Newsletter number 11
October 2023
Could it get any worse?
65% of maternity services are deemed “inadequate” or “dangerous” by CQC
Maternal Mortality has increased by 15%
Infant Mortality is increasing
The NHS is spending £8.5 BILLION annually on litigation against its maternity services, even though the total cost of providing the service is only £3 billion
29 out of 30 newly qualified midwives leave in the first year after qualifying
30% of women have PTSD following having given birth
As a nation we are hopeless at breast feeding
Investigations into the Maternity Services in Morecambe Bay, East Kent, Nottingham, have brought to light terrible stories of abuse and neglect of women in labour.
Every innovative midwifery scheme is shut down despite evidence that they are much safer than the normal system, despite protests, evidence to the contrary and distraught women.
So where do we go from here?
Solutions to a problem.
My suggestion is that we have to start from the beginning. We must start with newly qualified midwives. The midwives in practice at the moment, valiantly shoring up a defunct system are exhausted, aggressively and venomously against being on call – having been over-used and abused most of their working lives, give them credit for shoring up the present system but don’t ask anyone else to join them - it kills midwives, destroys their vocation, hurts them and exhausts them.
Let’s start with student midwives soon to qualify. Instead of planning to leave we show them a brighter future, we give them hope that they can become the sort of midwives they signed up to be. We encourage them to set up Albany Type schemes.
The students get together with three friends – Teams should be four – six midwives, no more.
They work out a holiday rota (see Carolineflintmidwife.com web page)
In their final year as students, they take on two women a month for after they qualify. Once qualified and during their first year as qualified midwives they care for 2 women a month for the first six months, then 3 women a month for the second six months and during their second year they progress to 4 women a month. These women are triaged at home in labour - they decide on where they are going to give birth only when they are actually in labour and can see what this particular labour is like.
Thse midvices are NEVER pulled into the Obstetric Unit because of staff shortages and if they are asked, they must refuse, it is this that destroys continuity of care schemes.
It would be better if they were employed by someone other than the Hospital Trust – the Local Authority, the Council, the NCT, AIMS, Birthrights - anybody!! Anybody other than the voracious Maternity Unit. They must be enabled to do their work without being dragged into the maws of the Obstetric Unit.
How it works.
Learn the basics of normal childbirth from women themselves - midwives' best teachers.
The student midwives recruit women who are due at the appropriate time, they will need the help of the Antenatal Clinic Staff with this. They see these women at home or an appropriate venue in the Community (GP Practice, Church Hall, Clinic), they learn from the women. During their training Student Midwives learn a huge amount of Obstetric Knowledge – on the day of qualification their learning has been enormous, now they need to listen to women and learn the basics of normal childbirth.
I suggest that a Senior Midwife is appointed to support two to four Albany Type Schemes. The midwives themselves work autonomously. They meet at the beginning of each week and share details of the women they are caring for. The Team of midwives chooses an Obstetrician that they like and whose practice they admire to whom they can refer if they have any problems.
Utopia
So little by little the numbers of women will be whittled away as more and more are taken on by Albany Type Schemes. A Team of six can eventually care for 216 women a year, the number of women being cared for in this way will grow organically. We know from previous research that the numbers of pre-term babies will fall, the numbers of unassisted births will rise, women will be less traumatised both mentally and physically and more babies will be breastfed. This will be a hugely positive move as far as the health of the community is concerned. Midwives will be retained and happier.
Let’s all push for this. Midwives learning from women what they want. Mid wife– with woman.
READ MY BOOK - DO Birth
DO Birth is my book on Birth Preparation. New chapters, new pictures, new references and new photos. A complete revamp!
Buy it for anybody who is pregnant.
Reissued on 2nd November.
