TODAY -Third stage of labour education session at Mater Mothers Hospital with Kathleen Fahy

Optimal third stage of labour care for women at low-risk of postpartum haemorrhage: theory, evidence and practice

Dr Kathleen Fahy RM, PhD
Professor of Midwifery, Newcastle University

Friday 9th July

15.00-16.00

Conference Room 5.1, Mater Mothers' Hospital, South Brisbane

All Welcome

For more information contact Jyai Allen: Jyai.Allen@mater.org.au

Professor Kathleen Fahy is the Editor of Women and Birth: Journal of the Australian College of Midwives. She is Professor of Midwifery at the University of Newcastle.

MC speakers at "Legal and Ethical Issues in Maternity Care" one day seminar, Wesley Hospital - Sat 7 Aug

Bruce Teakle and Kylie Downie are speaking at the following seminar being organised by Marie Barton, Clinical Midwife Educator at the Wesley Hospital.

Legal and Ethical Issues in Maternity Care
Saturday 7 August 2010
Wesley Hospital, Auchenflower

The Wesley Maternity Conference is an opportunity to learn more about legal and ethical issues, advocacy, evidence-based practice, the consumer perspective and much more.

Topics & speakers include the following:

* Legal Issues and Risk Management in Obstetrics - Ms Marianna Kelly (Risk Adviser and Medico-Legal Adviser, Avant Law) & Mr Christopher West (Solicitor, Avant Law)

* Obstetric Malpractice - Dr Ted Weaver (RANZCOG President, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist

* Applying Evidence to Improve Maternity Care: Moving Forward with Learnings of the Past - Associate Professor Vicki Flenady (Acting Director, Mater Mothers’ Research Centre

* Informed Consent / Informed Choice in Maternity Care - Dr Belinda Maier (Midwifery Adviser to the Chief Nursing Officer, Queensland Health

* Informed Choice: The Consumer Perspective - Bruce Teakle and Kylie Downie (Maternity Coalition)

* Ethics and Advocacy Issues in Practice - Mary Sidebotham (Midwifery Lecturer, Griffith University)

NOTE: MC members are welcome to register by Friday 16th July at the Early Bird rate of $125.00. No registrations will be taken after Friday 30 July, for catering purposes.

For further information, see the flier below or contact Marie Barton, Clinical Midwife Educator, Maternity Unit, Wesley Hospital:
Phone: 07 3232 7158
Mobile: 0408 454 314
Email: marie.barton@uchealth.com.au

EOIs for funded consumer places for ACM State Conference due - Thur 15 July

We mentioned in a previous post that the Australian College of Midwives (ACM)'s Qld State Conference is being held at the Sea World Resort, Gold Coast from 15-17th September 2010.

Maternity Coalition Queensland has recently secured funding to support consumers wishing to attend the conference. We are able to fund conference registration, accommodation and travel costs of successful nominees. Consumers from all parts of Queensland are encouraged to apply, including those who may not previously have been members of MC.

Please email Bec Jenkinson, Maternity Coalition Queensland Branch President (qldpresident@maternitycoalition.org.au) if you would like to receive the EOI form below as a Word document, to fill in and submit via email by Thursday 15 July.

NSW seeks to reduce caesareans and support normal birth

The Towards Normal birth policy in NSW was launched on Wednesday.

MATERNITY – TOWARDS NORMAL BIRTH IN NSW - A woman friendly birth initiative: protecting, promoting and supporting normal birth

This policy provides direction to NSW maternity services regarding actions to increase the vaginal birth rate in NSW and decrease the caesarean section operation rate; to develop, implement and evaluate strategies to support women and to ensure that midwives and doctors have the knowledge and skills necessary to implement this policy.

July 1, 2010
Sydney Morning Herald, Thurs 1 July, 2010
"Caesareans a target of $42m boost for hospitals"

NSW's runaway caesarean birth rate is set to be reined in by one-third under an ambitious five-year plan to normalise the process of giving birth and reduce unnecessary intervention in public hospitals.

The proportion of surgical births should be reduced to 20 per cent by 2015, from 30 per cent now, and first-time mothers would be attended by the same midwife throughout labour.

The option of labouring in water, although not necessarily water birth, would be offered universally under the mandatory policy.

International study claims triple neo-natal death risk for homebirths

The Age, Thurs 1 July, 2010
"Home birth triples neo-natal death risk: study"

The study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology will inflame passions. But, say the researchers from Maine Medical Centre in Portland, the findings must be addressed. "Women, particularly low-risk parous [having given birth before] individuals, choosing home birth are in large part successful in achieving their goal of delivering with less morbidity [damage] and medical intervention than experienced during hospital-based childbirth," they write.

"Of significant concern, these apparent benefits are associated with a near tripling of the neonatal mortality rate among nonanomalous [without birth defects] infants."

The researchers pulled together data from studies in the US and in Europe. They considered a total of 342,056 planned home births and 207,551 planned hospital births.

The increased death rate was in neonates - babies in the four weeks after delivery. The team found double the number of deaths overall among those born at home and triple the number when they removed those with congenital defects from the calculation. The main causes were breathing problems during birth and failed resuscitation after delivery.

The Globe and Mail, Wed 30 Jun, 2010
"U.S. analysis on home birth risks seen as deeply flawed"

Patricia Janssen, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia’s school of population and public health, says that conclusion is “sensationalist” and based on data that are in some cases decades old, on very small samples and in some cases incomplete.

In many cases, she says, women included in the studies may not have planned to give birth at home. They may not have been attended by a properly trained midwife. And much of the data used were retrospectively, gathered using birth records, which may not include enough information.

Dr. Janssen’s most recent research, published last September, found no difference in outcomes between planned hospital births and planned home births. Similar results were found in an Ontario study.

MIDIRS: Midwives Information Resource Services, Thurs 1 July, 2010
"Home births in UK safe say midwives"

Commenting on the research on ‘maternal and newborn outcomes in planned home birth versus planned hospital births’ in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Mervi Jokinen, Practice and Standards Development Advisor at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “It is certainly a study that will generate discussion around home births, and is important in adding to the body of evidence around this.

“Whilst it is interesting, I do question the validity of its findings for the UK. Comparison of the results is difficult because the study’s authors are working with data collected differently in many countries.

New York homebirth

WITV/WGBH Newschannel 34
"Midwife Reform Bill Passes Legislature"

Licensed professional midwives would be able to practice independently under a bill that passed the Senate on Wednesday by a vote of 61-0. "This is an important step forward for women's health," said Assembly Health Committee chair Richard N. Gottfried, author of the bill, A. 8117-B, which overwhelming passed the Assembly on Monday, June 28, by a vote of 95-17. The bill now heads to Governor David Paterson to be signed into law.

Professional midwives have been licensed in New York State for decades. They provide prenatal care, deliveries, and primary gynecological care. However, they are required to have a "written practice agreement" with an obstetrician or a hospital that provides obstetric services. The bill would repeal the requirement for a written practice agreement.

Article: "Does a lover really have first claim on breasts?"

Sydney Morning Herald, Wed June 30, 2010
"Does a lover really have first claim on breasts?"

Women's bodies have become so associated with sex that now a mothers' magazine has called breast-feeding 'creepy'. Rowan Pelling is appalled.