryan, Chris from Yorkshire, Susan Stephenson and Anne Dickson - if you have a little time please contact me.
Vicky Everitt, Marlow, Bucks I was very fortunate to have an excellent experience with the NHS, simply because I was lucky enough to get the midwife that I did,and she was available when i went into labour. Where I live, at the time of my pregancies, (my children are now five and three), all of the ante-natal care was done at the GP practice. I remeber my lovely midwife telliong me that I had a choice to have my baby at home or hospital. I've no idea to this day what prompted her to say it as it certainly didn't seem to be normal practice. I choose a home birth, not beause I was anti hospital, but because I knew i would be more relaxed at home and the more relaxed i could be, I had a better chance of my labour progressing well. Because my midwife, who did all of my ante-natal care, was available for both of my labours and deliveries, so I was very fortunate to have that continuous care and have a proper realtionship with the midwife who cared for me. Her experience of my first birth, postively influenced how she cared for me second time round. I did have to go into hospital to deliver my son, as i dah been pushing 'too long' (according to hosp policy on home births), but the transfer to hospital went well and i was back home within hours. My daughter was a complete home birth. As I said, I was very lucky, but it shouldn't have come done to that - all expectant mums should have the opportunity to have the support I received. I wish our midwives were valued more, especially by the powers that be.
anon, Sussex This was an excellent programme, a long overdue! exploration of this topic. I remember how struck I was by a comment from someone from the Royal College of Midwives on Woman's Hour last year that some midwives are coming out of training without the skills to help women have a normal birth. Whose decisions have brought about this situation? Who decides for example that midwives shouldn't have the skills to help women deliver breech babies? And what of the new proposals, that consultant units should be permanently staffed by consultants? Consultants are incredibly expensive, yet even at the amount they get paid, I wonder if there will be enough of them to give permanent cover? Presumably the number of women able to give birth in midwife led units will be strictly controlled, so vast sums will have to be spent to give consultant units the new space they will need to take on the extra births. Then we will find out that this isn't really the solution we wanted after all ----. I'm looking forward to Wednesday's programme and hearing some of these issues addressed.
Lucy, Herts As a trainee midwife about to return to my training after a year-long maternity leave, I feel concerned and depressed about my future in the profession. The hospital that I am training in excellent and relatively debt-free yet still faces the cuts and staff shortages that constantly threaten and undermine maternity services. The midwives and doctors that I have trained with have a combined wealth of experience and good practice, and yet so many of them were dissatisfied with their jobs; worn out, sick of the endless policy tinkering and disgusted by the meanness of resources and support. I had already resolved to go into independent midwifery once I had gained sufficient clinical experience in the NHS; now I read that this entire field is under threat due to yet more govenmental interference of the most negative sort. As a mother too, whose most recent birth experience, at home, was wonderfully memorable thanks to fantastically calm, warm, professional midwife - why must we continue to endure this erosion of our right to choose, and to expect, world-class maternity services?
anonymous liverpool i had a baby recently in a large regional hospital. My heart goes out to the midwives who are obviously understaffed with too many women in their care. they appeared to be giving minimal/basic care simply due to the amount of patients to care for both on the ante natal and post natal ward. i witnessed midwives hampered by paperwork, telephone enquiries, and patient and visitor enquiries. it seems to me they have not actually got the time to be a midwife enquiries
Stevie Jane Foster Leeds I have had all 3 of my children at home. When I was pregnant with my first child I told my GP I wanted a homebirth and she dismissed me saying that I was an emotional pregnant woman! The next time I saw her I insisted that I was an educated well read woman and I wanted a homebirth. She went on to tell me that of course I would be fine but it would be the baby that died if anything went wrong! I found that friends and family were also bemused by my insistence to have my baby at home. Fortunately my NCT antenatal class was full of women who wanted homebirths which isn't the norm by any means, just a wonderful coincidence. They supported me and I went on to have my lovely daughter at home with no problems. All of this inspired me to become the homebirth support person for Leeds NCT and I help to run a Choices and Childbirth group for women who have questions that the medical profession either can't or won't answer.
Rachel, Herts I sit here waiting for the imminent birth of my second child. I plan to give birth for a second time in hospital because, as a health care worker myself, I value the access to medical intervention in the extremely unlikely event that it should become necessary either for me or my neonate. There is a reason that maternal and infant death rates are lower now than in previous years. The idea that the medical profession will intervene for convenience sake is laughable. The NHS is sadly under-resourced and my ante-natal care this time around has been appalling due to the total lack of empowerment of midwives who seem to have had any clinical decision making responsibility removed, deferring instead to inexperienced but medically qualified men in the main. This is extremely disquieting, however what I hope for within the next few days is a normal delivery with just a midwife, in hospital because my baby's life is too precious to gamble on any of my own selfish ideas about wanting to labour under a tree in my back garden or somesuch, using up double the midwifery resources necessary, hence depriving other women in need.
Chris - Yorkshire I was able to achieve the birth i wanted 17 years ago because I was a midwife and knew my way around the system, and Jess, my daughter obliged by not being too difficult. I went into independent practice as I wanted to help others achieve the birth they wanted without feeling they had to battle for what, often, are really normal, sensible wishes. it also ment I could combine involved parenting and working as a midwife while my daughter was breastfeeding and growing up. All women should feel valued and lissened to and have their wishes respected. Informed choice should mean that not informed coercion to comply with operational policies. There are lots of lovely careing NHS midwives who struggle to provide good indivualised care to women but many have lost the plot due to the way they have been treated over the years.
susan stephenson I am very concerned that children, women and midwives are being socialised into the notion,or frankly taught that pregnancy, birth and feeding a baby are abnormal events fraught with fear, disgust and danger. My older children have both been shown videos at school of highly medicalised childbirth as part of 'Reproduction' topics, women i work with as a midwife and I meet day to day speak of how they 'have' to undergo certain tests, monitoring and screening, and 'have' to 'deliver' (as opposed to birth) in a certain place, and my local infant and junior school has finally implemented a 'breastfeeding policy'after a period of banning feeding babies on the premises anywhere where children might see. the results of traumatic childbirth can be seen years and years down the line, with mothers who lack confidence and self esteem, and children who grow up with suboptimal opportunitiy to be healthy, having failed to feed normally.If we want to salvage normal birth and the opportunity for mothers and babies to be optimally healthy and well, we need to salvage the role of the midwife. - Women need to have the opportunity to experience one-to-one care in pregnancy, birth and postnatally. One of the rare ways women can achieve this at present is via an independent midwife, whose very existence is threatened at present by the governments' plan to introduce legislation making it illegal to practice without insurance (- A luxury which is not available for independent midwives) -If women don't want to end up with their daughters only choice of care being a conveyor-belt of medicalised, interventionist, defensive practice , detrimental to mothers and babies then we need to act now to change the way the service is organised and offered.
Isobel Canterbury I had a wonderful birth at the Dover Birthing Centre which is midwife run, I had a waterbirth as i had planned and the care i received was excellent. My labour wasn't short or easy but at all times I felt well looked after and at ease, I believe my environment really helped and i was able to give birth in a quite dimly lite warm room which was beautifully decorated with live plants and mobiles! My husband was able to stay with me after the birth in our own room, which were peaceful and relaxing. There were no restrictions on visiting hours and we could stay as long as we needed. After going home i felt unwell again so had to return to a hospitial doctor run maternity ward, the amosphere was completely different, swarming with doctors of which I saw approx 4 different ones! my husband was not allowed to stay, i was left on my own for long periods of time.It really showed up the differences between midwife run units and doctor run ones! I really believe having the choice to have the birth you want is so so important, if I had been forced to go into a crowded busy hospitial i think my experience would be very different indeed. Our midwifes need all the support we can give them to allow them to provide women with the best care they can.I felt very sad the other day to here my brilliant midwife had left due to the stress of the job and she had only been doing it for 1yr. When will they be given the proper credit and support they so dearly deserve?
