Madam, – Sarah Carey raises important issues about the over-medicalisation of childbirth (Opinion, February 11th). However, what she describes as “touchy- feely non-tangibles” are in fact of real medical value.
Most mothers will be more relaxed in their own home than in a hospital. Home births supported by a dedicated midwifery team are better for mothers’ blood pressure and heart-rate and lead to shorter labours, thereby reducing unnecessary interventions.
In order to make available the benefits of home birth to women throughout Ireland, a formal structure for the relationship between community midwives and hospitals is a prerequisite.
In particular, this requires recognition of the primacy of the community midwife in the event of emergency admission to hospital. This simple adjustment is crucial to what could become a State-wide system for childbirth which would benefit both mothers and babies and save millions in public healthcare costs. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Having given birth to three of my four children at home, I have to agree with Sarah Carey about the advantages of using community midwives. However, I went one step further by using an independent midwife whom I employed directly.
There are several advantages to this arrangement. All my antenatal care was conducted by the midwife in my own house. As the births were at home, I had a “private room”, my own bathroom and the food was considerably better than any I have received in hospital. The whole experience was a very positive one.
The midwife gave me one-to-one support and care for 10 days following each baby’s birth. This increases the chances of the baby being breastfed for longer as attention is given to the mother in the early days when it is most needed.
In addition, the cost of this arrangement to the health service is minimal and it leaves space and beds in hospitals for those who genuinely need it.
Most women who have normal pregnancies could qualify for this arrangement. However, there is a lack of support from GPs and a real shortage of independent midwives. Therefore, many women aren’t given this option and so our maternity hospitals will continue to be overcrowded and impersonal. – Yours, etc,