gentlebirth
26-05-2007, 13:30
Hi Everyone!
I have just picked up the Saturday "Morning Bulletin" and there is a "Rural Health Advisory Council Public Forum" on Friday 1st June at 1-3PM at the Dreamtime Cultural Centre North Rockhampton. It invites CQ'ers to attend. I was thinking, it would be a good idea to submit some statements from rural women expressing the views of women in rural communities about the lack of choices around childbirth. From a birthing perspective, women are severely neglected with really only having access to the medical model of care in a hospital. While some women choose to have this type of care and others need this type of care, it doesn't offer women choice. I can only take on board at most 1-2 births per month as an Independent Midwife. At the moment I am taking on average 1 phone call or email per day with interested women wanting to homebirth. If I wasn't or couldn't be available, these women would be choosing to freebirth (birth unassisted) in their homes, mostly because they do not want to be under the medically dominated system.
As this forum is a direct link to the Health Minister, my proposal would be to establish a Birthing Center run by midwives in Rockhampton. This would take pressure off the hospitals, in particular the Rockhampton Base Hosptial and allow them to focus more appropriate care to women and families who are considered "at risk" in the appropriate setting. Rural women deserve choices around childbirth to. With the current interest in the national breastfeeding enquiry it could also be mentioned that a gentle birth (pun not intended) women are more likely to successfully breastfeed and to suffer less Postnatal depression (PND) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We all know the benefits of one to one midwifery care. As some of the hospitals have closed the doors to maternity services and others are continually under threat of closing, I think it adds to the emergence of the suitation locally, hopefully in our favour.
The add says...
"The rural health advisory council provides advice to the minister for health on rural health issues. Membership of council includes representative from peak bodies such as Agforce, rural doctors assoc., council of remote area nurses, as well as specific ministerial appointments for indigenous and consumer representation.
The purpose of the forum is to hear ideas from CQ'ers about health issues impacting on your community. The forum is an opportunity for discussion with council about ways of improving the health of people living in rural and remote areas. Council cannot discuss individual health issues"
I really think this is a excellent opportunity to speak up on behalf of rural women's maternity issues which are in dia need of reform. Please send this email onto your women contacts and help to flood the email boxes and get women's voices heard!
Email to:
Christine Trim
Christine_Trim@health.qld.gov.au (mhtml:{AE35AEA7-54CD-4424-8858-FA3A79A2CFAA}mid://00000536/!x-usc:mailto:Christine_Trim@health.qld.gov.au) or phone 3240441
Blessings,
Rachaelx
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ________________
Pregnancy and Birth Education
Rachael Austin
Independent Midwife and Childbirth Educator
"Let us support one another, not just in philosophy but in action, for the sake of freedom for all women to choose exactly how and by whom, if by anyone, our bodies will be handled." Linda Hessel
I have just picked up the Saturday "Morning Bulletin" and there is a "Rural Health Advisory Council Public Forum" on Friday 1st June at 1-3PM at the Dreamtime Cultural Centre North Rockhampton. It invites CQ'ers to attend. I was thinking, it would be a good idea to submit some statements from rural women expressing the views of women in rural communities about the lack of choices around childbirth. From a birthing perspective, women are severely neglected with really only having access to the medical model of care in a hospital. While some women choose to have this type of care and others need this type of care, it doesn't offer women choice. I can only take on board at most 1-2 births per month as an Independent Midwife. At the moment I am taking on average 1 phone call or email per day with interested women wanting to homebirth. If I wasn't or couldn't be available, these women would be choosing to freebirth (birth unassisted) in their homes, mostly because they do not want to be under the medically dominated system.
As this forum is a direct link to the Health Minister, my proposal would be to establish a Birthing Center run by midwives in Rockhampton. This would take pressure off the hospitals, in particular the Rockhampton Base Hosptial and allow them to focus more appropriate care to women and families who are considered "at risk" in the appropriate setting. Rural women deserve choices around childbirth to. With the current interest in the national breastfeeding enquiry it could also be mentioned that a gentle birth (pun not intended) women are more likely to successfully breastfeed and to suffer less Postnatal depression (PND) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We all know the benefits of one to one midwifery care. As some of the hospitals have closed the doors to maternity services and others are continually under threat of closing, I think it adds to the emergence of the suitation locally, hopefully in our favour.
The add says...
"The rural health advisory council provides advice to the minister for health on rural health issues. Membership of council includes representative from peak bodies such as Agforce, rural doctors assoc., council of remote area nurses, as well as specific ministerial appointments for indigenous and consumer representation.
The purpose of the forum is to hear ideas from CQ'ers about health issues impacting on your community. The forum is an opportunity for discussion with council about ways of improving the health of people living in rural and remote areas. Council cannot discuss individual health issues"
I really think this is a excellent opportunity to speak up on behalf of rural women's maternity issues which are in dia need of reform. Please send this email onto your women contacts and help to flood the email boxes and get women's voices heard!
Email to:
Christine Trim
Christine_Trim@health.qld.gov.au (mhtml:{AE35AEA7-54CD-4424-8858-FA3A79A2CFAA}mid://00000536/!x-usc:mailto:Christine_Trim@health.qld.gov.au) or phone 3240441
Blessings,
Rachaelx
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ________________
Pregnancy and Birth Education
Rachael Austin
Independent Midwife and Childbirth Educator
"Let us support one another, not just in philosophy but in action, for the sake of freedom for all women to choose exactly how and by whom, if by anyone, our bodies will be handled." Linda Hessel