Anne Dickson, Edinburgh I hope further programmes are going to outline the differences in the other parts of the UK. In Wales, for example there is a great national pathway for birth that helps ensure equity across the country. Here in Scotland we have just had a national review of all maternity services against a set of standards based on best evidence. This review, and the national standards, mean that women in Scotland have access to a lot of information about what should be offered. In my own unit, we have home births, a midwife led unit and a consultant unit where midwife led care is still offered until medical intervention is required.We are reducing our caesarian rate currently 21% - and more than half our babies are born 'normally' - with minimum intervention. We are not unique and part of this is the clear wishes of women to have what they want. The other pressure women should exert on their local services is for then to gain UNICEF babyfriendly accreditation supporting breastfeeding and 'skin to skin' time immediately after birth for both parents - feed back says that is the most memorable part for the new parents. Be vocal, demand high standards - you are not ill, you are producing the nation's future - they deserve the best!
Louise Machin, Crystal Palace, London I reluctantly agreed to an elective caesarean with my first son four years ago because I was suffering from severe oligohydramnios. However, I had planned to have a home birth. Though necessary, it was a difficult experience and the recovery and feeding difficulties caused by the major abdominal surgery, and the drugs I received, ruined the first few weeks of his life. My second child was a HBAC (home birth after caesarean)two year ago and suffice to say it was the single most rewarding, empowering, beautiful experience I have ever had in my life. The decision to home birth with an independent midwife originally stemmed from watching my sister experience a frightening, lonely and traumatic hospital birth nine years ago. She was 41 weeks, so agreed to the hospital policy for induction, never questioning it. Once in hospital and on a drip she was left alone for long periods (due to a lack of staff on shift) tethered to a CTG machine, flat on her back in a brightly lit, but cold room. Unsurprisingly, her labour didn't progress - she was afraid and recumbant, and so the cascade of intervention continued until an episiotomy was performed and her baby was extracted by ventouse - after three unsuccessful attempts. Her pain and fear was heart-breaking and still haunts me now. I knew, even before I know what I do now, that it was all wrong, and vowed never to put myself knowingly into a similar position. I strongly believe in continuous midwifery care being the key to successful birthing. I also believe that taking the fear out of childbirth leaves women free to birth effectively. Believing that you can birth without intervention (as most women can and will do if left to get on with it) is the route to success. So. how being in a hospital, full of high tech equipment, under bright lights, surrounded by strangers, with the clock ticking, is conducive to a positive outcome, god only knows. Women need to be informed and they need choices. They need to know that they have choices and the scare-mongering has to stop. They need to know that there is no 'not allowed' about it. It is not just the obstretricians that need to let us go (and instead concentrate their efforts on the abnormal/problem births where their skills essential), we as women need to be more demanding. In a world beset by litigious practice, unless women speak out and demand choice and change then the grossly restricting policies operating in maternity care that often don't put women's welfare first, will continue. Women are made to birth and have been doing it for centuries. With the right care and support the majority will do it with no help whatsoever.
Mary Cronk Chichester While the overall maternal mortality figures are stated accurately by the programme it is implied that this was associated with home birth this is not so. The motality figures for hospital births exceeded the home births. Marjorie Tey a medical research statistician whom you do not quote exposed this in her research based book Safer Childbirth published in 1990
Penny, Kent I had a horrendous time during pregnancy and in labour resulting in numerous complications caused by poor equipment and disinterested staff. This led to me having to have remedial surgery 3 months after my son's birth at my own expense (I would have had to have waited 18 months on the NHS). I never want to give birth in East Kent Hospitals again and doubt I will have another baby anyway after my experience there, it was just too traumatic.
Molly Hughes, London I had both of my children in the Bloomsbury Birth Centre, a midwife-run unit at University College Hospital London. I have nothing but the highest respect for the midwives there-- they were stong, supportive and helped me give birth to two children without medical intervention. It was only when a doctor from the labour ward had to get involved due to a tricky tear, that things went terribly wrong. These doctors are not trained to deal with tears and I was sutured incorrectly and lived in constant pain for five months until it could be corrected. I am not alone in having had this experience. Many women I know have had similar and at times more severe problems related to their suturing by doctors who have no experience with tears. In my case, a midwife could have done it, but because of the regulations at the hospital, she had to pass it on to a doctor who was much less experienced. Midwives deserve to have more control and are due more respect in the hierarchy of obstetrics medicine.
Ruth Weston, Bradford, West Yorkshire Homebirths and waterbirths discouraged in Bradford. Numbers of community midwves halved. the battle being lost here. I asked chief exec of Bradford NHS publically at AGM why despite the evidence homebirths being discouraged he replied that the NHS not set up for it. but all the old ladies there said - but we did it so why not you? We spent all our savings on an indep midwife to have a normal birth at home. That is wrong.
Sarah B, London I have two comments. Firstly when I trained as a Midwife in the early 80's, no mother in labour was EVER left alone - even if it meant leaving the room for only two minutes. There was always either a trained midwife, student midwife (who in those days was already a qualified general nurse) or, rarely, a student nurse. This was in a 23 single room delivery unit. Due to lack of students in clinical situations these days this could never happen now but worked extremely well then as no patient ever felt deserted. My second point is that when I had my daughter 5 years ago I was so afraid of being left in a vulnerable or understaffed situation that I insisted on a Caesarian because I knew it was safer for the baby, if not for me - I got a post-op DVT and some might say it served me right, but I have never had a moment's regret about that decision.
Jess Barrington - Taunton, Somerset I had the most wonderful birthing experience at home under a Gazebo, outside in the garden. I had opted for a waterbirth but was told early on by my Midwife that a home/waterbirth was NOT an option as I had a condition called Group B Strep (GBS.) Having felt bullied and backed into a corner, I changed Midwives to a wonderful male Midwife who advised me of the risks involved but was very supportive and respectful of my wishes. we worked on a birthplan together, along with my partner and friends who were to be present at the birth. When the time came, I had a completely drug-free, chilled out, natural, waterbirth. My Midwife took a step back and just let me get on with it on my own, which, is just as I had wanted. My partner and I now have a wonderful baby boy who is nearly six months old. I would urge all Mums-to-be to challenge their Midwives if they're feeling pushed into something that they're not comfortable with, or being bullied ino a hospital birth. I accept that home births are not always a good idea if there may be complications but please, don't just go along with a hospital birth because they are the 'norm.' When I have our second child, I would do exactly the same again!
Jess Barrington - Taunton, Somerset I had the most wonderful birthing experience at home under a Gazebo, outside in the garden. I had opted for a waterbirth but was told early on by my Midwife that a home/waterbirth was NOT an option as I had a condition called Group B Strep (GBS.) Having felt bullied and backed into a corner, I changed Midwives to a wonderful male Midwife who advised me of the risks involved but was very supportive and respectful of my wishes. we worked on a birthplan together, along with my partner and friends who were to be present at the birth. When the time came, I had a completely drug-free, chilled out, natural, waterbirth. My Midwife took a step back and just let me get on with it on my own, which, is just as I had wanted. My partner and I now have a wonderful baby boy who is nearly six months old. I would urge all Mums-to-be to challenge their Midwives if they're feeling pushed into something that they're not comfortable with, or being bullied ino a hospital birth. I accept that home births are not always a good idea if there may be complications but please, don't just go along with a hospital birth because they are the 'norm.' When I have our second child, I would do exactly the same again!
sophie miller, Cornwall I gave birth to my first baby, a daughter in May 2006. I had THE BEST midwife care I could possibly have dreamed of, and a fantastic home birth. I wanted a home birth from the outset because as far as I'm concerned natural childbirth is a non medical experience (if there are complications then that's a different matter) My GP was completely against it, for no reason as far as i could tell, she (yes a woman) even suggested that a home birth was in advisable because of the mess and smell (!) but as i wanted a home birth I managed to get on the list of a new team of case-load midwives just outside my area, which meant I had a named midwife who visited me in my home antenatally, I called her mobile when I went into labour and she attended the birth with another midwife i'd not met before, she also attended me post natally for checks- helped me give my daughter her 1st bath! and is still a friend.
The labour was 15 hrs and my daughter was born posterior, compound and weighing a large 9lbs 15 oz (I'm only 5'3") I pushed for quite a while and ended up with a 3rd degree tear that I needed to transfer to hospital to have repaired. My midwives came with me. Had I laboured in hospital I'm certain I would have had more intervention in my daugter's birth- since having her I have met women who have had routine cesarian sections for posterior presenting babies- I'm also aware that if i'd been in hospital with more pain relief options, i would quite possible have been tempted to have an epidural as posterior presentation involves quite a painful labour, had i had an epidural i would probably have needed other medicalisations to assist with the delivery. As it was I used only water and entonox and I would definitely feel more confident in having a home birth next time than having a hospital birth. The only concern i have is that i have now moved areas and i don't think the local midwives are quite so happy and confident with home delivery- as shame, because there's really nothing un-natural about having babies!
