Call the Midwife – or call a midwife you know and trust?

I enjoyed reading Sarah Johnson’s recent blog post on call the midwife.  I LOVE call the midwife and read the books when I was student; how I dreamed of working in that way – a local midwife, on her local patch, working with the local women, caring for them in their own homes.   

For most midwives, this way of working is a million miles away from the reality of midwifery care within the NHS; birth at home is no longer the ‘norm’, midwives work in large centralised units, women are very unlikely to be cared for by a midwife they have ever met, normal birth rates are incredibly low and the use of analgesia and the associated risks and side effects high.  Sarah suggests that birth stools are ‘standardised equipment’ in units, and women birth in up-right positions: statistics suggest otherwise, with the NCT citing in their research that less than 40% of women are encouraged to be mobile, upright and off the bed and their backs.  I myself have visited units where birth stools may be quietly gathering dust in the corner, where huge, shiney new units are built with just one ‘token gesture’  birth pool (despite NICE guidance stating that birth pools should be available to all women as an effective form of pain relief) and where one-to-one care is not always achieved for women in labour.   The NHS offers the best it can on a shrinking budget, with a hard working yet disillusioned work force, with a growing population, and with women presenting with more and more complicated pregnancies. 

My dream of practising as a 1950’s midwife might not quite have come to fruition, but I am honoured to have carved a way of working which comes as close as possible: I care for the same woman throughout her pregnancy, birth and postnatal period; I care for women and families in their own home; I attend home births (and follow the woman into hospital if plans change).  I may not have a bike (and am about to invest in a 4x4 to make work life easier), but I do carry my own equipment and have a big ‘Midwife on Call’ sign to hang on my dashboard when I am with a woman in labour! 

When a woman in my care goes into labour, they can call a midwife – they can call a midwife they know and they trust, who will be by their side until their baby is tucked up safely in their arms, who knows all about them and what is important to them.  That is Independent Midwifery – the recognised gold standard of care, a choice for women outside of the NHS.  And it is under threat.  Just as that 1950’s midwife is no longer recognisable, so too, might be Independent Midwives; EU directives, insurance issues, and a government failing to deliver on its promise to really offer choice are seeing to that.

So, women, mothers, midwives, fathers, grandparents – if you LOVE Call the Midwife like me, if you LOVE the idea of calling a midwife you know, if you LOVE the idea of care in the home being the norm, then make sure you make a call to your local MP and tell them that!

You can find out more about this issue by visiting www.northsurreymidwives.co.uk

fear + loneliness = Brave?

I have often been told that I am 'brave' for choosing to be an Independent Midwife; I wrote about this a long time ago and can honestly say I have never felt brave, or really understood why fellow midwifery colleagues consider me such.  I am just a midwife, working to support women, some courageous and strong, some needing support to find their inner strength, but all who wish to have the bulk of their care outside of the NHS system, with a midwife they know and trust.

I attended a beautiful home birth this week; I was not anticipating to be the primary midwife, but the woman's own midwife was caught in Jury service and unable to attend. I gathered myself together and headed off to the birth - I knew the woman and her family having supported them as the second midwife with their first baby.  As always, I mentally prepared myself, and drew inner strength and calmness into my being.  I was not aware that I would be doing that many times in the course of the woman's labour..........

Birth works: if you follow my blog you will know that this belief is deep in my inner core.  BUT, and there is always a BUT in nature, sometimes birth changes and sometimes nature will challenge us, humble us and remind us that she is a force that we cannot always control, always predict, always guarantee.  After the baby made its way earth-side (a beautiful, calm, wonderful HVBAC), the woman's body was not (for whatever reason) willing to release the placenta; I was concerned.  Too much bleeding necessitated a decision to transfer; a serious maternal obstetric haemorrhage occurred,  a wonderful team of NHS staff worked very hard to save a very compromised mother.  And a very shaken midwife was left holding the baby...... until he was safely tucked back with his mother later on that day.

