I’m fed-up with constant repetition, my constant repetition. I’ve lost track now of how many times I’ve blogged about the reduction in postnatal care and how potentially damaging that I believe it is – Two minds; Do women have a right to a homebirth? ; The Demise of Community Midwifery – part 2 and, perhaps the most pertinent and written nearly 3 years ago, ‘An embarrassment’ .
Well, now it’s official and it’s in the news – ‘New Mothers let down by postnatal care’ (BBC). The NCT have completed a survey and have discovered that women feel unsupported following the birth of baby and have summed up the lack of care in one word, ‘shocking’. They go on to say that ‘ Many of these problems the women highlight seem to be due to staff shortages or lack of visits once they have left hospital’. Actually NCT it is not 2 problems but one, the staff shortages cause the lack of postnatal visits. Sorry, repetition as this is one of my familiar themes and, rather than conduct a survey, all you needed to do was read my blog. I’m just a midwife though, what do I know? But you do know my thoughts as we had a brief email exchange, it was exactly a year ago, I published the mail from the NCT and my response in An email to the NCT and ‘NCT – A reply’.
I am a Cassandra, ‘ no one would ever believe her predictions’. I’ve got another prediction, it’s going to get worse unless there is a step back and an honest consideration of what is really important in maternity care. Times are hard and the approach should be to consider what part of the maternity services should not be ignored, can we really afford to be touchy, feely? Should monies be spent on staff or surroundings? Homebirths or home visits? If the finances do not routinely allow for both what is important, a live and healthy mother and baby or an empowering experience?
Other sources which report on the NCT survey – Sky News, Telegraph (the comments are incredible) and the Observer.
Ever feel like you’re banging your head against a brick wall? Not with the service, though I’m sure you do – but with saying what ought to be obvious to the powers that be yet somehow eludes them!
Blue Spice – In a nutshell! Yesterday was a good example and I really wish that I had been accompanied by a ‘power’. First visit to a couple who had come to stay with Mum after birth of 1st baby in a faraway hospital and after a 3 day stay in hospital. List of questions, all of which should have been answered on the maternity ward. I spent an hour with them, the final act being to do a ‘show bath’ as they had no idea how to bath baby, no demonstration on the ward and not talked about in antenatal classes (NCT). They told me that the ward was super busy, midwives running every where. The couple were my last visit so I could spend the time with them. Yes, I was late finishing but the reward of their gratitude and the self-satisfaction I felt by the time I left was more than enough compensation. I don’t want to lose the ability to help parents enjoy their babies but the cut backs mean that unless I donate my time a quick physical examination will be all I can conduct. It’s so sad.
There should be a law that the bosses have to spend a day (or more!) shadowing someone doing the job – and I mean properly, not someone who has spruced everything up to look good!
Must admit, my first baby was 2 weeks old when I phoned my mother-in-law to ask her to show me how to bath him as no-one had shown me!
I found your post looking at information on induction (from a professional point of view rather than quick google!) – and I’m finding it so interesting. I’m waiting for my second baby to arrive (40+3) but I’m also a medical student so the whole pregnancy and birth experience is doubly interesting to me.
I’m in total agreement with you on this post – and I’m surprised that more people don’t agree. I did the NCT classes with my first and although I would recommend it to everyone as its a great way to meet other mothers in the same situation – I did find their approach (or my particular teachers) to NHS funding rather interesting and I also questioned the approach that says an empowering experience for one is a more important than a healthy experience for all. Whilst I agree that in the best circumstances we should all be able to have a labour in the surroundings we choose and with the choices we want to make supported – there has to be a time when all mothers realise that we are one of many pregnant or labouring women, in a very stretched service.
My NCT teachers particular approach to labour was ‘the wheel that squeaks the loudest get the most oil’ and she encouraged us to demand our rights and birth plans were followed to the letter regardless of circumstances. She was very upset that I would not write a birth plan including what I wanted the room to look like, and what music I wanted on, and what pain relief I would not accept. My response was simply that I had never been in labour before. I did not know how I would feel, I wasn’t going to refuse something because ‘its a natural pain which we should embrace’. In fact, I went into labour without such a birth plan and was supported by a fantastic midwifery team who helped me throughout, meaning I used fewer drugs than I expected too! I felt empowered as I was trusting the professionals and my choices were evidence based. Others in my class however were extremely disappointed with their ‘experience’ as a highly stretched labour unit had not been able to support their demands for private rooms throughout early labour with aromatherapy baths and music. This is despite 8 healthy babies and Mums coming out the other side!
I totally support each mother’s right to choose but I do wonder if sometimes the NHS and the NCT conflict in the wrong way meaning those that have more are also those that demand more. Perhaps if all of us that paid our £170 for NCT classes paid that amount to an NHS midwife we might have classes which teach us more about real life and less about expectation – which given the current climate can only leave us disappointed.
Louise – Eloquently put. It’s good have a ‘consumers’ perspective on the topic. The problem is though that you are approaching from an ‘in the know’ position so you understand the constraints and base your expectations on your knowledge base, NCT don’t truly have such a panoramic vista. To be honest I don’t think they want to, and I don’t believe that they want their customers to either. Several years ago I appoached hem with a view to joining in with their antenatal preparation for childbirth classes, and was told that I would have to complete a course with them, which I would have to pay for, as I was not sufficiently qualified! I’ll say no more.
All the best with the birth of baby.