Another interesting point about the valley team midwives (my previous care) is that one of the team is experienced in breech baby delivery. So even if you have a breech baby you still have the option of going for a natural and or home birth, this is a knowledge that midwives used to have and it has unfortunately been largely lost in the medicalization of childbirth.
gloria serne Neath, S.Wales I had my first baby, a girl, when I was 19 in 1970. Listening to the programme today, I carefully went over the events of the birth, something which I have to admit I do not often do, as it was such a horrid time for us both. Mine was a complete medical birth, enema, shave, bath and I was induced by drip, I still to this day do not know or remember why. I was in labour for 36 hours, and honestly believed I was going to die. Husbands or mothers were not allowed anywhere near and I seemed to have provoked the irritation of the midwives, I was refused gas and air after a few hours as they said I had had enough, and was only given Pethidine in the last few hours, which of course made it much worse. My bed was moved away from the wall so that I couldnt use the call bell, I can still remember the fear and loneliness, but I do remember the very kind cleaner who held my hand.
I eventually had a forceps delivery, I found out many, many years later that I had a retrograde uterus, something they deemed was not important to know.
I did go on to have a second baby 2 years later, but even in that short time things had changed and I had a much calmer and happy experience, although a forcepts delivery.
It has made me quite sad remembering that time, what a scared little girl I was. BUT I had a beautiful daughter who will be 37 next month and is a confident successful women with a daughter of her own.
Amber, St Albans I was due to have my second child in a highly rated midwife only unit. Unfortunately it closed 4 weeks before he was due and has never reopened 1 year on. I opted to have a home birth and it was the best decision I ever made. The whole labour and birth lasted only 1.45hrs, it was very calm, my daughter was able to meet her brother when he was only a few minutes old and within 1 hour we were all relaxing in bed alone with our new baby. The care i received was fantastic. I am convinced being in my own surroundings and with such care helped such an easy birth (my labour with myfirst daughter was over 30 hours with 4 hours of second stage pushing!)I strongly feel more women should be encouraged and enabled to give birth at home- it is safe and can be an amazing experience
Lena Eriksson, York I enjoyed listening to your programme and hope that the second one will address the problem of women becoming the battleground for midwives and medics. Today great pressure is being put on women to give 'natural' birth, the implication being that a different choice would be 'unnatural'. Supposedly value neutral information regarding pain relief is presented with moralistic overtones and it is made clear that Good Women give birth without any drugs. This is presumably because the professional jurisdiction shifts away from the midviwes if an epidural is given and it begs the question of how 'natural' is defined and why. It is presumably also natural to feel pain when breaking a leg, but the medical response to that sort of pain tends not to be to ask the patient to imagine that the pain is an alp top. While I agree that much of the medicalisation and thereby objectification of women was deeply misogynist, I think that the current trend to to put pressure on women to give 'natural' birth amounts to the same thing, even if the original motives were more benign.
keeley bryan 11 yrs ago I gave birth to my first daughter. I experienced a medicalised birth, with induction, drip, epidural and episiotomy. 4 yrs later I had my 2 daughter naturally. Following her birth I decided to become a midwife. I wanted to support women through the life changing event of pregnancy and birth, I wanted to facilitate as normal a birth as possible for the women in my care.I am passionate about midwifery and feel that women deserve better than they are getting. So here I am now, a third year student midwife, facing the prospect of no employment come September, huge debt and a knowledge that if things continue the way they are going, all women will be having caesarean sections in hospital and cared for postnatally by obstetric nurses. The female population has to make a stand against this. Midwives have struggled to get their message across but they are the service provider and the powers that be do not want to listen. It is now time for the service users to make a stand and to say they want improvements. Midwives are leaving the profession in their droves, the government say there are more midwives but they manipulate the figures. There are simply more midwives working part time, not because it suits them but because full time is just far too stressful. The government say that by 2009 all women will have a choice in where they give birth and will know their midwife, how do they plan to do this when they have announced the closures of midwifery led units? Women must fight for the right to have the birth experience they want. Research shows that women have less medical intervention when they have one to one care in labour and the cost of normal birth is in the hundreds whilst C section is in the thousands. Midwives are at the forefront when it comes to the health of future generations.When are governments going to wake up and start planning for the future and not just the here and now. I hope that the momentum carries on with regards to this subject and I thank radio 4 for highlighting this very important and critical issue.
julia de soto, cardiff Some white British midwives use their profession to establish racist and patronaising behaviour towards non-white female patients.Thanks to Drs and nurses(some of them foreigners)my delivery experience was less traumatic.Midwives want to be Drs?!!please check their professional status!!
Rose, Derby Heard your programme with interest. I had a baby in 1964. On my one and only visit to the clinic the nurses expressed great amazement that Dr B. had 'allowed' me, as an older first time mother, to opt for having the baby at home. My reply was 1. I wouldn't go into the local maternity hospital (I was living in Lancashire at the time) if they paid me and
2. What was it to do with Dr. B. - I was having the baby not him. I ended up with a midwife on each side of the bed and the dioctor at the bottom so I was definitely better off than I would have been in hospital! The baby chose to arrive crossing over two midwife shifts so the first one, a lovely motherly person said 'as she had started she would finish' and stayed until the bay was born.
Unless there are real medical problems opt for home every time.
liz feldman,herts. I had my 1st baby when I was 22 and hadn't a clue how it would be born, my gynaceacologist(I went privately) told me not to worry about it,he would have the baby for me, I was given pethadine and put out totally - I'm glad things are different today
Kate Cranston-Stephens, Amersham, Bucks I have been a post-natal carer (maternity 'nurse') within the private sector for years, entering the homes of 'new' mums to offer them support and teach the art of newborn care. Many of these women have been traumatised by hospital experiences usually because of staff shortages but also from receiving conflicting advice. I personally am a great supporter of community midwives who don't have the luxury of spending time with new mums, while I do. I have tried to offer my service for free to the NHS but no takers. I even spent two years writing a course, jumped through hoops to get it accredited to give me and other trained PNCs more gravitas but even offering our servies for free AFTER training has produced no takers. Why is this valuable service rejected by an overstretched Health Service?
Wendy Hinds I had a horrible first labour where I was left alone and unsupported for hours on end in hospital. During the labour I was offered an epidural by a midwife who didn't seem to have the time or wherewithal to offer me any other sort of support. I hadn't wanted to have an epidural but ended up with one because my partner and I were in a terrible state and didn't know how else to cope. I needed forceps for the birth, which has left me with long term problems with bladder and bowel control. It also didn't help that I came home with infected stitches, something that wasn't picked up immediately because the community team forgot to come and visit me for two days. Second time around I knew I was carrying a very large baby and simply couldn't bear to take my chances of a repeat performance in hospital. I hired a superb independent midwife who helped me birth my 10lbs 12oz baby at home. The birth wasn't easy but both me and my baby were left in great shape and absolutely elated by the experience. The same midwife supported me through a 36 hour third labour at home before transferring with me into hospital and helping me have a normal birth once I got there. I have breastfed all three of my babies for over a year each - the first time just be luck and determination as the 'support' I got in hospital was so poor and so inconsistent. Second and third time around my midwife made sure I didn't have any problems, and came to visit me every day for the first week to check that we were doing ok. In my area women now may only get ONE postnatal visit, on day five, before being handed over to the health visitor on day 10........ I feel completely outraged at the plans to force midwives working outside the NHS to take out indemnity insurance - something that'll basically result in the end of independent midwives as they simply won't be able to get cover - as the government well knows. These midwives are provide a service for women that isn't available within the NHS any more in that they offer us the chance to be accompanied in birth with someone that we know and trust and for me that's a fundamental issue. I was so fearful during my second pregnancy before I booked with my midwife that at times I considered just staying at home on my own for the birth rather than going into hospital. I know that if independent midwives are forced out of business some women will choose to give birth unaccompanied and there will be maternal and infant deaths arising from this. When I booked with my midwife I knew she didn't have indemnity insurance and I knew the implications of this - she made sure I did. I thoroughly resent the goverment removing this choice from me and from other mothers - it's an outrage, especially when accompanied by all the other changes that are happening within the NHS such as reductions in staffing, that result in women being denied ANY opportunity for one to one care and for continuity of care.
richard bunting, matlock, derbsyhire There is huge controversy over this issue in north Derbyshire. Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Royal Hospital NGHS Trust is running a consultation with plans to close the award winning Darley Maternity Unit. Women, including from rural villages, will be forced to travel to Chesterfield. This has triggered an outpouring of concern from hundreds of local people, concerned over safety, choice and the unnacountable behaviour by the Trust (which refused to be interview for BBC East Midlands Today yesterday). The consultation paper seems designed to generate the answers the Trust wants. A local community group has been formed - see www.momscampaign.com My wife and I had a fantastic experience at Darley and like so many people in the community do not want to see this gem of a unit closed.
