The legendary feature film director Alfred Hitchcock often made fleeting cameo appearances in his own films; film buffs and critics would watch avidly and study his films carefully to find his Hitchcock moment. When I went to film Amy’s birth http://www.mybirth.tv/video-play.cfm?id=276 I hadn’t envisaged a Hitchcock moment, but fate took a hand and I was given, not a fleeting moment but a starring role.
Amy had not realised that her labour was so advanced and had delayed calling Virginia her midwife who set off to Amy’s house with green lights flashing, like a scene from a Hollywood action movie. I had arrived first and realised the birth was imminent- I spoke to Virginia on her hands free phone and she said she was only minutes away. I suddenly realised that the baby’s head was almost out, luckily as well as being a film maker I was a midwife with over ten years experience. With just a couple of pushes baby Honey Safia made her entrance into the world caught by me, the film director, just as Virginia rushed into the room.
Virginia was relieved that the birth had been straightforward and after a few checks on mother and baby was satisfied that all was well.
Last week I took Amy’s birth diary to show her. I always find it a bit daunting when showing women their Birth Diary. Will they like the edited version of their story? Will it be a moving experience for them, and will it give them a different perspective on the labour and birth? Amy was thrilled and I was relieved. It is now up on the site and ready to view and my Hitchcock moment is on the site for all to see.
Showing posts with label homebirth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homebirth. Show all posts
Thursday, 28 October 2010
Monday, 11 October 2010
Causes of rising caearean rates?
I read an article on the BBC news site about ‘too posh to push’ being a total myth, and women overall are not demanding elective caesarean sections, but being advised to have a caesarean section when a pregnancy or labour deviates from normal, and yet the caesarean section rate is rising year on year. So, the question is, who decides what is normal and what is not? I think that there is a strong element of ‘if in doubt cut it out’ but women are not being given all the information to make a truly informed choice, and obstetricians are only too aware of litigation should a labour and birth not proceed as planned.
There is also the possibility of health professionals affecting how information is given to women during pregnancy and how that information is received- I remember a few years ago reading an article which discussed Queen Charlotte’s Professor Nicholas Fisk’s anonymous survey of 282 male and female obstetricians working in the NHS across London. Some 31 percent of female obstetricians and 8 percent of male obstetricians would request a caesarean section for themselves or their partners in the absence of any medical need. I think this is really sad as it shows that these professionals don’t have confidence in their own bodies to deal with a natural process. Some of their reasons for requesting caesarean section are cited as wishing to prevent perineal injury and stress incontinence, but they don’t consider the injury incurred by a caesarean section cutting through abdominal wall, muscle and uterus as potentially dangerous too. I have met women who still have stress incontinence even though their babies were born by caesarean section, so that argument doesn’t cut the mustard with me.
There is also the alarming increase in diabetes and obesity sweeping this country- I remember talking to a midwife who ran a clinic for diabetics- ten years ago she would see one or two clients a week, now she has whole clinics of twenty or more a couple of times a week. The ultimate result in this astronomical rise contributes heavily to the rising caesarean section rate.
Then, there is the spectre of thousands of job cuts within the NHS which were predicted earlier this year. The government promises that front line services will not be cut or affected, but, for example if you take away clerical support staff out of a ward, then the only people left to do the paperwork are nurses and midwives, and they are already drowning in a sea of paper and technology.
And then, only a few days ago several hospital trusts announced that maternity units were going to close- where will the women go who would have had their babies in these units? The answer is that they will have to go to larger hospitals where the staff are already hard pushed to provide a safe and adequate level of care.
There are many situations where, during labour or in the last weeks of pregnancy signs appear that all is not well, and the woman and her unborn baby will need extra monitoring. I suspect that in the light of further cuts to our NHS services, many of these women will be offered a caesarean section rather than the maternity unit facing an investigation into inadequate care after the event. Sadly I believe that our current overall statistic of 24% caesarean section rate will continue to rise, and the unusual birth experience will be that of normality.
So, what is the solution to the problem? I believe there is a multi faceted answer- firstly women must take responsibility for themselves, they must become healthier and eat a balanced diet, cut out alcohol and stop smoking all long before they decide to get pregnant, they should ensure that they are well informed about their pregnancy and birth by attending ante natal classes, and finding out as much information as they can through different media including the internet, joining discussion forums will help in broadening their views, and will lead to them being better prepared for labour and parenthood.