So, back to my 'bravery'; it was with a sudden clarity that I understood why people believe me to be brave - and it has nothing to do with me.  As I watched the team work around the woman (and I was in total awe of the NHS staff and so very, very grateful that when obstetric care was needed, we had access to it), as I supported her, reassured her, even prayed for her, I have never felt so alone in all my life; the safety net of the NHS is a strong one.    Perhaps this is the reason midwives do not challenge guidelines, or policies not based on evidence; perhaps this is why the vice on midwifery is so strong.  Not that I am brave, but because the 'safety' of working within the NHS is so strong - and watching that team, I think I understood why people would not want to 'risk' that.  Being the lone voice, choosing to leave that safety net, to be fully autonomous, to accept full accountability..... can be very lonely indeed.  The fear of loneliness is why people believe I am brave.

I am not 'brave' for choosing to be an Independent Midwife; it is a wonderful way of working.  It is 'the gold standard of care'.  It is rewarding, challenging, exciting, scary, bumpy, amazing, tiring.  It is working to keep birth normal - and safe. I am not brave...... but if more midwives were given the support to work outside of the NHS, if the government fully supported choice and continuity, if the RCM would acknowledge a group of midwives who work outside of the system, it might be a little less lonely.

angela xx

He who is brave is free. 

Lucius Annaeus Seneca 

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/luciusanna121145.html#vPE1uJcEvV29CUTm.99 

Birth Works

There have been some awesome blogs this week from Midwives and from Women, as well as some interesting news headlines; I love reading blogs that inspire me, challenge me, and get more women and midwives thinking about birth and midwifery skills.

Last week I facilitated an 'Inspirational Birth' Study day, covering physiological birth: I have wanted to run this study day for a while, but when it came to planning the actual content for the day, I found myself procrastinating.  Fear in part; worry that I didn't know enough to fill a 6 hour day; concern that I wouldn't convey the message I was hoping too.....as it turned out it was a great day: I had forgotten actually just how much I have learnt in my journey as an Independent Midwife, and watching the 'light bulb' moments was very rewarding for me as a facilitator.  

In the current midwifery climate, there is little scope for physiological birth - and I don't state that lightly, as I know that is a direct criticism of maternity services.  How do I justify that statement?  Women are designed to give birth; sometimes, in some circumstances, some women may need some help (thank you Mary Cronk for that beautiful phrase), BUT we know that the vast majority of women are NOThaving normal, straightforward births - and even fewer are experiencing physiological birth  (there is a difference).  Birth Works, but it needs certain conditions, support and understanding for that to happen.  Maternity services in the UK are at breaking point: a rising birth rate and too few midwives (or cuts in services) means that women are not guaranteed one-to-one care in labour; women do not have time to build a relationship with a midwife that facilitates trust; hospitals have policies that are not conducive to physiological birth - but are conducive to intervention and time management; and midwives are not challenged on practise that is outdated and not evidence based (valsalva for one).

In my mind, there are a few issues that continue to confound and prevent change;

1. The demise of midwifery care outside of the NHS institution
2. The continued attack on women and midwives who choose to work with physiological birth
3. That we are no longer teaching our daughters to be feminists (a dirty word in modern society)

Take for example the Daily Mail article this week on women's experience of traumatic birth; then read the comments.  Women attacking women, men attacking women, women sharing very distressing experiences - and many comments indicating 'doctor knows best and women should be grateful' .

Birth is hard work; it is not perfect, sometimes it is not 'beautiful', sometimes it is down right mean; that is birth.  This is NOT however the 'care' that may be inflicted, the unkindness of medical staff or the paternalistic attitude of doctors.  What women want is a positive experience of birth - however that birth may unfold, and having a midwife by your side who understands, supports and believes in birth and whom the woman knows and trusts can make a huge difference to that experience.  That is not too much to ask.

Birth Works - but we have forgotten this.  Instead, we focus on the 'what if's', how to 'manage' birth, how to 'save' women from pain; we have lost trust in birth and have made hospitals and the NHS the saving grace of birth - as opposed to utilising it as and when is necessary - ensuring resources and first rate care are available for women who need it (I for one have been grateful for their expertise when women in my care have needed it).  We have also de-skilled midwives and on a global level we continue to allow midwifery to be quashed, undermined, de-valued and not recognised for the amazing profession it is.  Midwifery and women are controlled -  Freedom for Birth highlighted some of these issues.