Atam Verdi, Leeds (Mr) Whilst we've not lost a baby ourseleves. In network of family and friends we have had 3 instances of still births within the last 18 months. My wife is a GP and we consider that there is a clear problem with pre-natal care. All of these women were first timers, and two of them were overdue by weeks. We believe that due to staff shortages. Apparently young and strong women are being put at risk by being made to wait and not being monitored properly.
K Murphy, London
I have noted the interesting messages posted so far, generally all very supportive of midwifery led care. Speaking as an obstetrician I think that somebody needs to point out that Childbirth has become very safe in our era in the main because of the intricate and ubiquitous medical suppport systems that are rarely openly acknowledged. Women need to know that fewer that half of all first time mothers deliver spontaneously in modern teaching hospitals (the majority need ventouse, forceps or C. section). Epidural rates are 50-80%. Contrary to widely held opinion obstetric intervention does not affect a small number of exceptional cases but, in fact, it affects the majority of first time mothers. Yet maternal and perinatal mortality in our era is at an all time low point in historical terms. It was much higher when things were left to nature (the old-fashioned term was 'watchful expectancy'). In fact there are concerns that the recent move to midwifery led care for so called low risk mothers may be associated with the very recent upward trend in perinatal mortality (2002-5). Let us not throw out the baby with the bath water. Women need to know all of the facts to be in a position to appreciate the risks involved and to make an informed decision about the place of birth.
Celia Savage, Cranleigh, Surrey
Home births may be lovely when there are no problems, but what about if a problem does come up and Maternity is a long drive away? We are told that the Maternity unit at the Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford is under threat as part of the re-organisation demanded of the Surrey Primary Care Trust by the Stragetic Health Authority. This is driven by finance, not the well-being of the Mums and babies.
Nelson, New Zealand
I'm sitting in NZ fascinated by the birth stories above. They are certainly full of 'they did this or didn't' , the ability to have choice or lack of and certainly strongly supportive of midwifery care. Please consider New Zealand statistics. In 1990 midwives here became Lead Maternity Carers. At that time there was a 12.9% c/s rate with more women birthing in hospital rather than the specialized maternity hospitals. New Zealand midwives are paid by the Government. They give continuity of care and can be Direct Entry trained. Women have the choice of home or hospital birth with the same midwife. Over 85% of all pregnant women have a continuity of care midwife who is not sharing care with a GP or Obstetrician. What an ideal situation and the envy of many countries. The c/s rate is now over 30%. The epidural rate is close to 60% ... So what is going on? First, we know that 100% of pregnant women will give birth no matter where or how. This then leads to an assumption there is nothing we need to do or can do to make a difference in our birth. This is coupled with the fact that there is no way to know what your birth will be like. Childbirth is the only way humans procreate so of course it's natural. However, childbirth is not a naturally occurring event connected to birth skills by the mother and the person (usually father) who will be with her. We value learning to cook to deal with the natural physiological process of hunger. We even learn to void in the appropriate place instead of doing it where we sit. Even our primal physiological urge to have sex is loaded with skills to learn how to be a good lover. Well, childbirth needs to be skilled. As women we need to learn how-to birth and our partners need to learn how-to birth coach. Birth Plans and information do not carry us on the day when we have the naturally occurring pain of childbirth. Please consider having a socially accepted expectation that all families learn how to birth. Anyone who would like the statistics we've collected for the past 6 years in NZ to show that when couples use The Pink Kit Package they self reduce their use of medical pain relief and even their need for c/s delivery in every birth situation. So let's put another possibility into our birth discussions and let's become skilled birthing families whether we birth in hospital, home or Birth Centre and whether we have midwifery, GP or Obstetrical care. We can all have inspirational births. Wintergreen, trustee Common Knowledge Trust
Fiona /kent
I am a midwife and though i agree 100% that there are shortages etc , i feel i must protest at at this overwhelming (from what i read in the e mails)view that hospital midwifery is out to get you. I and my colleagues work very hard at promoting normality, we often end up with women upset as we will not induce them as they request. It is impossible on a labour ward to give one on one care when there are staff shortages, and just not enough of you to go round. There are faults in the system, but most midwives do the best they can with what they have, we are not out to make things difficult ! Postnatal care is also frustrating, as we cannot spend the time we would like to help with breast feeding etc,but it does not mean we do not care. Independent midwifery is great for those that want it, and can afford it, as it guarantees one on one care, but it will not stop obstetric emergencies from happening. It is not fair to always blame the hospital!
Anon NE Hants
I was an unmarried Mum in the 1960s. I had to work up to the day I had my baby as my father(who had been v. loving)had, in traditional manner, "cut me off without a penny" and thrown me out. My mother, despite her attempts to make me have an abortion, loyally came to the hospital when I was in labour and was packed off smartly by the staff. A large nurse told me I could have a potty or go to the loo after my enema. "Loo" I replied. Afterwards the nurse fell about laughting and said "Lor, darlin, I never saw anyone run so fast..!" As it was my first baby, the labour went on all day and most of the night. I was alone in a bleak room and the nurses cut off the bell. I bit through one of my fingers. Still the hospital did present my baby boy with a large blue knitted cardigan (saying "we haven't had time to sew on the buttons yet") when I left. I was interested to hear on your programme that this barbaric aproach to childbirth was pretty par for the course in the 1960s.
kate, paris
i'm living in france at the moment and have had quite a time of it with regards to being pregnant and dealing with the system over here. It all seems to be very tricky to get the type of birth you want unless it's epidurals and lots of drugs and intervention that you're after. And on top of that everyone seems to book themselves into the maternity ward/clinic they want almost before they even get pregnant, so unprepared english parents to be get in a right old muddle. as a result of which we got tangled up with a very unsympathetic doctor who was also very rude, and didn't like being asked questions (surely what you're meant to do. especially if you're pregnant for the first time and in a foreign country). But after a last-straw type of experience with the doctor in question, we decided something had to be done, and managed to find a sage-femme liberale (independent midwife) who does home births. It seems to me that most of the women i meet here want all the medecin, and to spend a week in hospital being told how important it is to wash your baby in soap, and to shampoo it's hair every day and to especially use nasal sprays and ointments and such like. could this have anything to do with france's huge pharmaceutical industry that needs to be kept afloat somehow. "get 'em young" appears to be the motto. And no-one i've met so far seems to be very well informed about what happens when you're pregnant or when you give birth. the doctors seem to have the opinion of "if you need to know then we'll tell you. and you don't need to know. in fact just do what we say and take these pills." but, i'd better stop there as i'm getting too ranty. I'd best not forget that the system seems to be working fine for a whole lot of french women having babies every day. It was just a bit of a shock that's all. the sort of thing i wish i'd been prepared for so i was ready for how to go about things here. There's definately been times when i wished i had been able to move back to the uk to have an NHS birth with friendly midwifes and doctors who don't mind if you ask the odd question. but then i suppose it depends very much on the hospital and staff in question. i must say i'm a big believer in treating the staff well so that they'll be able to treat the patients well. But i should finish by saying that i think midwifes do an amazing and important job. they deserve all the support and respect they get. and more.
