Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Macedon Ranges BaBs program Term 4

Monday 13th October 9:30-11:30am
Hospital or Home - choosing where to Birth...you do have a choice!
& the whys, whats and hows of making this important decision.


Monday 27th October 9:30-11:30am
Cloth v's Disposable - the great nappy debate...
& opting for neither - there is an alternative!!


Monday 10th November 9:30-11:30am
Breast feeding is best feeding
& a new approach to introducing solids
**Guest - Heather Steel - Australian Breastfeeding Association


Monday 27th November 9:30-11:30am
Gentle Parenting - A peaceful solution for co-operation without coercion
& respecting our children as humans
**Guest - Karen Visagie - Tuning into Kids


Monday 8th December 9:30-11:30am
Consumerism - the good, the bad & the ugly...
Top tips & toys for Christmas
**Guest - Melinda Bito - Eco Toys

A midwife will be in attendance at sessions where available.

As well as establishing a library of 'tried and tested' books and articles
& we hope to acquire a copy of the Rickii Lake DVD "The Business of Being Born"

Macedon Ranges BaBs (birthing and babies support) an initiative of Maternity Coalition & supported by Macedon Ranges Shire Council.

Macedon Ranges BaBs [macrangesbabs@yahoo.com.au]

Monday, September 29, 2008

New babs group at Wagga Wagga

Wagga Birthing and Babies Support Group provides information, education and peer support for pregnant couples and parents.

Childbirth educators, midwives and other health professionals with an interest in early parenting, as well as parents who are not expecting new babies, are encouraged to come along to share their knowledge and experiences.

Come along to our first monthly meeting, Tuesday 7 October
at Glenfield Community Centre, 10 Tanda Place, Glenfield, Wagga Wagga
10am-12 noon.
This meeting will be an open forum, so come along to listen and have your say!
For more information contact Niki on 0412 123 642 or Bernadette on 0429 430 285

An initiative of the Wagga Birth Choices Action Group, affiliated with the Maternity Coalition www.maternitycoalition.org.au

maternity services blog on Crikey

Justine Caines has written a Croakey blog 'Maternity Services Turf Wars have not helped women'.

Justine, a maternity consumer activist and past President of Maternity Coalition writes: "So far the consumer voice has not been heard. Instead, media has focussed on the turf war between the medical and midwifery professions. For many years, maternity services, and one could argue health per se, has been about doctors. Interestingly the use of medical staff, particularly specialists, is not necessary for the majority of women, nor is it supported by evidence."

This is an opportunity for consumer opinions to be shared, both at the Crikey site, and in the comments of this blog, and in responses to the Maternity Services Review.

A comment by Joy Johnston on the 'turf war' has been posted at Croakey and at midwivesVictoria blog

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

La Teta - to give the breast is to give life!

I have recently discovered this lovely video on Youtube and just couldn't help but share it! It is a Public Information Broadcast from Puerto Rico. Watch and enjoy!

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=942FRjAJhxU

Monday, September 22, 2008

Erika's response to the Maternity Services Review

I welcome this review and would like to have my point of view considered.

I am a mother of 2, a doula for over 10 years, life coach, coordinator of BaBs - Birthing and Babies Support groups and a supportive member of Maternity Coalition. I feel passionate about seeing change in our maternity services that would enable real choice for the birthing women of Australia.

I find that the work I do as a doula illustrates the lack of support in the current maternity system:
# Couples gain clarity that they did not have before regarding the birth options available to them and the possible benefits and risks associated with each.
# Couples are guided more effectively in how to make an informed choice (and then encourage trust in themselves to speak up) in order for them to gain some sense of control of their choices and birth experience.
# Couples are seeking doula support so they will have some degree of continuity of care through their pregnancy and birth.
# Couples welcome the tangible support offered through meeting a woman's needs for physical support, emotional care and practical helpfulness at the labour and birth.

This kind of support I believe should be offered by the woman's care provider first and foremost, not from additional services which they have to pay for out of pocket.

I would like to see women of Australia to have affordable choice to birth in the hospital, birth centre (attached and separate to the hospital), home or community setting.

