NSW Health has released a policy aimed to help with increasing the rates of normal birth and decreasing surgical births. Called Towards Normal Birth, the policy "provides direction to NSW maternity services regarding actions" to achieve those aims.
At a recent conference with about 100 midwives looking at why and how to "keep birth normal' and what we as midwives need to do, a brainstorming session produced the following list. These strategies run from the big ticket culture change items to the seemingly small, but profoundly effective 'watch our language' individual action.
The list:
1. Avert the medical 'gaze'
2. Be powerful and able to negotiate as equals to doctors
3. Establish a "round table culture'
4. Dispel 'urban myths' about birth
5. Support women to choose upright positions in labour
6. Educate teenagers
7. Promote the use of positive images of birth
8. Look at system issues: promote and change to woman centred midwifery models
9. Discuss what normal birth means to us and ensure we are talking about the same things
10. Listen to women with respect - what does the woman want?
11. Encourage women in labour to stay home as long as possible
12. Establish and provide support structures to help women stay at home in early labour
13.Establish and provide support structures so women can choose to stay home to give birth if desired
14. Examine our own attitudes to 'being with woman' in pain and uncertainty
15. Seek to establish a relationship with each woman
16. Allay fear: let woman know what birth is really about
17. Address anxiety of support people and other health professionals
18. Pay attention to the language we use
19. Have confidence in women's ability to give birth
20. Pay attention to our body language as body language conveys meaning: what are we saying?
21. Set up birth space intentionally - find out what makes each woman feel safe and do that.
Each of these strategies could be a blog post on its own! What do you think? What else can we do? How do we put these strategies into practice?
The list:
1. Avert the medical 'gaze'
2. Be powerful and able to negotiate as equals to doctors
3. Establish a "round table culture'
4. Dispel 'urban myths' about birth
5. Support women to choose upright positions in labour
6. Educate teenagers
7. Promote the use of positive images of birth
8. Look at system issues: promote and change to woman centred midwifery models
9. Discuss what normal birth means to us and ensure we are talking about the same things
10. Listen to women with respect - what does the woman want?
11. Encourage women in labour to stay home as long as possible
12. Establish and provide support structures to help women stay at home in early labour
13.Establish and provide support structures so women can choose to stay home to give birth if desired
14. Examine our own attitudes to 'being with woman' in pain and uncertainty
15. Seek to establish a relationship with each woman
16. Allay fear: let woman know what birth is really about
17. Address anxiety of support people and other health professionals
18. Pay attention to the language we use
19. Have confidence in women's ability to give birth
20. Pay attention to our body language as body language conveys meaning: what are we saying?
21. Set up birth space intentionally - find out what makes each woman feel safe and do that.
Each of these strategies could be a blog post on its own! What do you think? What else can we do? How do we put these strategies into practice?