Ruth Hill, Brighton
When my baby was 'diagnosed' as being in the breech position at 36 weeks, the NHS went into panic mode and told me that my previously planned home birth was out of the question. My hopes for a natural vaginal birth were also met with incredulity and barely concealed panic. During various lengthy meetings at the hospital I was repeatedly cited research statistics that said that vaginal birth was dangerous compared with c-sections, even though the research only applied to deliveries involving a high level of intervention by an obstetrician - something I expressly did not want - as opposed to a natural, hands-off, midwife-led birth. Even though I myself was healthy, fit and strong and had prepared myself both physically and mentally for the rigours of birth and had had a perfect, uncomplicated pregnancy, I was suddenly considered 'high risk' and my baby described as 'abnormal'. Everyone at the hospital made it very clear that I was putting myself and my baby at needless risk. Luckily for me, Mary Cronk, along with another idependent midwife Joy Horner took me under their wings at short notice and were with me when I gave birth to a perfect baby girl, at home, on Thursday morning. I truly believe that they saved my life. Despite this being my first child, labour was very fast (6 hours in total) with no pain-relief needed besides a TENS machine. Baby came out feet first and delivered herself, twisting and turning as needed to come out. No intervention was needed at all, but when it was all over and my placenta was examined, Mary and Joy discovered that it was peculiarly lobed with three big blood vessels joining the two parts. These could easily have been severed had I accepted the caesarian the NHS were insisting on. Problems with bullying from the NHS carers continued post-natally so Mary and Joy have stepped in once again (I would be happy to elaborate on these issues if anyone wanted more details). I think it is a great shame that NHS midwives have lost the skills, confidence and experience to handle normal, albeit unusual, breech births and thank my lucky stars for professionals like Mary and Joy.
Maggie Vaughan
Excellent programme but what it failed to point out is the fact that the very existence of Independent Midwives such as Mary Cronk are being threatened with withdrawal of their practice certificates because of the Govt's / NMC's refusal to ensure Ind MWs can get P11 insurance cover. This is likely in about a year but CAN be avoided if the Govt. really cares. All those specialist skills Mary described will simply disappear and the home birth rate will plummet. This cavalier dispatch of such a valuable repository of skills should be fought tooth and nail by the whole of the maternity sector. I hope there will be another program covering this
gladys warren
I feel bullied in the industry. I am foreign and am not recognised. I'd like to talk to someone about my experiences.
Jacquie Groom, Switzerland
I found the comments about the problems of 'giving birth in a foreign language' brought back a lot of memories - my daughters were born in the Netherlands and Switzerland respectively. Both times my hold of the language was a bit shaky, and it seemed that whenever it was vitaly important, there was no-one around who spoke English. I was booked up for a home birth in the Netherlands - which is the norm - but my daughter was very late, so I was booked in for an induced birth. Waiting in hospital the night before the induction, labour started ... but I couldn't make anyone understand that it was actually underway. They kept on telling me, in slower and slower Dutch, 'No, you're having the baby tomorrow, not today' Finally, almost in hysterics, I got someone to examine me, who found I was nearly fully dilated. At last I was allowed to phone my husband and the ward went into panic mode to call the doctor etc. Emily was born about an hour later... I still remember that awful feeling of not being able to make myself understood at a moment of real panic as a first-time mum.
Sara, Cockermouth, Lake District
AT 32 I had a quick, but frightening hospital delivery of my daughter, Emily, who is now 12. Midwives changed while I was pushing,and although they were nice people, I didn't really know who was there and when, as I was just fixed on taking in gas and air because the contractions were so fierce and painful. The midwives in the baby unit, where I put my baby, hoping for a bit of sleep, ignored me because I made no fuss and I had to ask them to show me how to breastfeed and bath my baby. It was a lonely few days. At 42, I was stunned to be offered a home birth, here in Cockermouth, Cumbria and reassured that as an older mother it was possible and they positively encouraged it. My partner and I were very excited about it and reassured when they delivered the baby unit and oxygen etc a few days before the due date.We waited and waited, but our son didn't want to make an appearance, so I was given a membrane sweep at 5pm on the last day of Christmas term, Mad Friday, it's known as up here, and then we went into town to get a takeaway curry with our daughter EMily. As we were sitting in the pub waiting for the curry I realised things were starting to happen, so we dashed home. We prepared the sitting room and got mugs out for tea for the midwives. EMily went to bed only after we promised to tell her if anything happened. We then waited, together, until I felt the familiar strong contractions that I'd had with Emily. At about 11.30 we called the midwife, she said she'd phone her colleague and the hospital and the emergency services, so that everyone would be on stand-by. Within half an hour she arrived, had a mug of tea, set out her things and calmly checked me over. We had lit the multi-fuel stove and it was lovely and warm, so I was able to just be in my shirt and pants, free to move around. The midwives left us in private in the sitting room, coming in to check me at intervals. When it was clear that our baby was ready to arrive everything was in place for him, even the shower curtain over the sofa and on the carpet. They let me have some gas and air for the contractions, but then suggested I stop so that I could feel the contractions to push. They were gentle, but firm midwives who knew when to be there and when to leave us in private - fantastic and I felt really safe and cared for. As our baby emerged into our home they showed me how to catch him between my legs and bring him up to my body, the cord still pulsating. IT was warm enough in the room for us to hold him naked against us for a few minutes,so that he could root away and try to suckle for the first time. It was magic. His feet were really long and he was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. Then they gently did the cutting of the cord and took him away to check him, weigh him and wrapped him in the sheet we had provided for him. When they were happy with him, they delivered the placenta, it needed a bit of a tug and help from me, but all was well and we were allowed to look at it. I was amazed by how little mess there was and although I kept asking whether I had made a mess they reassured me that I hadn't. They cleared things away, while we sat together, all three of us on the sofa, basking in the moment; Robin gently suckling. Then they brought us both a cup of tea and asked if I wanted a bath. One of the midwives filled in forms and packed things away, while the other took me upstairs to our bedroom and then ran the bath for me. She helped me in and then washed me gently, running the flannel over my back and talking gently. Meanwhile, my partner was sitting, terrified downstairs, holding our son, Robin, for almost an hour, hardly daring to move in case he dropped him I think! After my bath, the midwife brought Robin up to our room and handed him over to me. She then showed me how to get him to latch on correctly and was with me for at least an hour checking the position and that I was happy with what I was doing. She saw that I was tired and took Robin and tucked him up in his Moses basket at the foot of our bed. Then Phil, my partner, went to get Emily from her ro
Jill .. Luton
Some years ago when I was in antenatal, 'Resting' a terrified woman was wheeled in, brought in by emergency ambulance. Her distraught family eventually arrived .. lively , lovely Italians, and calm reigned. Next day, early, staff arrived with a wheelchair to take her for X-ray.. chaos and noisy confusion. I knew 'Bambino' so got a smile. 'Uno ' I said, then 'Due' and bravely tried 'Photographia'. The lady then cheerfully got into the chair, patting her very large tummy. Peace and quiet.. but not for long. A very harrassed consultant, coat waving, burst into the ward and shouted, "Where is the lady who speaks fluent Italian" !!
Victoria Clift-Matthews, London
I'm the editor of a midwifery journal and I've been reading these responses to the programme. Clearly it's brought out a lot of emotion in people, particularly anger, and quite a few strong opinions. This shouldn't be any real surprise given that it's such an emotive topic and people experience things so differently. I'd be very pleased to hear more as I am always looking for people with an interesting perspective: Lucy from Herts, Keely Bryan, Chris from Yorkshire, Susan Stephenson and Anne Dickson - if you have a little time please contact me.
Vicky Everitt, Marlow, Bucks
I was very fortunate to have an excellent experience with the NHS, simply because I was lucky enough to get the midwife that I did,and she was available when i went into labour. Where I live, at the time of my pregancies, (my children are now five and three), all of the ante-natal care was done at the GP practice. I remeber my lovely midwife telliong me that I had a choice to have my baby at home or hospital. I've no idea to this day what prompted her to say it as it certainly didn't seem to be normal practice. I choose a home birth, not beause I was anti hospital, but because I knew i would be more relaxed at home and the more relaxed i could be, I had a better chance of my labour progressing well. Because my midwife, who did all of my ante-natal care, was available for both of my labours and deliveries, so I was very fortunate to have that continuous care and have a proper realtionship with the midwife who cared for me. Her experience of my first birth, postively influenced how she cared for me second time round. I did have to go into hospital to deliver my son, as i dah been pushing 'too long' (according to hosp policy on home births), but the transfer to hospital went well and i was back home within hours. My daughter was a complete home birth. As I said, I was very lucky, but it shouldn't have come done to that - all expectant mums should have the opportunity to have the support I received. I wish our midwives were valued more, especially by the powers that be.
anon, Sussex
This was an excellent programme, a long overdue! exploration of this topic. I remember how struck I was by a comment from someone from the Royal College of Midwives on Woman's Hour last year that some midwives are coming out of training without the skills to help women have a normal birth. Whose decisions have brought about this situation? Who decides for example that midwives shouldn't have the skills to help women deliver breech babies? And what of the new proposals, that consultant units should be permanently staffed by consultants? Consultants are incredibly expensive, yet even at the amount they get paid, I wonder if there will be enough of them to give permanent cover? Presumably the number of women able to give birth in midwife led units will be strictly controlled, so vast sums will have to be spent to give consultant units the new space they will need to take on the extra births. Then we will find out that this isn't really the solution we wanted after all ----. I'm looking forward to Wednesday's programme and hearing some of these issues addressed.