Independent Midwifery has enabled me to hone and develop my skills in physiological birth; I already had the belief and passion for normal birth, but had to work very hard in my NHS training to fully experience it.  As an IM, I want to share my passion, my knowledge, my skills (and I still have much to learn and hopefully will never stop learning) - but come October my right to work as an IM will be outlawed - another blog to follow on that.  For now, I shall continue to work outside of the NHS, I shall continue to support physiological birth at every opportunity, and I will aim to inspire my own daughters to be proud to be a feminist.

Birth Works; Women Work; Midwifery Works.

angela xx

One Born Every Minute

Last night, for the first time in very, very long time, I sat and watched 'OBEM'.  It wasn't a concious choice - we had watched the great classic movie 'Stand by Me' (oh River Phoenix, what a loss) as a family, and when the DVD had finished the TV returned to OBEM just as it started.  And I was hooked; mesmerized; drawn-in and unable to move despite my intentions to get to bed as I am feeling quite unwell of late.  But there I was, one hour later, as the credits rolled.

There are lots of reasons I don't watch programmes such as this one; firstly, my family don't allow it.  They feel it's detrimental to my health as I am unable to watch without large amounts of steam coming from my ears.  Secondly, it reminds me of the fact that the way I practise as a midwife is at risk, and frankly the thought of returning to work in a large, consultant unit, fills me with dread and fear.

So what was wrong with last night's programme?  Let's start with the fact that both labours, both healthy, first time mothers, both considered 'low risk' (hate that phrase), ended with unnecessary intervention:

'Mother one' was already in early labour; as she was 12 days over, she requested to have her labour 'induced' and just get on with it.  "Good news", hails the midwife, "we can break your waters and get you going."  A birth that was starting physiologically is now having a helping hand with an intervention that brings it's own risks (which I did not see being discussed), or other options given (such as go home - you shouldn't be anywhere near a labour ward at present) and is presented to an audience of viewers as the norm (which it probably is on a consultant unit).  Mother one did give birth vaginally - on her back, epidural in-situ and an episiotomy.

'Mother two' arrives in spontaneous labour, but she stalls and after a few hours it is decided her labour must be accelerated.  And when I say decided, this was the conversation:
Midwife "You've been stuck at 4-5cms for a while, so I need to talk to the doctors to decide what to do"........  "The plan is the get you going and put a drip up to get some oomph behind those contractions".  Interesting use of language, a really great way of not demonstrating informed CHOICE and decision making - the mother was not even included in that, the midwife and doctor decided - and another birth that needed a 'helping hand'.  It was however really fantastic to see the mother using an 'alternative position' and standing as she birthed her baby.

After watching the programme I am now aware of several things: Midwives are in charge and know best; women are clearly malfunctioning when it comes to labour; physiological birth doesn't work.  I am so grateful to have had those points clarified and to recognise that it must be time to change my practice as I am very outdated in my beliefs that birth is normal; that labour has it's own rhythm; that women should be involved in all aspects of the decision making; that the amniotic sac provides a safe, protective barrier in labour; that vagina's are designed to stretch to birth a baby; that facilitating a safe, warm, quiet, environment aids progress in labour.  Thank you to the powers that be (insurance companies and eu regulations) that foolish midwives like myself, or like Virginia Howes need to be tamed and brought into line and that we are wrong.

I clearly am one of those 'born every minute' that needs to be reminded on prime-time TV that birth does not work and the NHS knows best.

angela x

Home Birth is for Hippies?

This was an original article I wrote a few years ago and felt it was relevant again.....

“I’m planning a Home Birth”. It amazes me that this simple, short statement can evoke such a torrent of emotion and be an area where people feel they have the right to comment on someone else’s choices; the phrase ‘you’re so brave’ springs to mind here. Yet without doubt, the discussions and thoughts around home birth bring to mind many powerful images, not least of ‘danger and emergency’, but for some, the image that the ‘sort of woman’ who may choose home birth, as being a slightly alternative, incense burning, ‘hippie’.

