Style Police wrote on November 4th 2008 that midwives are 'transient in women's lives'. How I would beg to differ with that statement. Not only do I remember all the midwives that cared for me through 3 pregnancies, labours and during very stormy post-natal times but I remember their faces and names as clearly as if it was yesterday. In real time it is now nearly 40 years since I had my first baby and those midwives were certainly not transient to me or my babies.How sad i... Read Full Story
Monday 20th October – Diary of a working midwife.Any names or reference to events the details are changed to protect client confidentiality.Its 5.30 am and only another three hours until the day staff come on duty. It has been a long night shift – 12 hours to be precise with only 30 minutes for a quick cup of tea and catch up on note writing before the next women needs attention in labour. A quick glance out of the frosted windows of the labour ward tell me that it is still dark and I ca... Read Full Story
There has been a lot of publicity recently about this latest craze of women giving birth alone and unattended by either a midwife or a registered medical practitioner. In Britain, this legally falls into a grey area. It is against the law to give birth attended by anyone other than a midwife or doctor so by the very fact that most women have either a partner or friend with then who could be deemed as assisting the birth, they are in fact, breaking the law.All this aside, it is also a very... Read Full Story
Once again, a celebrity mum has voiced her disgust at the care she has received in the hands of the NHS for her post natal care. Myleene Klass gave birth in a private maternity wing at the Paddington Hospital and then was discharged to the care of the NHS for her post-natal care. Why? Surely, if she was able to pay for private care in the Lindo Wing, why not carry on and pay for her post natal care as well?Myleene describes feeling outraged at her care from the NHS because no-one came to... Read Full Story
This year the NHS celebrates 60 years of care from 'cradle to the grave' for all. This care is by all intents and purpose FREE to all who use the service apart from contributions that we all make via National Insurance Payments but still cheap at at half the price! (as they say). What a vision Bevin must have had when he first set up the health care system, fondly known as the NHS ill health service. During it's 60 years there have been dramatic changes and reforms, some f... Read Full Story
Have just finished working on night duty on the delivery suite and it has been amazingly busy with lots of lovely babies being born. The nights went very quickly and in no time at all it was eight in the morning and the birds were singing and the best sound of all was the sound of the day shift coming on duty to take over. But, wait a minute, my eyes seemed to be not focusing very well – is it because I am tired or is it these new glasses that I have only had a few months – surely I do no... Read Full Story
Have recently been reading an interesting article in the guardian about women’s rights not to be questioned about their childcare arrangements or plans for future pregnancies when applying for a job (It has been illegal since 1975 to ask this question of women).Whilst I wholeheartedly support this, I do think that the whole question of ‘Family Friendly Hours’ and the rights of pregnant women have totally made the world of midwifery and maternity a crazy place to work in. A busy maternity u... Read Full Story
Have recently been reading an interesting article in the guardian about women’s rights not to be questioned about their childcare arrangements or plans for future pregnancies when applying for a job (It has been illegal since 1975 to ask this question of women).Whilst I wholeheartedly support this, I do think that the whole question of ‘Family Friendly Hours’ and the rights of pregnant women have totally made the world of nurse midwifery and maternity a crazy place to work in. A busy maternit... Read Full Story
Independent MidwivesWell, the Government has done it again. Alan Johnson has made a futile and quite frankly condescending and insulting attempt in order to tempt midwives back into the profession by offering them £1500, plus the same amount in childcare, training days and travel. What a joke and how sad that women feel that they have to resort to the care from Independent Midwives in order to receive the kind of that they want and are entitled to (Pelling, Daily Telegraph). But the sad r... Read Full Story