Lucy, Herts
As a trainee midwife about to return to my training after a year-long maternity leave, I feel concerned and depressed about my future in the profession. The hospital that I am training in excellent and relatively debt-free yet still faces the cuts and staff shortages that constantly threaten and undermine maternity services. The midwives and doctors that I have trained with have a combined wealth of experience and good practice, and yet so many of them were dissatisfied with their jobs; worn out, sick of the endless policy tinkering and disgusted by the meanness of resources and support. I had already resolved to go into independent midwifery once I had gained sufficient clinical experience in the NHS; now I read that this entire field is under threat due to yet more govenmental interference of the most negative sort. As a mother too, whose most recent birth experience, at home, was wonderfully memorable thanks to fantastically calm, warm, professional midwife - why must we continue to endure this erosion of our right to choose, and to expect, world-class maternity services?
anonymous liverpool
i had a baby recently in a large regional hospital. My heart goes out to the midwives who are obviously understaffed with too many women in their care. they appeared to be giving minimal/basic care simply due to the amount of patients to care for both on the ante natal and post natal ward. i witnessed midwives hampered by paperwork, telephone enquiries, and patient and visitor enquiries. it seems to me they have not actually got the time to be a midwife enquiries
Stevie Jane Foster Leeds
I have had all 3 of my children at home. When I was pregnant with my first child I told my GP I wanted a homebirth and she dismissed me saying that I was an emotional pregnant woman! The next time I saw her I insisted that I was an educated well read woman and I wanted a homebirth. She went on to tell me that of course I would be fine but it would be the baby that died if anything went wrong! I found that friends and family were also bemused by my insistence to have my baby at home. Fortunately my NCT antenatal class was full of women who wanted homebirths which isn't the norm by any means, just a wonderful coincidence. They supported me and I went on to have my lovely daughter at home with no problems. All of this inspired me to become the homebirth support person for Leeds NCT and I help to run a Choices and Childbirth group for women who have questions that the medical profession either can't or won't answer.
Rachel, Herts
I sit here waiting for the imminent birth of my second child. I plan to give birth for a second time in hospital because, as a health care worker myself, I value the access to medical intervention in the extremely unlikely event that it should become necessary either for me or my neonate. There is a reason that maternal and infant death rates are lower now than in previous years. The idea that the medical profession will intervene for convenience sake is laughable. The NHS is sadly under-resourced and my ante-natal care this time around has been appalling due to the total lack of empowerment of midwives who seem to have had any clinical decision making responsibility removed, deferring instead to inexperienced but medically qualified men in the main. This is extremely disquieting, however what I hope for within the next few days is a normal delivery with just a midwife, in hospital because my baby's life is too precious to gamble on any of my own selfish ideas about wanting to labour under a tree in my back garden or somesuch, using up double the midwifery resources necessary, hence depriving other women in need.
Chris - Yorkshire
I was able to achieve the birth i wanted 17 years ago because I was a midwife and knew my way around the system, and Jess, my daughter obliged by not being too difficult. I went into independent practice as I wanted to help others achieve the birth they wanted without feeling they had to battle for what, often, are really normal, sensible wishes. it also ment I could combine involved parenting and working as a midwife while my daughter was breastfeeding and growing up. All women should feel valued and lissened to and have their wishes respected. Informed choice should mean that not informed coercion to comply with operational policies. There are lots of lovely careing NHS midwives who struggle to provide good indivualised care to women but many have lost the plot due to the way they have been treated over the years.
susan stephenson
I am very concerned that children, women and midwives are being socialised into the notion,or frankly taught that pregnancy, birth and feeding a baby are abnormal events fraught with fear, disgust and danger. My older children have both been shown videos at school of highly medicalised childbirth as part of 'Reproduction' topics, women i work with as a midwife and I meet day to day speak of how they 'have' to undergo certain tests, monitoring and screening, and 'have' to 'deliver' (as opposed to birth) in a certain place, and my local infant and junior school has finally implemented a 'breastfeeding policy'after a period of banning feeding babies on the premises anywhere where children might see. the results of traumatic childbirth can be seen years and years down the line, with mothers who lack confidence and self esteem, and children who grow up with suboptimal opportunitiy to be healthy, having failed to feed normally.If we want to salvage normal birth and the opportunity for mothers and babies to be optimally healthy and well, we need to salvage the role of the midwife. - Women need to have the opportunity to experience one-to-one care in pregnancy, birth and postnatally. One of the rare ways women can achieve this at present is via an independent midwife, whose very existence is threatened at present by the governments' plan to introduce legislation making it illegal to practice without insurance (- A luxury which is not available for independent midwives) -If women don't want to end up with their daughters only choice of care being a conveyor-belt of medicalised, interventionist, defensive practice , detrimental to mothers and babies then we need to act now to change the way the service is organised and offered.
Isobel Canterbury
I had a wonderful birth at the Dover Birthing Centre which is midwife run, I had a waterbirth as i had planned and the care i received was excellent. My labour wasn't short or easy but at all times I felt well looked after and at ease, I believe my environment really helped and i was able to give birth in a quite dimly lite warm room which was beautifully decorated with live plants and mobiles! My husband was able to stay with me after the birth in our own room, which were peaceful and relaxing. There were no restrictions on visiting hours and we could stay as long as we needed. After going home i felt unwell again so had to return to a hospitial doctor run maternity ward, the amosphere was completely different, swarming with doctors of which I saw approx 4 different ones! my husband was not allowed to stay, i was left on my own for long periods of time.It really showed up the differences between midwife run units and doctor run ones! I really believe having the choice to have the birth you want is so so important, if I had been forced to go into a crowded busy hospitial i think my experience would be very different indeed. Our midwifes need all the support we can give them to allow them to provide women with the best care they can.I felt very sad the other day to here my brilliant midwife had left due to the stress of the job and she had only been doing it for 1yr. When will they be given the proper credit and support they so dearly deserve?
Anne Dickson, Edinburgh
I hope further programmes are going to outline the differences in the other parts of the UK. In Wales, for example there is a great national pathway for birth that helps ensure equity across the country. Here in Scotland we have just had a national review of all maternity services against a set of standards based on best evidence. This review, and the national standards, mean that women in Scotland have access to a lot of information about what should be offered. In my own unit, we have home births, a midwife led unit and a consultant unit where midwife led care is still offered until medical intervention is required.We are reducing our caesarian rate currently 21% - and more than half our babies are born 'normally' - with minimum intervention. We are not unique and part of this is the clear wishes of women to have what they want. The other pressure women should exert on their local services is for then to gain UNICEF babyfriendly accreditation supporting breastfeeding and 'skin to skin' time immediately after birth for both parents - feed back says that is the most memorable part for the new parents. Be vocal, demand high standards - you are not ill, you are producing the nation's future - they deserve the best!