Home birth is not a new concept; home, since the time of (wo)man, has been the place where women birthed their babies. In the beginning, home was most likely to have been a sheltered cave, nestled on a hill-side somewhere, and over time has developed into the style of housing that we now know in the western world. Hospital as a place of birth however, is a fairly recent development in the time line of history and yet it has been culturally accepted as the safe place to give birth, even though study after study, report after report does not uphold this notion. Now, don’t get me wrong here; the advent of technology, obstetrics and the caesarean birth have played a hugely important role in making birth safe for both mother and baby – and we now experience very low rates of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. However, it is not exclusively through birth taking place in hospital that has lowered these rates so significantly, but the development of excellent antenatal care, drugs for the prevention of haemorrhage and infection, and the development of health professionals’ skills in recognising and managing emergency situations.

In an article in ‘The Times’ newspaper (May 09), journalist Melanie Reid launched a scathing attack on women who had or were planning home births: she labelled them as spoilt and complacent, insinuating that intelligent women choose hospital birth, and only ‘sandal-wearing' women (the hippie word again?) would choose home birth.

True? – far from it;

Factual? – indeed not;

Emotive? – yes and yes again.

Ms Reid is not alone however in voicing her opinion, and this is part of the problem for women who are considering home birth – the emotion that decision causes, the myths around home birth and the presumption of ‘safety’ deter many women from pursuing, what is in fact, a very normal, very safe choice.

I had my third baby at home; it was a well-researched, informed, intelligent decision. I met some opposition along the way, but on the whole felt well supported and confident in this decision. No, it was not my ‘first baby’, but how I wish it had been! I had never truly considered home birth an option, after all I did not know anyone who had given birth at home. I had been born in hospital and I was not a sandal-wearing hippie. Why on earth would I want a home birth? Well after experiencing two less than positive hospital births, I felt instinctively that there had to be another way. And there was, and it was fantastic – hard work – but empowering, positive, and ‘uniquely normal’.

The home birth rate in the UK is around 2%, but in parts of the UK the home birth rate is a staggering 50%! In areas where the home birth rate exceeds the average, there are some telling trends in the way maternity care is delivered: midwives actively offer home birth throughout pregnancy and discuss it in an open, friendly manner; women share positive stories of their home birth experiences - giving other women confidence in their own ability to give birth; and women are attended at home, in labour, by a midwife (they often know) and make the final decision on the big day itself! This gives them the freedom to see how they are feeling and coping, knowing that they will be well supported by the midwife, by family and birth supporters, whatever their decision. I would challenge anyone to categorise all those women as hippies.

The DoH has aims to increase the home birth rates for women to experience real choice within maternity services; of course this is still to be delivered and is an ongoing issue for most women.   Following the inception of the NHS it took national campaigns to persuade women to give birth in hospital, needing continual reassurances of cleanliness (hospitals were previously associated with mortality due to infection – very different from now?), and the influential offer of 10 days rest and food. The stark reality in the UK at present is that hospital birth no longer comes with the benefit of complete rest – women are encouraged to leave as quickly as possible due to the high demand for beds (at home you get your own bed); NHS trusts are stretched to capacity with midwife shortages on the labour ward (at home you get your own midwife); and the caesarean section rate is spiralling out of control (planning a home birth halves the chance of you needing a caesarean section).

Hospital is the perfect place for giving birth for the woman who may need additional obstetric care, who may need paediatric care for her new baby or who may not have the support in place to have her baby at home – and no one ever seems to feel the need to comment on those decisions. Next time someone says to you “I’m planning a home birth”, take a closer look; I expect you will find a normal woman, making a normal choice, planning to have a normal birth in the perfect place for her. And not a ‘hippie’ in sight!

Looking to the future

2013 and the start of another year: I love the New Year; of feeling positive for the future, of letting go of the past, of seeking new goals and possibilities.

This time 14 years ago I was expecting my first baby..... and I was waiting for my first baby who was still to put in an appearance after my due date had been and gone!  I would still be waiting for another 6 days and my experience of midwifery care and birth was 'normal', but not great.  It took another two babies to understand that birth can be the single most transformational moment in a person's life, and during that powerful home birth, a midwife was also born, one who wanted to share the 'secret' with other women.  Roll on 9 years from that birth and here I am.........