Our government must stick to its promises and save our NHS from any further cuts- yes there are ways of becoming more efficient but women will still need a good midwife to have a great birth experience.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8052814/More-than-30-maternity-and-casualty-units-facing-the-axe.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2004/may/02/health.politics1
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/apr/21/medicalscience.research
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11485987
http://www.mybirth.tv/video-play.cfm?id=73 vaginal birth after caesarean
http://www.mybirth.tv/video-play.cfm?id=146 gestational diabetes video
There is also the possibility of health professionals affecting how information is given to women during pregnancy and how that information is received- I remember a few years ago reading an article which discussed Queen Charlotte’s Professor Nicholas Fisk’s anonymous survey of 282 male and female obstetricians working in the NHS across London. Some 31 percent of female obstetricians and 8 percent of male obstetricians would request a caesarean section for themselves or their partners in the absence of any medical need. I think this is really sad as it shows that these professionals don’t have confidence in their own bodies to deal with a natural process. Some of their reasons for requesting caesarean section are cited as wishing to prevent perineal injury and stress incontinence, but they don’t consider the injury incurred by a caesarean section cutting through abdominal wall, muscle and uterus as potentially dangerous too. I have met women who still have stress incontinence even though their babies were born by caesarean section, so that argument doesn’t cut the mustard with me.
There is also the alarming increase in diabetes and obesity sweeping this country- I remember talking to a midwife who ran a clinic for diabetics- ten years ago she would see one or two clients a week, now she has whole clinics of twenty or more a couple of times a week. The ultimate result in this astronomical rise contributes heavily to the rising caesarean section rate.
Then, there is the spectre of thousands of job cuts within the NHS which were predicted earlier this year. The government promises that front line services will not be cut or affected, but, for example if you take away clerical support staff out of a ward, then the only people left to do the paperwork are nurses and midwives, and they are already drowning in a sea of paper and technology.
And then, only a few days ago several hospital trusts announced that maternity units were going to close- where will the women go who would have had their babies in these units? The answer is that they will have to go to larger hospitals where the staff are already hard pushed to provide a safe and adequate level of care.
There are many situations where, during labour or in the last weeks of pregnancy signs appear that all is not well, and the woman and her unborn baby will need extra monitoring. I suspect that in the light of further cuts to our NHS services, many of these women will be offered a caesarean section rather than the maternity unit facing an investigation into inadequate care after the event. Sadly I believe that our current overall statistic of 24% caesarean section rate will continue to rise, and the unusual birth experience will be that of normality.
So, what is the solution to the problem? I believe there is a multi faceted answer- firstly women must take responsibility for themselves, they must become healthier and eat a balanced diet, cut out alcohol and stop smoking all long before they decide to get pregnant, they should ensure that they are well informed about their pregnancy and birth by attending ante natal classes, and finding out as much information as they can through different media including the internet, joining discussion forums will help in broadening their views, and will lead to them being better prepared for labour and parenthood.
Our government must stick to its promises and save our NHS from any further cuts- yes there are ways of becoming more efficient but women will still need a good midwife to have a great birth experience.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8052814/More-than-30-maternity-and-casualty-units-facing-the-axe.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2004/may/02/health.politics1
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/apr/21/medicalscience.research
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11485987
http://www.mybirth.tv/video-play.cfm?id=73 vaginal birth after caesarean
http://www.mybirth.tv/video-play.cfm?id=146 gestational diabetes video
Sunday, 9 May 2010
A clear view of birth
I haven't written my blog for sometime now and thought I ought to get on with it really! Last Monday I visited independent midwife Virginia Howes in order to film her Howes Birth Mirror http://www.kentmidwiferypractice.co.uk/2006/shop.htm
Virginia is entering a Barclays Bank competition to see if she can win the prize money in order to promote her product further afield. I think the mirror is a great invention as in the past I have filmed many waterbirths http://www.mybirth.tv/video-play.cfm?id=244 where midwives have used a conventional mirror- the downside of a conventional mirror is that it usually has an edge on it (perfect for bacteria to thrive) and is made of glass- probably something best avoided. Virginia's new mirror is made of polished steel- no sharp edges, unbreakable, and it can be sterilised in an autoclave. to view her product visit this link https://www.takeonesmallstep.co.uk/Entry/View/3043 I for one am backing it, as it is a fantastic, simple product and will be perfect for all those women wishing to get a clear view as their baby is being born.