Louise Machin, Crystal Palace, London
I reluctantly agreed to an elective caesarean with my first son four years ago because I was suffering from severe oligohydramnios. However, I had planned to have a home birth. Though necessary, it was a difficult experience and the recovery and feeding difficulties caused by the major abdominal surgery, and the drugs I received, ruined the first few weeks of his life. My second child was a HBAC (home birth after caesarean)two year ago and suffice to say it was the single most rewarding, empowering, beautiful experience I have ever had in my life. The decision to home birth with an independent midwife originally stemmed from watching my sister experience a frightening, lonely and traumatic hospital birth nine years ago. She was 41 weeks, so agreed to the hospital policy for induction, never questioning it. Once in hospital and on a drip she was left alone for long periods (due to a lack of staff on shift) tethered to a CTG machine, flat on her back in a brightly lit, but cold room. Unsurprisingly, her labour didn't progress - she was afraid and recumbant, and so the cascade of intervention continued until an episiotomy was performed and her baby was extracted by ventouse - after three unsuccessful attempts. Her pain and fear was heart-breaking and still haunts me now. I knew, even before I know what I do now, that it was all wrong, and vowed never to put myself knowingly into a similar position. I strongly believe in continuous midwifery care being the key to successful birthing. I also believe that taking the fear out of childbirth leaves women free to birth effectively. Believing that you can birth without intervention (as most women can and will do if left to get on with it) is the route to success. So. how being in a hospital, full of high tech equipment, under bright lights, surrounded by strangers, with the clock ticking, is conducive to a positive outcome, god only knows. Women need to be informed and they need choices. They need to know that they have choices and the scare-mongering has to stop. They need to know that there is no 'not allowed' about it. It is not just the obstretricians that need to let us go (and instead concentrate their efforts on the abnormal/problem births where their skills essential), we as women need to be more demanding. In a world beset by litigious practice, unless women speak out and demand choice and change then the grossly restricting policies operating in maternity care that often don't put women's welfare first, will continue. Women are made to birth and have been doing it for centuries. With the right care and support the majority will do it with no help whatsoever.
Mary Cronk Chichester
While the overall maternal mortality figures are stated accurately by the programme it is implied that this was associated with home birth this is not so. The motality figures for hospital births exceeded the home births. Marjorie Tey a medical research statistician whom you do not quote exposed this in her research based book Safer Childbirth published in 1990
Penny, Kent
I had a horrendous time during pregnancy and in labour resulting in numerous complications caused by poor equipment and disinterested staff. This led to me having to have remedial surgery 3 months after my son's birth at my own expense (I would have had to have waited 18 months on the NHS). I never want to give birth in East Kent Hospitals again and doubt I will have another baby anyway after my experience there, it was just too traumatic.
Molly Hughes, London
I had both of my children in the Bloomsbury Birth Centre, a midwife-run unit at University College Hospital London. I have nothing but the highest respect for the midwives there-- they were stong, supportive and helped me give birth to two children without medical intervention. It was only when a doctor from the labour ward had to get involved due to a tricky tear, that things went terribly wrong. These doctors are not trained to deal with tears and I was sutured incorrectly and lived in constant pain for five months until it could be corrected. I am not alone in having had this experience. Many women I know have had similar and at times more severe problems related to their suturing by doctors who have no experience with tears. In my case, a midwife could have done it, but because of the regulations at the hospital, she had to pass it on to a doctor who was much less experienced. Midwives deserve to have more control and are due more respect in the hierarchy of obstetrics medicine.
Ruth Weston, Bradford, West Yorkshire
Homebirths and waterbirths discouraged in Bradford. Numbers of community midwves halved. the battle being lost here. I asked chief exec of Bradford NHS publically at AGM why despite the evidence homebirths being discouraged he replied that the NHS not set up for it. but all the old ladies there said - but we did it so why not you? We spent all our savings on an indep midwife to have a normal birth at home. That is wrong.
Sarah B, London
I have two comments. Firstly when I trained as a Midwife in the early 80's, no mother in labour was EVER left alone - even if it meant leaving the room for only two minutes. There was always either a trained midwife, student midwife (who in those days was already a qualified general nurse) or, rarely, a student nurse. This was in a 23 single room delivery unit. Due to lack of students in clinical situations these days this could never happen now but worked extremely well then as no patient ever felt deserted. My second point is that when I had my daughter 5 years ago I was so afraid of being left in a vulnerable or understaffed situation that I insisted on a Caesarian because I knew it was safer for the baby, if not for me - I got a post-op DVT and some might say it served me right, but I have never had a moment's regret about that decision.
Jess Barrington - Taunton, Somerset
I had the most wonderful birthing experience at home under a Gazebo, outside in the garden. I had opted for a waterbirth but was told early on by my Midwife that a home/waterbirth was NOT an option as I had a condition called Group B Strep (GBS.) Having felt bullied and backed into a corner, I changed Midwives to a wonderful male Midwife who advised me of the risks involved but was very supportive and respectful of my wishes. we worked on a birthplan together, along with my partner and friends who were to be present at the birth. When the time came, I had a completely drug-free, chilled out, natural, waterbirth. My Midwife took a step back and just let me get on with it on my own, which, is just as I had wanted. My partner and I now have a wonderful baby boy who is nearly six months old. I would urge all Mums-to-be to challenge their Midwives if they're feeling pushed into something that they're not comfortable with, or being bullied ino a hospital birth. I accept that home births are not always a good idea if there may be complications but please, don't just go along with a hospital birth because they are the 'norm.' When I have our second child, I would do exactly the same again!
Jess Barrington - Taunton, Somerset
I had the most wonderful birthing experience at home under a Gazebo, outside in the garden. I had opted for a waterbirth but was told early on by my Midwife that a home/waterbirth was NOT an option as I had a condition called Group B Strep (GBS.) Having felt bullied and backed into a corner, I changed Midwives to a wonderful male Midwife who advised me of the risks involved but was very supportive and respectful of my wishes. we worked on a birthplan together, along with my partner and friends who were to be present at the birth. When the time came, I had a completely drug-free, chilled out, natural, waterbirth. My Midwife took a step back and just let me get on with it on my own, which, is just as I had wanted. My partner and I now have a wonderful baby boy who is nearly six months old. I would urge all Mums-to-be to challenge their Midwives if they're feeling pushed into something that they're not comfortable with, or being bullied ino a hospital birth. I accept that home births are not always a good idea if there may be complications but please, don't just go along with a hospital birth because they are the 'norm.' When I have our second child, I would do exactly the same again!
sophie miller, Cornwall
I gave birth to my first baby, a daughter in May 2006. I had THE BEST midwife care I could possibly have dreamed of, and a fantastic home birth. I wanted a home birth from the outset because as far as I'm concerned natural childbirth is a non medical experience (if there are complications then that's a different matter) My GP was completely against it, for no reason as far as i could tell, she (yes a woman) even suggested that a home birth was in advisable because of the mess and smell (!) but as i wanted a home birth I managed to get on the list of a new team of case-load midwives just outside my area, which meant I had a named midwife who visited me in my home antenatally, I called her mobile when I went into labour and she attended the birth with another midwife i'd not met before, she also attended me post natally for checks- helped me give my daughter her 1st bath! and is still a friend. The labour was 15 hrs and my daughter was born posterior, compound and weighing a large 9lbs 15 oz (I'm only 5'3") I pushed for quite a while and ended up with a 3rd degree tear that I needed to transfer to hospital to have repaired. My midwives came with me. Had I laboured in hospital I'm certain I would have had more intervention in my daugter's birth- since having her I have met women who have had routine cesarian sections for posterior presenting babies- I'm also aware that if i'd been in hospital with more pain relief options, i would quite possible have been tempted to have an epidural as posterior presentation involves quite a painful labour, had i had an epidural i would probably have needed other medicalisations to assist with the delivery. As it was I used only water and entonox and I would definitely feel more confident in having a home birth next time than having a hospital birth. The only concern i have is that i have now moved areas and i don't think the local midwives are quite so happy and confident with home delivery- as shame, because there's really nothing un-natural about having babies! Another interesting point about the valley team midwives (my previous care) is that one of the team is experienced in breech baby delivery. So even if you have a breech baby you still have the option of going for a natural and or home birth, this is a knowledge that midwives used to have and it has unfortunately been largely lost in the medicalization of childbirth.
gloria serne Neath, S.Wales
I had my first baby, a girl, when I was 19 in 1970. Listening to the programme today, I carefully went over the events of the birth, something which I have to admit I do not often do, as it was such a horrid time for us both. Mine was a complete medical birth, enema, shave, bath and I was induced by drip, I still to this day do not know or remember why. I was in labour for 36 hours, and honestly believed I was going to die. Husbands or mothers were not allowed anywhere near and I seemed to have provoked the irritation of the midwives, I was refused gas and air after a few hours as they said I had had enough, and was only given Pethidine in the last few hours, which of course made it much worse. My bed was moved away from the wall so that I couldnt use the call bell, I can still remember the fear and loneliness, but I do remember the very kind cleaner who held my hand. I eventually had a forceps delivery, I found out many, many years later that I had a retrograde uterus, something they deemed was not important to know. I did go on to have a second baby 2 years later, but even in that short time things had changed and I had a much calmer and happy experience, although a forcepts delivery. It has made me quite sad remembering that time, what a scared little girl I was. BUT I had a beautiful daughter who will be 37 next month and is a confident successful women with a daughter of her own.