In 2012 I cared for 10 birthing women and their families;  3 first time mothers (all normal births, 1 breech, 2 in hospital), 2 VBACS (1 a HWB, 1 ended in caesarean), 4 multips all having home water births and a water birth in the local birth centre on an NHS bank shift.  It was a privilege to care for these families and to support them through their inspiring births; the lack of alcohol is a pain and I wrote before about how up and down midwifery can feel, but it still never ceases to amaze me.  I'm not sure it ever will.

This year will be a testing year for Independent Midwives as we try to find a way forward with the looming PII issue and the EU laws preventing our practise from October 2013.  I have a busy case-load for the first half of this year, but feel confident and full of optimism that a solution will be found somehow, and I will be able to continue with my midwifery journey as I would like to in the second half of the year.   I also have plans to finish my book, to continue to work with aspiring midwives, to work to ensure IM's exist next year, and somewhere in between fit in my home-schooling family.  It won't be easy, but then 2012 challenged me in more ways than I ever felt possible, and I got through that! Just as in birth, sometimes it is harder than expected; transition can be frightening and overwhelming, but the hard work is worth it as you push your baby into the world.  This year I am looking forward to the birth of a new era in Midwifery and facing those challenges with the same excitement, hopes and fears as any new mother; I have a feeling it will be a year to remember.

angela xx

Even a future Queen to be is still ‘just’ a Mother to Be.

The exciting news was announced that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their first baby; whilst the Duchess recovered from Hyperemesis Gravidarum (a debilitating acute from of morning sickness) and amidst all the excitement and media hype, was the devastating outcome of the ‘prank call’ and the everlasting ripples from the fall-out:  not the most positive start to a pregnancy for any couple, yet alone a couple who are prominently held in the public eye.

So what next for the Royal Couple? Well, just like any other new parents-to-be, before any of the screening, bloods, ultrasound, place of birth, type of birth choices they make, they might like to consider who they invite to care for them; they may choose to have their care with a private obstetrician, or they may choose to use their local NHS system, or they may seek a known midwife to support them in their pregnancy; but they do have a choice over all of these.   Essentially, having someone to talk to might make negotiating all those choices a little easier!

If I was Kate’s midwife (as her midwife, I would call her Kate, and she may call me Angela), I would spend time with her talking through her options; in-between appointments (that would be in her own home, and at convenient times, with appointment times that William could also come to) I would encourage her to read widely; some books I might suggest to her would include ‘Ina May's Guide to Childbirth’, Childbirth without Fear: The Principles and Practice of Natural Childbirth ’ and ‘What Every Parent Needs to Know: The incredible effects of love, nurture and play on your child's development’, as well as giving her up to date information on nutrition, screening and normal pregnancy ailments.   (I did google pregnancy books for Royalty, but it just found the Royal Free in Hampshire!)  We would drink tea together, share concerns, and build a trusting relationship, and she would feel secure in knowing that she would be well supported in her choices, and that on the big-day, someone she knew would be at her side when her baby was born.

This type of midwifery care enables women to really make choices; we also know that they are more likely to have a normal healthy pregnancy, a  normal straightforward birth, more likely to establish breastfeeding, and less likely to experience postnatal depression.   Pretty compelling reasons as to why one-to-one midwifery care is so important, and why it is essential that women know that this is the care they should receive as the norm, that they should be shouting loudly for, and that shouldn’t only be open to those whose NHS trust is forward thinking, or those who can engage an Independent Midwife like myself, and whose way of working is under threat.

The hype around the beginning of The Duke and Duchess’s pregnancy will hopefully settle and they will be able to look forward to the next 8 months or so (albeit it being very much the talk of the nation).   Expecting a baby, is for most people, a joyful, exciting event;  but every woman, whether it’s her first, second or subsequent baby, may still have the same anxieties, the same pregnancy complaints’ and may have to make some of the same choices that other mothers will – even if she is a future Queen!