Archives
Had my IPR this week, basically this is an appraisal to give me objectives and identify my development needs. So after a good moan to my manager we came up with-
- Aromatherapy training. Good for me, good for my women, good for the trust (they want to set up an alternative therapies clinic). Some funding may be available. Time scale 12 months.
- Get involved at the university teaching the students. Time scale 6 months. Done, I start on Tuesday.
- On-call equipment handling guidance. We have a problem with heavy equipment we have to transport to our cars, but no parking within several hundred yards. Time scale 3 months. Meeting arranged for Wednesday.
- Development of Midwife Led Unit. Exciting. Done it twice before so have plenty of ideas, information, and contacts. Time scale 9 months.
Last night I went to a 'baby shower', that was a first. I'm not sure what the protocol is supposed to be, but the experience last night was eat, drink (except the pregnant one), and be very loud. The pregnant one is a friend and fellow midwife and has asked me to be her midwife, huge compliment, but always quite daunting. Another friend/colleague is also pregnant and, for the third time, I'm her midwife. Caring for A is especially stressful as she develops a nasty complication called cholestasis of pregnancy -http://www.drfogarty.co.uk/mat_cholestasis.html which can cause unexpected stillbirths, a fact that nestles in my consciousness and only disperses once baby is born and lets us know how happy s/he is.
Looking forward to a quiet afternoon whilst Hubby watches the footie, I shall content myself with preparing my teaching plan and handouts for Tuesday.
Favourite things.
Flighty, see link on left (cos I don't know how to put them in yet!!!!!!) has done a lovely entry about Tornado's, fighter planes that is, not this
which I like just as much, but one I would love to go in, and the other I would love to chase. Both of them are such powerful beasties, and both so capable of masive destruction. Oh well, I shall just dream on, can't see much hope of doing either. Now I have tried to adjust the alignment I can't get it back, stupid, stupid thing. So, having, eventually worked out how to insert an image the text is rubbish. I'm going off in a huff now, and shall again later with something that is really getting me worked up, and not in a good way.
I have just read Mr Hoverfrogs blog entitled Seriously, and it rightfully has a huge number of comments, this is a huge subject. Some people believe that abortion, termination, is purely a personal issue, and it is, but for every abortion there are several 'personal involvements. I tried to leave a comment, but I think I was unsuccessful, so I shall repeat myself here.
I'm going to start this off clinically - My belief is that abortion for 'social reasons' is ugly, distressing for the woman and unpleasant for the professionals involved. I do believe that in this instance it should not be legal past 20 weeks. What a huge hypocracy that we spend millions preserving the lives of babies born 'normally' at 24 weeks, but deliberately set out to dispose of babies of a similar age because they are unwanted. Unwanted by who? By the person who concieved them but not by the thousands of women unable to have a child.
Next there are those abortions for abnormality. By the way, there is no time limit on these. I have problems here as these consist of mainly two types, one where the baby has a condition incompatible with life outside the womb, and those where they have a problem which may affect their 'quality of life'. The first I am relatively at ease with, if this baby will not live once born then I feel sorrow for the parents but I suppose mentally I have already 'written' that baby off. Quality of life terminations are so personal, subjective and open to interpretation and guesswork, how severe etc. that I really worry about these abortions and I very much sit on the fence.
Until 2 weeks ago I would say that I have never had anything to do with terminations, I have the right not to be involved and I chose not to. Then I booked a 16 year old. Not the first, I have cared for 14 year olds before now through their pregnancys and births and they have been as rewarding and happy experiences as those with women in their 20's etc. Anyway, I met the girl and her Mother. A very young 16 year old, a hard-nosed, unsupportive Mother, the girl's Father hadn't been told and they were both obviously afraid of telling him. However the Mother had no intention of being there with her daughter when she told him. The girl was sure she wished to keep the baby but her Mother was saying they had no room. Her Mother was unware that this pregnancy was by a married man, with children and of a different ethnic background. I carried on and booked her care, telling her that I would be contacting the Teenage Pregnancy Midwife who would possibly take over her care but would be able to help her with the details of organisations, training etc. who could help.. Three weeks later I receive a text message 'I've changed my mind, I've thought about it and I can't keep this baby, I want to end it. Help.' Horror, she is now 16 weeks pregnant, I discussed it with my manager, the nearset NHS facility for our health authority is over 100 miles away. I was shocked, how the hell do unsupported girls/women access that? I then contacted her G.P and set up an urgent appointment, then I spoke to the teenager herself. It was a very tearful, heartbreaking conversation, all the more so because she was so grateful. I came off the phone and promptly let out the tears that I had been swallowing, I had just helped to arrange an abortion. I could have passed it over, but I didn't. Am I happy about it, logically yes, emotionally and personally, no.
What I'm trying to demonstrate is that although in a vote I would be against abortion for social reasons, when faced with certain circumstances I would throw my belief system to the wind.
Can we make rules about abortion, yes. Should we lower the limit, yes. There is very rarely an excuse for an unwanted pregnancy, and even more rarely for abortion to be performed past 20 weeks.
So, it's happened. The threat that has been hanging over local community midwifery services is becoming a fact. Some faceless bureaucrat, who has never spent a minute of his life pregnant, in labour, back at home with a new baby, or observing the work that community midwives do, has posted the edict that there will be a reduction in the service. Home visits following the birth, one, unless it's a weekend when women will have to attend a 'drop-in' clinic at the hospital. This is a rural setting, some of our women live 20 miles from the hospital, I can just see them getting into the car, with toddler and baby, plus section scar and coming to see us at a clinic where they have no idea how long the wait will be.
The faceless bureaucrat is bearing the brunt of my venom, but really it is ******* TONY BLAIR, Gordon Brown, Patricia Hewitt and the rest of the numbnuts in Westminster who are solely responsible for this ruination of a service. I want to grab them by the scruff of their necks and force them to work with me for a day, to see how important support is to all Mum's, but especially first timers. To make them reconsider the absolutely ridiculous notion that birth is the be all and end all. How about breastfeeding? Increase the rates we are instructed, but you can't visit them at home to give them assistance if it's not happening. Do more homebirths, its better economically, but don't go and visit them afterwards to check that all is well.
Midwife crisis? Yes, and there is one responsible party, the Labour Party. SOS