Virginia is entering a Barclays Bank competition to see if she can win the prize money in order to promote her product further afield. I think the mirror is a great invention as in the past I have filmed many waterbirths http://www.mybirth.tv/video-play.cfm?id=244 where midwives have used a conventional mirror- the downside of a conventional mirror is that it usually has an edge on it (perfect for bacteria to thrive) and is made of glass- probably something best avoided. Virginia's new mirror is made of polished steel- no sharp edges, unbreakable, and it can be sterilised in an autoclave. to view her product visit this link https://www.takeonesmallstep.co.uk/Entry/View/3043 I for one am backing it, as it is a fantastic, simple product and will be perfect for all those women wishing to get a clear view as their baby is being born.
Thursday, 5 February 2009
Filming a beautiful homebirth
Okay I was in the middle of writing a piece for my blog about Group B Strep as we’ve had so many queries on the Mybirth.tv website, when events took over. I shall do a blog on Group B strep next time, but I thought I’d write about this instead as it is fresh in my mind and I have lots to say.
Yesterday evening Katherine texted me to say that she'd been having period like pains all afternoon and she thought 'tonight could be the night' I texted back and said 'bring it on'. Last time I filmed Katherine she went 26 days past her due date (Birth Diaries - Katherine and Brian's story - on mybirth.tv ) and I had half expected her to do the same this time, so with that in mind I had already booked the dog into kennels for the end of the month for a weekend away, as being on call 24/7 can be a bit tiring, I don’t know how the independent midwives cope with it all year round!
Anyway, back to Katherine. At 6 O'clock she called me to say that she was definitely in labour and finding it hard to talk through a contraction (a good sign), so I grabbed a sandwich, packed the camera and set off for Kent. On Monday we had had the heaviest snowfall in the South for 18 years so I was a little worried about the roads, but other than her road where she lives, the Highways Agency had done a good job on gritting. At 7.15 Brian called me on the mobile to tell me that her waters had just broken, luckily I was only ten minutes away by that time.
When I arrived, Katherine was leaning over the sofa with her Mum Pam rubbing her back furiously, little Beatrix was running around the room totally oblivious to her mother’s labours and Brian was there making a cup of tea. The pool was nowhere to be seen, as the labour had started up so quickly Brian hadn’t had a chance to inflate it. Katherine’s contractions were coming thick and fast and between her Mum and Brian her back was looking sore with all the rubbing, but that is what she wanted. I got on with the filming and when Kay her midwife arrived a short while later, there was nothing to hold Katherine back. The labour stepped up a pace, Kay checked the position of the baby, its heartbeat and Katherine’s blood pressure, everything was perfectly normal. Katherine also hadn’t had a chance to put on her TENS machine, but to be honest I don’t think at this stage it would have been of much use. Kay had brought in her infant resuscitation kit and also the entonox for pain relief, none of which were needed I am pleased to say. Katherine was experiencing some very strong contractions and couldn’t get comfortable, it was obvious she was close to giving birth, and Kay observed patiently beside her. Brian continued to rub her back and Pam took Beatrix up for a bath. It seemed like no time at all before Katherine was pushing with her contractions and at 9.19 she gave birth to a lovely baby girl, Beatrix had just fallen asleep and missed the whole thing, Katherine lifted her up and they sat on the floor recovering from the surprise and shock of it all, Kay waited for the umbilical cord to stop pulsating before Pam clamped and cut it, a short time later the placenta was delivered and Katherine went for a bath while her Mum dressed the baby. Half an hour later Katherine came back downstairs, by which time Kay had cleared away her things, the towels were already in the washing machine and Pam had brought in dinner and pudding from the car which she had prepared earlier.
By midnight everything in the house was as it had been at 5 .00 that evening, except that Katherine and Brian’s baby was here, delivered safely in her own home without a fuss and leaving very little mess except for a damp patch on the carpet where her waters broke.
I have filmed many homebirths over the last five years and it never fails to amaze me at how natural it all seems. That is not to say that I have always witnessed straightforward births; some have been complicated and a few have transferred to hospital for an instrumental delivery, and for these few women the maternity unit was the right place to be, but for the remainder a homebirth was wonderful. I practiced as a midwife in the 1980’s and returned for a short spell in 2003. My observations are that there is such a strong contrast between a hospital birth and a homebirth, and I feel saddened that more women don’t experience homebirth and all that it brings. I have to put my hand up here and say that my own four children were all born in a maternity unit; the care I received was second to none and definitely with my third child (born at 31 weeks) I know that she would not have survived had it not been for the technology and medical care that she received at that time. For me, having a baby in a maternity unit was not scary- I knew the environment intimately and the machines that go Ping held no fear, but for many women these contraptions take away the natural instincts of a woman to birth her child, and it is no surprise that our induction, instrumental and caesarean section rates are increasing exponentially. Perhaps it is time to have a very grown up discussion about maternity services in our country and forge a new way forward?
