I've been quiet on my blog for a couple of weeks. I've been thinking a lot.
Over the last two weeks, I have been contacted by more and more women wanting one to one midwifery care.
The women who have contacted me include:
1. Women who live outside the boundary set by publicly funded homebirth services
2. Women who prefer to know their midwife and have one to one care, rather than take 'pot luck' on which midwife will be there at the birth
3. A woman having twins who is apprehensive about all the negativity around having twins and being 'routinely' done to - you know, induction, epidural... etc. She wants a midwife to go to hospital with her because she doesn't trust the 'system'.
4. A woman who has had three births via caesarean and wants to birth normally.
5. A woman who has had two births via caesarean and wants to birth normally.
To me, this signifies a problem with the 'system' of maternity care in this country. Women's rights are still being ignored. The importance of birth and freedom of choice is still being ignored.
The mountain of research which demonstrates that pregnant women's emotional as well as physical needs must be met to enable optimal health and wellbeing of the mother and her baby is being ignored.
Now is the time to write to the government, the opposition and all your local members talking about these human rights issues. Write your letter. Send it by snail mail. I've been told that a letter from any person is seen as representative of 100 members of the community. Google the various political parties and all the politicians and their addresses are easily found. Our lives are being over regulated and under serviced. Time for a change. Please make your voice heard.