A good definition of informed choice is one in which:
- Accurate information is provided – the information presented is based on ‘state of the art’ knowledge.
- The specific points where choice is available are detailed and outlined.
- The advantages and disadvantages of the various options are given.
- Enough time is given for consideration of the physical and psychological implications of each choice.
- There is information included about any potential risks, flowing from specific decisions, presented in a sensitive, non-threatening manner.
- Crisis decisions – based on information which is unavailable to the parent(s) – are delegated to the medical attendants.
- Emotional support is available, regardless of the decision made.
- Evaluation is made to ensure that information is understood.

Many Ob's and GPs do not have or do not give the time to provide this kind of supporting service to the women they are caring for. The model where I see this most often is with one on one midwifery care at home births, 'Know Your Midwife' programs in hospitals and some team midwifery programs.

Best practice, statistical evidence, the WHO and many many positive stories from the women themselves illuminate the fact that government should expand the services of the midwives practice in the home, community and hospital setting.

I believe midwives would be helped by the government if they could:
* access Insurance
* be paid through the Medicare system
* maintain status as carer of their client when collaboration and consultation with other health professionals deems it as necessary
* be supported through fair legislation that reflects the rights of a midwife to practice her skill
* be suported with guidelines enabling more streamline collaboration and consultation with other health professionals when necessary
* provide additional necessary services???

As a tax payer I am frustrated that families are paying for health care in areas where substantial savings could be made with no greater risk to women and their families. In Maternity Services birthing families and tax payers are paying for specialist services before there is any proof of need for it. Midwives are experts in normal physiological childbirth and by their definition are the most appropriate health carers for birthing women. I believe the New Zealand model of Midwifery services offers a more appropriate structure that Australia could learn from, in addressing some of these issues.

Erika Munton

Birth Works - Birth Attendant/Life Coach
-----------------------------------------------------
www.birthworks.info
erikamunton@yahoo.com.au

Thursday, September 18, 2008

questions for the maternity services review

The following questions have been posed by the Maternity Services Review, in the Discussion Paper from the Australian Government, Improving Maternity Services in Australia. Responses need to be submitted by 31st October 2008.
MiPP members are preparing a written response, and we would appreciate any comments from our blog readers. Please use the 'comments' function of the blog, or contact us by email. You are also encouraged to send your own responses, so that your voice counts in this review.

QUESTIONS:
(see Discussion Paper for more information)
  • What models for maternity services for rural and remote communities are working well?
  • What are the key elements to applying such models more broadly?
  • What aspects of the Australian context are driving high intervention rates?
  • What actions are required to address this?
  • What, if any, are key support services, including peer support which warrant national coverage?
  • What is required to ensure the quality and consistency of key support services?
  • How is current Commonwealth funding targeted?
  • What are the key professional development needs for the maternity workforce?
  • How will models of workforce support vary in rural and urban settings?
  • What are the potential areas for change to expand midwife-led care across antenatal, birthing and postnatal services?
  • What are the existing effective models for midwife-led maternity services?
  • What are the key workforce barriers to integrated models of care?
  • What key infrastructure is needed?
  • Are there any other issues the Review should consider?


The two questions that we are focusing on in the babs response to the maternity services review are the two on support, "including peer support". We will keep you informed as our drafting proceeds.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Rambles from Clota plus a few pix

Okay, well, someone has to to kick things off, so it may as well be me!

Today at BaBs Clota Cottage, we discussed putting in a response to the Government's Maternity Services Review. We talked about the support women need during pregnancy, birth and the early postnatal period. It was great to hear women talk and discuss what is important *to them* during this important time in a woman and baby's life and for us to put in our "wish list" for a better future for women having babies in Australia. If anyone wants to be involved in helping draft this response, please contact me and we can get together a group to work on it!

We had a good turn out today, and we now break for 2 weeks for the school holidays, and return to Clota on the 8th of October. Sometime during the holidays Sif and I will get together to make up a schedule of topics for Term 4 - if anyone has any ideas or requests on topics they would like to see at Clota next term, please let me know either via the comments here, or phoning me.

Here are a few photos I took from the Inaugural BaBs Inc meeting last month. I am so excited and proud to be involved with such a fabulous group of women!





getting started

This is a practice blog so that anyone in babs can try your hand as a blogger - writing stuff that you want to share with other babs members and blog readers. The settings will allow 'permissions' for multiple authors.