Mothers for Midwives
Survey.
The results of the Mothers for
Midwives consumer survey, conducted in Kalgoorlie, WA, are
now being finalised. The survey was intended to provide
evidence of consumer demand for midwifery services and
challenge the doctor domination of obstetric services in the
region. Nearly 400 women completed the survey forms,
including 20% from potential mothers or those who are yet to
have children.
The statistical information was
very revealing. Here is a summary of the data collected from
women who have already had children:
- A quarter of women did not get
to meet a midwife at all before they went into
labour.
- Most women who did meet a
midwife did so at an antenatal class.
- Only a quarter of women met a
midwife early in their pregnancy.
- Most women said that it was
helpful to meet midwives during pregnancy, but not if the
contact with those midwives was too superficial (eg
booking in visit or unfamiliar antenatal class).
- 40% believe that is extremely
important to discuss women's issues on a one-to-one basis
with a midwife during pregnancy and 30% said that it was
very important to do so.
- 45% reported that they did NOT
know that midwives are trained to care for a woman during
the whole of her pregnancy as well as during delivery and
postnatally.
- 37% said that it was extremely
important for them personally to have met 'their' midwife
before going into labour and 27% said that it was very
important to do so.
- Women would prefer to discuss
most issues with a midwife as opposed to a
doctor.
- A third of women prefer to
discuss concerns about pregnancy with a doctor, a third
prefer to discuss concerns about pregnancy with a
midwife, and a third prefer to discuss those concerns
with a doctor AND a midwife.
- 98% of women would like to see
a midwifery service established in this area.
- 95% of women would prefer
shared care to doctor only care.
The comments that women made were
also very revealing and included such gems as:
"I feel that compared to my best
friend in QLD, who was delivered in a family birth centre
and cared for totally by midwives in the ante and post natal
periods, I missed out and had to pay for the 'privilege' of
seeing a GP each visit, even though I didn't want to. Such
huge variations in care of two women who both pay the same
Medicare taxes!"
Essentially women commented that
midwife care is both qualitatively and quantitatively
different to doctor care. They DO want access to midwives,
but also continuity of carers. (It's ironic that the only
carer they can see continuously now is a doctor!) Pregnant
women do not want to be passed along from person to person
like goods upon a factory production line, but rather see
the same midwives throughout their pregnancy, delivery and
beyond. It's convincing evidence for team and caseload
midwifery!
The Mothers for Midwives consumer
survey was a success in two ways. Firstly it raised
awareness amongst women that they were being denied
midwifery options and gave them a chance to voice their
opinions on this in writing. Secondly, before the results of
the survey were even known, the doctors decided to
'investigate' shared care. It now seems certain that an
antenatal (and possibly postnatal) midwifery clinic will be
established at the local hospital in the coming months. This
is a victory for consumers who definitely want
change.
Best wishes,
Genevieve Gibbs,
Email: siennaskye@bigpond.com
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