Yesterday evening Katherine texted me to say that she'd been having period like pains all afternoon and she thought 'tonight could be the night' I texted back and said 'bring it on'. Last time I filmed Katherine she went 26 days past her due date (Birth Diaries - Katherine and Brian's story - on mybirth.tv ) and I had half expected her to do the same this time, so with that in mind I had already booked the dog into kennels for the end of the month for a weekend away, as being on call 24/7 can be a bit tiring, I don’t know how the independent midwives cope with it all year round!Anyway, back to Katherine. At 6 O'clock she called me to say that she was definitely in labour and finding it hard to talk through a contraction (a good sign), so I grabbed a sandwich, packed the camera and set off for Kent. On Monday we had had the heaviest snowfall in the South for 18 years so I was a little worried about the roads, but other than her road where she lives, the Highways Agency had done a good job on gritting. At 7.15 Brian called me on the mobile to tell me that her waters had just broken, luckily I was only ten minutes away by that time.
When I arrived, Katherine was leaning over the sofa with her Mum Pam rubbing her back furiously, little Beatrix was running around the room totally oblivious to her mother’s labours and Brian was there making a cup of tea. The pool was nowhere to be seen, as the labour had started up so quickly Brian hadn’t had a chance to inflate it. Katherine’s contractions were coming thick and fast and between her Mum and Brian her back was looking sore with all the rubbing, but that is what she wanted. I got on with the filming and when Kay her midwife arrived a short while later, there was nothing to hold Katherine back. The labour stepped up a pace, Kay checked the position of the baby, its heartbeat and Katherine’s blood pressure, everything was perfectly normal. Katherine also hadn’t had a chance to put on her TENS machine, but to be honest I don’t think at this stage it would have been of much use. Kay had brought in her infant resuscitation kit and also the entonox for pain relief, none of which were needed I am pleased to say. Katherine was experiencing some very strong contractions and couldn’t get comfortable, it was obvious she was close to giving birth, and Kay observed patiently beside her. Brian continued to rub her back and Pam took Beatrix up for a bath. It seemed like no time at all before Katherine was pushing with her contractions and at 9.19 she gave birth to a lovely baby girl, Beatrix had just fallen asleep and missed the whole thing, Katherine lifted her up and they sat on the floor recovering from the surprise and shock of it all, Kay waited for the umbilical cord to stop pulsating before Pam clamped and cut it, a short time later the placenta was delivered and Katherine went for a bath while her Mum dressed the baby. Half an hour later Katherine came back downstairs, by which time Kay had cleared away her things, the towels were already in the washing machine and Pam had brought in dinner and pudding from the car which she had prepared earlier.
By midnight everything in the house was as it had been at 5 .00 that evening, except that Katherine and Brian’s baby was here, delivered safely in her own home without a fuss and leaving very little mess except for a damp patch on the carpet where her waters broke.
I have filmed many homebirths over the last five years and it never fails to amaze me at how natural it all seems. That is not to say that I have always witnessed straightforward births; some have been complicated and a few have transferred to hospital for an instrumental delivery, and for these few women the maternity unit was the right place to be, but for the remainder a homebirth was wonderful. I practiced as a midwife in the 1980’s and returned for a short spell in 2003. My observations are that there is such a strong contrast between a hospital birth and a homebirth, and I feel saddened that more women don’t experience homebirth and all that it brings. I have to put my hand up here and say that my own four children were all born in a maternity unit; the care I received was second to none and definitely with my third child (born at 31 weeks) I know that she would not have survived had it not been for the technology and medical care that she received at that time. For me, having a baby in a maternity unit was not scary- I knew the environment intimately and the machines that go Ping held no fear, but for many women these contraptions take away the natural instincts of a woman to birth her child, and it is no surprise that our induction, instrumental and caesarean section rates are increasing exponentially. Perhaps it is time to have a very grown up discussion about maternity services in our country and forge a new way forward?
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