Amber, St Albans
I was due to have my second child in a highly rated midwife only unit. Unfortunately it closed 4 weeks before he was due and has never reopened 1 year on. I opted to have a home birth and it was the best decision I ever made. The whole labour and birth lasted only 1.45hrs, it was very calm, my daughter was able to meet her brother when he was only a few minutes old and within 1 hour we were all relaxing in bed alone with our new baby. The care i received was fantastic. I am convinced being in my own surroundings and with such care helped such an easy birth (my labour with myfirst daughter was over 30 hours with 4 hours of second stage pushing!)I strongly feel more women should be encouraged and enabled to give birth at home- it is safe and can be an amazing experience
Lena Eriksson, York
I enjoyed listening to your programme and hope that the second one will address the problem of women becoming the battleground for midwives and medics. Today great pressure is being put on women to give 'natural' birth, the implication being that a different choice would be 'unnatural'. Supposedly value neutral information regarding pain relief is presented with moralistic overtones and it is made clear that Good Women give birth without any drugs. This is presumably because the professional jurisdiction shifts away from the midviwes if an epidural is given and it begs the question of how 'natural' is defined and why. It is presumably also natural to feel pain when breaking a leg, but the medical response to that sort of pain tends not to be to ask the patient to imagine that the pain is an alp top. While I agree that much of the medicalisation and thereby objectification of women was deeply misogynist, I think that the current trend to to put pressure on women to give 'natural' birth amounts to the same thing, even if the original motives were more benign.
keeley bryan
11 yrs ago I gave birth to my first daughter. I experienced a medicalised birth, with induction, drip, epidural and episiotomy. 4 yrs later I had my 2 daughter naturally. Following her birth I decided to become a midwife. I wanted to support women through the life changing event of pregnancy and birth, I wanted to facilitate as normal a birth as possible for the women in my care.I am passionate about midwifery and feel that women deserve better than they are getting. So here I am now, a third year student midwife, facing the prospect of no employment come September, huge debt and a knowledge that if things continue the way they are going, all women will be having caesarean sections in hospital and cared for postnatally by obstetric nurses. The female population has to make a stand against this. Midwives have struggled to get their message across but they are the service provider and the powers that be do not want to listen. It is now time for the service users to make a stand and to say they want improvements. Midwives are leaving the profession in their droves, the government say there are more midwives but they manipulate the figures. There are simply more midwives working part time, not because it suits them but because full time is just far too stressful. The government say that by 2009 all women will have a choice in where they give birth and will know their midwife, how do they plan to do this when they have announced the closures of midwifery led units? Women must fight for the right to have the birth experience they want. Research shows that women have less medical intervention when they have one to one care in labour and the cost of normal birth is in the hundreds whilst C section is in the thousands. Midwives are at the forefront when it comes to the health of future generations.When are governments going to wake up and start planning for the future and not just the here and now. I hope that the momentum carries on with regards to this subject and I thank radio 4 for highlighting this very important and critical issue.
julia de soto, cardiff
Some white British midwives use their profession to establish racist and patronaising behaviour towards non-white female patients.Thanks to Drs and nurses(some of them foreigners)my delivery experience was less traumatic.Midwives want to be Drs?!!please check their professional status!!
Rose, Derby
Heard your programme with interest. I had a baby in 1964. On my one and only visit to the clinic the nurses expressed great amazement that Dr B. had 'allowed' me, as an older first time mother, to opt for having the baby at home. My reply was 1. I wouldn't go into the local maternity hospital (I was living in Lancashire at the time) if they paid me and 2. What was it to do with Dr. B. - I was having the baby not him. I ended up with a midwife on each side of the bed and the dioctor at the bottom so I was definitely better off than I would have been in hospital! The baby chose to arrive crossing over two midwife shifts so the first one, a lovely motherly person said 'as she had started she would finish' and stayed until the bay was born. Unless there are real medical problems opt for home every time.
liz feldman,herts.
I had my 1st baby when I was 22 and hadn't a clue how it would be born, my gynaceacologist(I went privately) told me not to worry about it,he would have the baby for me, I was given pethadine and put out totally - I'm glad things are different today
Kate Cranston-Stephens, Amersham, Bucks
I have been a post-natal carer (maternity 'nurse') within the private sector for years, entering the homes of 'new' mums to offer them support and teach the art of newborn care. Many of these women have been traumatised by hospital experiences usually because of staff shortages but also from receiving conflicting advice. I personally am a great supporter of community midwives who don't have the luxury of spending time with new mums, while I do. I have tried to offer my service for free to the NHS but no takers. I even spent two years writing a course, jumped through hoops to get it accredited to give me and other trained PNCs more gravitas but even offering our servies for free AFTER training has produced no takers. Why is this valuable service rejected by an overstretched Health Service?
Wendy Hinds
I had a horrible first labour where I was left alone and unsupported for hours on end in hospital. During the labour I was offered an epidural by a midwife who didn't seem to have the time or wherewithal to offer me any other sort of support. I hadn't wanted to have an epidural but ended up with one because my partner and I were in a terrible state and didn't know how else to cope. I needed forceps for the birth, which has left me with long term problems with bladder and bowel control. It also didn't help that I came home with infected stitches, something that wasn't picked up immediately because the community team forgot to come and visit me for two days. Second time around I knew I was carrying a very large baby and simply couldn't bear to take my chances of a repeat performance in hospital. I hired a superb independent midwife who helped me birth my 10lbs 12oz baby at home. The birth wasn't easy but both me and my baby were left in great shape and absolutely elated by the experience. The same midwife supported me through a 36 hour third labour at home before transferring with me into hospital and helping me have a normal birth once I got there. I have breastfed all three of my babies for over a year each - the first time just be luck and determination as the 'support' I got in hospital was so poor and so inconsistent. Second and third time around my midwife made sure I didn't have any problems, and came to visit me every day for the first week to check that we were doing ok. In my area women now may only get ONE postnatal visit, on day five, before being handed over to the health visitor on day 10........ I feel completely outraged at the plans to force midwives working outside the NHS to take out indemnity insurance - something that'll basically result in the end of independent midwives as they simply won't be able to get cover - as the government well knows. These midwives are provide a service for women that isn't available within the NHS any more in that they offer us the chance to be accompanied in birth with someone that we know and trust and for me that's a fundamental issue. I was so fearful during my second pregnancy before I booked with my midwife that at times I considered just staying at home on my own for the birth rather than going into hospital. I know that if independent midwives are forced out of business some women will choose to give birth unaccompanied and there will be maternal and infant deaths arising from this. When I booked with my midwife I knew she didn't have indemnity insurance and I knew the implications of this - she made sure I did. I thoroughly resent the goverment removing this choice from me and from other mothers - it's an outrage, especially when accompanied by all the other changes that are happening within the NHS such as reductions in staffing, that result in women being denied ANY opportunity for one to one care and for continuity of care.
richard bunting, matlock, derbsyhire
There is huge controversy over this issue in north Derbyshire. Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Royal Hospital NGHS Trust is running a consultation with plans to close the award winning Darley Maternity Unit. Women, including from rural villages, will be forced to travel to Chesterfield. This has triggered an outpouring of concern from hundreds of local people, concerned over safety, choice and the unnacountable behaviour by the Trust (which refused to be interview for BBC East Midlands Today yesterday). The consultation paper seems designed to generate the answers the Trust wants. A local community group has been formed - see www.momscampaign.com My wife and I had a fantastic experience at Darley and like so many people in the community do not want to see this gem of a unit closed.
Atam Verdi, Leeds (Mr)
Whilst we've not lost a baby ourseleves. In network of family and friends we have had 3 instances of still births within the last 18 months. My wife is a GP and we consider that there is a clear problem with pre-natal care. All of these women were first timers, and two of them were overdue by weeks. We believe that due to staff shortages. Apparently young and strong women are being put at risk by being made to wait and not being monitored properly.