Midwifery Essay

4700

Rising birth rate

Increased complex births

94% of women rated their care during labour and birth as positive

Women being left alone

1/3 traumatised partly due to lack of support.

Lack of support is important factor in C-section choice.

Women treated with respect/offered support/tailored info to concerns = v. few will choose c-section unless health reasons.

25% of births = c-sections

Not enough staff to meet welfare needs/ ensure safety leads to:

women getting less choice in how / where they give birth - 747 women turned away due to full capacity/staffing problems and having to reject home births

Left alone for long periods on time

Long delays when being transferred to labour ward/theatre

Don't recieve pain relief when required/requested

Recieve inadequate postnatal care inc. breastfeeding

42% of 1st time mothers never/only sometimes had enough midwives after birth

Overworked

Understaffed

1 for every 28, some places = over 30

Cathy Warwick: once critical shortfalls are reached, maternity services wont be safe'.

Worlwide lacking 350000, 3.6 million deaths avoided

staff from ante/postnatal wards taken for labour ward leaving them shortstaffed

bank/part time dont know hospital/are exhausted

Ban on independent midwives due to lack of professional liaibilty insurance

Budget cuts suggest inevitable cuts to staffing.

retirement in 5-10 years

unis = forced redundancies/mergers=less places