In Praise of Midwives

Jul 27, 2011 by cafebebemama

It’s no secret that I’ve been critical of MY experience with the NHS in this, my second pregnancy. I’ve been frustrated, let down and disappointed with the lack of interest or attention to me, particularly as it is my second pregnancy. But this has been MY experience in MY corner of the Shires in England. It has been suggested to me that I don’t deserve to criticise the NHS and/or Midwives because a) I’m American, b) It’s the NHS, it’s free so shut up already, and c) All of the above. However, I am of the firm belief that if something isn’t right, whether it be with medical care or another life issue, you need to stand up for yourself and get the resolution you deserve.

After my frustrations with my midwife care, I rang my local surgery, found out who I needed to speak to so I could register a complaint and did so. I spoke, at lenth, with the Community Midwife Manager for my area, explained my issues, frustrations and anger and was listened to. She was most apologetic and assured me that steps would be taken to further educate the midwives in my area. She promised me that she would follow up on some of my queries and she did! I then received almost daily communication from my midwife, updating me on the test results that I was eagerly anticipating (it took 9 of the 10 days to get the results).

Due to one of the two midwives at our surgery being signed off with illness, my surgery has been the recipient of “locum” midwives travelling from Grantham to assist the midwife at our surgery with appointments. I was due to see one of the visiting midwives at my 16 week appointment but my midwife made sure that I would see HER and not a visiting midwife. They were obviously trying to meet my needs and I was very appreciative of that effort. Mind you, I won’t see my midwife again until I am 28 weeks along due to the difference in midwife visits in a second pregnancy (7 visits in 2nd pregnancies versus 10 visits in 1st pregnancies). That seems a long time to go without monitoring, in my humble opinion, but if something became troublesome, I could ring and speak to a midwife at either my surgery or my local hospital.

I would like to say, however, in all of the palavar that has come from me bringing up my difficulties, I am most appreciative of the NHS and Midwives in the UK. It is free, it is accessible, it is here to serve EVERYONE no matter your ability to afford it. We are lucky and I consider myself part of that “we”; I have contributed financially to this country and have entered and remained in this country through all of the legal (and financial) channels necessary. I cannot afford private health insurance so I am indeed grateful that my family and myself are cared for despite that.

Being a midwife in the NHS is not easy. I have spoken to midwives who spent 20+ years in the NHS. After having to spend too many years telling their patients, “I’m sorry” because they couldn’t give the time they needed or the services they deserved they felt forced to leave the NHS to be able to do the job they so loved. Midwives in the UK are well educated and trained but can be restricted by lack of funding and government cuts. In England, according to a recent Panorama documentary, there is 1 midwife for every 33 births which is 5 more births/women than the government recommended 1 midwife to 28 births. There is a midwife shortage in the UK and England in particular which has led to a decrease in services provided and, some may suggest, dangerous situations taking place daily in NHS hospitals.

“One Born Every 40 Seconds” was a very interesting study into the state of midwifery in the UK. The programme discovered documents that showed that the deaths of 17 women in London in the last 18 months could have been avoided with proper maternity care. I watched this programme with a great deal of interest as I’ve brought up issues about maternity services and care on this blog. I’m not pointing a finger at midwives as they are simply doing the best job they can given the resources available to them. However, I think we, as a nation, need to seriously look into the state of midwife care in the UK to ensure that every woman gets the care that they rightfully deserve. Women shouldn’t have to be privileged or re-mortgage their house to afford efficient and effective maternity care. Midwives know this. Perhaps the government needs to listen more carefully?

When I gave birth to Ella, the midwife care we received was seemless. We went through 2 shift changes in our 24+ hours of labour and delivery however, we were only left alone on a few occasions and were attended to by a senior midwife and student midwife for the entire labour and delivery. I did not know any of the midwives who attended our labour and delivery but they were all attentive and kind and took very good care of me. The labour and delivery themselves were not pleasant but I do not fault the medical professionals for this. I am eternally grateful for the thorough care which we received through delivery of our precious daughter. I am hopeful that the second time around things will be a bit less traumatic but again, have faith in the midwife staff at our local hospital. They are to be commended for their efforts on a daily basis. I only hope that the government can see fit to listen to the women who are raising their voices and find a way to provide even better maternity care to its residents.