Quite so, this indeed a very good point and one that might bring to mind the question: Why, when midwives have been recognised as one of the major stake holders in birth performance in the UK for over one hundred years, is there a need for doulas in this country?    

I have always been rather partial to the idea of taking the word midwifery (or midwife) literally - with woman - isn't that what 'continuous labour support' should be all about?  Perhaps this is an outdated notion in todays 2020 midwifery, it certainly seems to be according to Midwifery Matters Winter 2010 Birth story (Issue 17:11-12) which is a little disconcerting.  

Forgive me for being repetitive, as I have asked the list this question before but in the light of this thread will venture the question again : Does anyone know what a midwife is?

Mandie Scamell 
__________________________
From: A forum for discussion on midwifery and reproductive health research. [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Denis Walsh [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 18 February 2011 07:01
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Continuous labor support, cochrane and more

Important point Mary.

Best wishes,
Denis
Dr Denis Walsh
Associate Professor in Midwifery
Academic Division of Midwifery
University of Nottingham
East Block
Queens Medical Centre
Derby Rd
Nottingham NG7 2UH
United Kingdom
Tel: 0115 8230987
Mobile: 07905735777
Email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>

From: A forum for discussion on midwifery and reproductive health research. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mary Ross-Davie
Sent: 17 February 2011 10:33
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Continuous labor support, cochrane and more

I am in my final year of my PhD studying continuous midwifery support in labour in the UK.  I am carrying out direct observations of support provided to women in active labour by midwives and recording these observations using a newly developed computer program.
As part of the preparation for my study, I carried out a systematic literature review of the current evidence in relation to support in labour.  I am concerned that members of the list in the UK will read the link below which states that the results are ‘great news for doulas’ and assume that this is applicable to the UK setting.
I think it is important to point out that none of the studies in the review were carried out in the UK or in midwife-led maternity services. Hospital staff providing ‘continuous’ support were generally obstetric nurses or , in one study, were student midwives who had agreed to participate very reluctantly and who were allowed to discontinue the ‘continuous’ support to go to a different room to observe care or deliver a baby. The recommendation from childbirthconnection.org that all services should consider the provision of doula support services as more beneficial than hospital staff support may reflect the needs of women in services that do not provide midwifery led intrapartum care, but I would suggest it is important that policy makers and researchers in the UK understand the limitations of these studies in relation to their application to the UK setting.

Kind regards

Mary Ross-Davie
Midwife and PhD student
NMAHP Research Unit
University of Stirling
Scotland, UK
From: A forum for discussion on midwifery and reproductive health research. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Sandall, Jane
Sent: 16 February 2011 19:24
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: FW: Continuous labor support, cochrane and more

please see below
________________________________
New review of labour support from Cochrane and the Childbirth Connection
See links below. Premious Cochrane reviews did not distinguish between doulas and others. This review clearly shows that doulas are the main group responsible for the benefits, rather than any type of support.
The Cochrane Library (2011, issue 2) now includes an update of the Cochrane review on “Continuous support for women during childbirth” with 21 RCTs involving over 15,000 women. For the first time, subgroup analysis looked separately at continuous support provided by hospital staff, members of the woman’s social network, and people who are neither and are present exclusively to provide one-to-one supportive care. The results strongly support the third group and are great news for doulas. One recommendation from the authors is coverage of this beneficial service.

We have the full review and a summary of it available on our website in the health professional area at www.childbirthconnection.org/laborsupportreview/ <http://<https://kclmail.kcl.ac.uk/owa/UrlBlockedError.aspx>www.childbirthconnection.org/laborsupportreview/>

We have updated the in-depth section for women, at www.childbirthconnection.org/laborsupport/ <http://<https://kclmail.kcl.ac.uk/owa/UrlBlockedError.aspx>www.childbirthconnection.org/laborsupport/>

We have prepared a handout with Quick Facts About Continuous Labor Support available soon at http://www.childbirthconnection.org/pdfs/LaborSupportQuickFacts.pdf

And we have issued a press release, are carrying out media outreach, and are alerting bloggers. Release is at http://www.childbirthconnection.org/pdfs/continuous_support_release_2-11.pdf
________________________________
The Sunday Times Scottish University of the Year 2009/2010
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.


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