Midwives role ‘untapped’

Press, 15 July 1987, Page 7

Midwives role ‘untapped’

Midwives were a valuable resource not being adequately tapped by the baord, said a midwife attending yesterday’s meeting.

Many midwives, both domiciliary and those who worked in hospitals, attended the meeting. Many said they felt under-used by the board.

The chairwoman of the Canterbury section of the Midwives’ Association, Ms Karen Guilliland, said that midwives had often

wanted to have input into obstetric and gynaecological services planning but had not had their enthusiasm accepted. “Midwives work with all aspects of these services — we feel very concerned about it.” Another midwife said that many of the deliveries made at Christchurch Women’s Hospital had been by midwives, who also looked after the women for most of the

post-natal period. A domicilary midwife said that one of the biggest advantages for women during a home birth was the contact with the midwife.

“Getting to know the midwife is very valuable to the woman — it seems to me that all normal or at-risk women need midwives. “Midwives need to have more confidence in themselves.”