Hi Chris
I think you are mistaking me here. Our unit is not at all thinking of splitting the care of mother and baby but need some means of dealing with an organisation-wide tool that looks at the staff/client ratio. This tool is not subtle enough to capture the work the midwives do in remaining hands-off, nuturing the mother baby dyad, and can cause the organisation to suggest that our staffing can be cut. In addition, the women in this area still feel that they should remain in the unit. Like you, I would much prefer the woman to be in her own home and using the unit for only a brief time, but this is an uphill battle. The question about the post-natal mothers and babies is really to forestall the organisation, to facilitate the type of supportive care you suggest. Unfortunately we still have to deal with those who crunch the numbers alone.
K
>From: hendry <
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>Reply-To: "A forum for discussion on midwifery and reproductive health research." <
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>To:
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>Subject: Re: Midwife hours
>Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 15:13:08 +1300
>
>Hi,
>You need to consider very carefully the implications of splitting off the care of the baby from that of the mother. Maybe there is a need in high risk and ICU care, but the notion of the midwife's care relationship being primarily with the woman, prevents buy in to the medicalised approach to the provision of postnatal care. In the unit that I managed, the care relationship was with the mother and she cared for her infant. We tried to see how little any member of staff laid hands on the baby, no matter how tempting, just to get things done quicker!! It is amazing what women are capable of, even those following a Section. If they are incapacitated, get the family involved in care. My main concerns of course, are related to reducing the risk of hospital acquired infection and accident (including mother being given the wrong baby) or injury.
>
>How long is the average postnatal stay in your area? We need to make sure that we do not set up a dependency among women upon health professionals for decision making around normal life experiences. Women need to be supported to problem solve for themselves, they need to do it when they go home, why not model the process postnatally. In fact I think that with well and healthy women you need less staff when women and family care for their babies.
>
>
>Chris Hendry
>Midwife
>New Zealand
>----- Original Message -----
> From: Kate Spenceley
> To:
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> Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 1:01 PM
> Subject: Midwife hours
>
>
> Dear List members
> I can recall that some time ago there was discussion on the list re midwife hours per woman in the postnatal area, and whether the baby was 'counted' in these calculations. Is there anyone who can help is this respect? The unit where I work is being considered in the same light as other areas in the hospital but the babies and their care seems invisible: only the woman is the 'patient' receiving care.
> I would be grateful for your help.
> Thanks.
> Kate Spenceley
>
>
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