Posted by Melissa Maimann on Aug 29, 2009 in
Uncategorized I’ve wanted to change the look of Sydney Midwife for a while, and here it is. The “new” look.
This blog will contain the same sort of information that you’re used to reading – articles of interest that relate to pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding; contemporary issues in midwifery; and of course promotion of home birth, continuity of care and private midwifery in Australia.
Enjoy the new look of Sydney Midwife!
Posted by Melissa Maimann on Aug 29, 2009 in
Birth,
Home birth,
Midwifery For further information, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.
Link
WOMEN wanting homebirths are under pressure to have their children before July 1 next year …
… some women are considering limiting their families … if homebirth midwives are refused professional indemnity support.
… all women should have the birth they wanted.
… The Health Legislation Amendment (Midwives and Nurse Practitioners) Bill 2009 and two related bills currently under debate could make homebirths unlawful from July 1 next year …
… the legislation could put babies and mothers at risk.
“Does it take a baby to die at home without a midwife for things to change?”
About 30 Ballarat Maternity Coalition members will attend a Homebirth Australia rally in Canberra on September 7.
There has been a lot of media about this issue. I’m hopeful that a resolution will be found, however home birth services as we know them will change forever. I will write another article about the positives that may come of the changes, and also the hesitations that I have.
Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448
Tags: birth, Birth choices, continuity of care, freebirth, Home birth, midwife, Midwifery, Midwifery services, women's rights
Posted by Melissa Maimann on Aug 29, 2009 in
Birth For further information, contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.
Link
Expectant mothers are being warned over the use personal monitors, such as Doppler devices, to listen to their baby’s heartbeat at home. There is concern that they may lead to delays in seeking assistance for reduced fetal movements.
Dr Thomas Aust and colleagues from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral, UK describe the case of a 27 year old woman … . She presented to their labor ward 32 weeks into her first pregnancy with reduced fetal movements.
Two days earlier, she had first noted a reduction in her baby’s activity. But she had used her own Doppler device to listen to the heartbeat and reassured herself that everything was normal.
Additional monitoring by the antenatal care team raised the alarm. The baby was delivered by caesarean section later that evening …
The authors explain that a hand-held Doppler device assesses the presence of fetal heart pulsations only at that moment. It is used by midwives and obstetricians … In inexpert hands it is more probable that blood flow through the placenta or the mother’s main blood vessels will be heard.
… a fetal Doppler device could be hired for £10 (about 16.46 USD) a month or bought for £25 to 50 (about 41 to 82 USD) … The companies offering sales state that the device is not intended to replace recommended antenatal care. However, they also make claims such as “you will be able to locate and hear the heartbeat with excellent clarity” …
I have always been concerned about use of dopplers in this way. Midwives and obstetricians are trained to interpret the baby’s heart rate in relation to what is happening for the woman at the time. The best advice for parents is to call your midwife or doctor if you’re concerned about your baby – if you feel that something isn’t right, or if your baby is not moving as much as s/he usually moves.
Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448
Tags: Babies, Complicated pregnancy or birth, CTG, fetal monitoring, intermittent auscultation
