the role of new zealand midwives
DESCRIPTION
Many of us ... perhaps us lay people ... think of a midwife very differently than we think of an obstetrician. Somehow a midwife has an historic allure. After all there have been midwives for as long as women have given birth. Even if the midwife was her mother. New Zealand has the most amazing maternity system. In 1990 Midwives became the Lead Maternity Carers, giving Continuity of Care to all expectant parents. They are Direct Entry trained and have their stand alone, autonomous professional organization called NZCOM. They do not share care with obstetricians and can remain as the Lead Maternity Carer even when there is secondary care. New Zealand midwives have a Partnership with Women, respect Woman's Choices, help her construct a Birth Plan (what you want and don't want and expect of me as your midwife). A New Zealand midwife can work in hospital yet have her own clients. She is paid by the District Health Board. There are also contracted midwives who are paid under Section 88. Both midwives have their own clients and can do home and hospital births and remain the primary care provider if a transfer becomes necessary. The Caesarean rate was 12.9% in 1990 when midwives became the birth provider for over 85% of New Zealand expectant parents. The Caesarean rate is now between 30-35%! So, what's wrong with this picture? New Zealand like all other countries lacks a Skills-based approach to childbirth and focuses on a Choice-based one. Without families being skilled there will always be more medical care even with naturally occurring life events such as pregnancy and birth. Join the Movement for Skilled Childbirth. www.thepinkkit.comTRANSCRIPT
Understand the Role of your New Zealand
Midwife
Birthing Better with The Pink Kit Method®www.thepinkkit.com and www.birthingbetter.com
Birthing Better with The Pink Kit Method®www.thepinkkit.com and www.birthingbetter.com
1. Unique service in New Zealand
2. Partnership is not working on the same premise
3. You have what you have and this is what you need to do about it
4. Just for you
5. Your takeaway
Contents
Birthing Better with The Pink Kit Method®www.thepinkkit.com and www.birthingbetter.com
Unique service in NZNew Zealand has a very unique maternity service that is Midwifery
led.
You and your partner will have one (or team) of midwives who will be with you throughout the pregnancy, during birth and for 6 weeks afterwards.
Nowhere else does a Government pay for that privileged type of midwifery continuity of care.
This ‘continuity of care’ focuses on having one midwife to work with you during this exciting period of your life. However, there are two primary misunderstandings about ‘continuity of care midwifery’ that absolutely must be opened up, looked at and dealt with.
New Zealand midwives base their professional relationship on a Partnership with women to whom they offer this continuity of care.
Birthing Better with The Pink Kit Method®www.thepinkkit.com and www.birthingbetter.com
Partnership is not working on the same premise
Many New Zealand women have interpreted a continuity of care model means:
Their midwife will teach them how to birth and;
Be their primary birth coach/support
Birthing Better with The Pink Kit Method®www.thepinkkit.com and www.birthingbetter.com
Does a woman go to school to be a midwife to learn how to birth and teach that to other women?
Actually, no, midwives don’t go to school to learn how to birth and many of them have not experienced the natural birth they promote.
Midwifery training is all about keeping your partner and baby safe.
Birthing Better with The Pink Kit Method®www.thepinkkit.com and www.birthingbetter.com
What women want and what midwives offer are part of this great big message mix up!
Based on the NZ Midwifery Guide For Practice, midwives see their primary role as:Supporting a woman’s Birth PlanLeaving her alone to discover birth for herself
This is the tricky part because you and your partner need to clarify this issue with your midwife.
If you find your midwife is offering something different from your belief about their care then what are you going to do about this?
Birthing Better with The Pink Kit Method®www.thepinkkit.com and www.birthingbetter.com
You have what you have and this is what you need to do about it
Prepare the pregnant body to let out a big object.
Giving birth is an exercise in plumbing a big 3 dimensional object (your baby) has to come out of the inside of another 3 dimensional object (your partner’s body).
Men are so good at seeing this! Men just need the skills to help this object come out.
Learn both birth and coaching skills that will allow the two of you to always work with your baby’s efforts to come out no matter what type of birth you experience.
Birthing Better with The Pink Kit Method®www.thepinkkit.com and www.birthingbetter.com
Just for you
You also have to grow some specific fatherhood qualities during pregnancy so that helping your partner prepare her body to give birth becomes your job.
With these wonderful fatherhood qualities you also take on the primary role of helping your partner let your baby come down, through and out her body with as little drama or trauma.
This means your midwife can fulfill her role, respect for your Birth Plans and how the woman gives birth.
Birthing Better with The Pink Kit Method®www.thepinkkit.com and www.birthingbetter.com
Your takeawayYour midwife is not going to teach your partner how
to give birth. If you want her to have skills the two of you need to learn and practice them in your own time.
Your midwife is not going to be your partner’s primary birth coach. You will be.If you don’t want to feel useless and helpless then you
must learn the skills to help your partner cope with the natural pain in childbirth.
If she’s having a non-laboring Caesarean then you can use the same skills during the surgery to feel more connected to your baby’s birth.
Birthing Better with The Pink Kit Method®www.thepinkkit.com and www.birthingbetter.com
Birth is natural but it’s an activity and any activity is best done with skills. Your partner’s birthing skills and your coaching skills will complement each other.
Giving birth is the transition from ‘becoming’ a father or mother into ‘being’ one or the other. It’s essential you work through that transition rather than rely on someone else to do it for you.
Isn’t your baby’s birth worth your combined effort?