Comments
1. At 16.18 on 24 April 2009, Steph Tong wrote:
Melanie Reid knows nothing. She has read a report and put her spin on to it, she is entitled to her opinion. Boycott the times and get your relatives to do the same. Perhaps some kind midwife could invite her to accompany her to a home birth, where she will see a woman being cared for as an individual with two midwives in attendance, as opposed to 2 or 3 women in a busy consultant being cared for by one poor soul run off her feet. How much does she know? OFF WITH HER HEAD!!!
2. At 07.32 on 29 April 2009, Joy Johnston wrote:
Unfortunately the opinion expressed by Ms Reid is commonly held.
My opinion is that when all conceptions take place under C21 medical laboratory/hospital conditions, that will be time enough to argue that all births should also be medically managed at that level.
3. At 18.11 on 1 May 2009, Maria Mills Shaw wrote:
The most wonderful thing about my job as a Home Birth Lead is that I get to meet such a rich diversity of women and their families who chose to have a baby at home for many different reasons, but the most common one is that they are sensible enough to realise that it's absolutely not about choosing home birth over hospital birth, it's about choosing to give yourself the best possible outcome for a normal birth in a safe, secure and supported environment.
4. At 08.37 on 2 May 2009, Joanne Dunn wrote:
In response to Melanie Reid's article. I am a 78 week pre-registration midwifery student due to qualify in June. It is unfortunate to mention, that I have not been able to observe a homebirth during my studies. For my dissertation module, I examined the current evidence on which women base their decision on where to give birth. For centuries, women gave birth at home, however, during the late 20th century a sudden shift occurred where more women went to hospital to give birth. The huge challenge that exists for practicing midwives is to re-educate women of the positive maternal and neonatal outcomes of birthing at home. This is something Ms. Reid isn't aware of! She has clearly based her article on personal feelings and not contemporary midwifery evidence!
5. At 08.51 on 2 May 2009, Claire Hanson wrote:
What experience does Ms Reid have to make such ill informed comments? As an experienced midwife of over 20 years and mother of three, having worked in the UK and abroad, I would challenge her to provide the evidence to support her claims. We have seen the emergence of growing support from the government and indeed medical colleagues of late to encourage healthy women to give birth at home; as a result of research that damns her comments!! She should be made to publish a retraction. The hard work undertaken by committed and overstretched colleagues is made even harder by the ill informed and ignorant comments by people like her who have access to the general public. She should be ashamed of herself.
6. At 11.34 on 2 May 2009, Iona wrote:
I sometimes wonder if we really are as forward thinking and accepting a western society as we like to make out. With all our rights and freedoms we seem to close ourselves in further. Maybe a tribe in the 3rd world does not have our fair democracy but at least they can breastfeed in public and deliver at home (granted at a much higher risk) without fear of dissaproval or being ostracised. A rule/law on not stealing is understandable but a rule on what to do with your own body and where to give birth??? What a backwards society we seem to live in.
7. At 11.50 on 4 May 2009, A tired midwife wrote:
Although in principle I have no objections to low-risk women birthing at home, I do object to the extreme selfishness of women who force midwives to go on-call over the festive period and who have to leave their own families to attend a home delivery.
In general our unit struggles to cover the on-call rota and depends on the good will of volunteers.
This places additional stress on an already stretched service.
8. At 13.31 on 5 May 2009, Simzy wrote:
I think we all have to remember, medicine is a business. In all businesses one has to be involved in future planning/resources/improvements to the business/gains/etc etc. Use of fear tactics surround us everywhere; economic downturn, birth, swine flu through to terrorism.
Melanie Reid (or the Times) is probably paid to slander normal birth.
Midwives perhaps could learn from this!!!
9. At 18.03 on 7 May 2009, Alison wrote:
I too support a womans right to birth how she likes, I do not believe that women are selfish in wanting home birth, it is on offer to them. What is needed is more midwives & more training to support the service as well as ensure midwives health & working conditions not just the NMC stating that we must provide the service no matter what!
10. At 13.17 on 9 May 2009, Debra Lambert wrote:
I was angry when I read Melanie Reid's article. As a journalist for a respected newspaper, her article was biased, flawed, and showed her up for her lack of research and analysis into such an important aspect of childbirth. She will never have any credibility with me ever. A disgraceful abuse of her position. Can the RCM pass on to her editor all the comments that have been received?
11. At 17.32 on 14 May 2009, Kay wrote:
On taking time to reflect on the words of Ms Reid I felt profound sadness that in a time when tolerance and respect for others is so focused in the national conscious, she could dismiss a large section of the UK population with such disdain. I can only conclude that this was a piece of sensational journalism aimed purely to illicit a large response, however, there are some methods to achieve this that should not be acceptable in a civilised society.
12. At 00.03 on 18 May 2009, Julie wrote:
To the midwife who felt women were selfish to opt for a home birth during the festive period, thereby 'forcing' midwives to go on call. May I remind her that we are all paid to be on call and that it is a normal requirement of our job to provide care even at inconvenient times to ourselves and our families and if we object to this....why would we choose to do the job in the first place?
13. At 21.18 on 29 May 2009, Knackered but happy wrote:
I COMPLETELY agree! Tired- you don't know the half of it! With my family's support, I still get a thrill from doing this, and I love being able to be there to help women birth their babies wherever and however! We attend ALL our Ladies. Home, hospital, tent, teepee, barge! Unless we have worked ridiculous hours and we are not safe (usually because we are helping the hospital core). If you can't stand the heat, don't go in the kitchen!!
14. At 11.14 on 4 June 2009, Helen wrote:
Of course we midwives will (hopefully) be passionate about home births. We are in full possession of the relevant facts and statistics regarding cost and outcome. How unfortunate though that some feel they can comment on a process which they clearly know nothing about. If Ms Reid found that some Neurologists were using different techniques, would she feel so able to comment on the relative benefits of this? After all she does, I assume, have a brain.
Shame on you tired midwife! I am tired of politics, managerial incompetence and laziness but NEVER tired of the magic of all births wherever they are, including the birth I attended at 5am on Christmas morning. Perhaps she is locked in the aforementioned hospital, probably at managerial level and therefore unable to see the beauty without?
15. At 18.55 on 12 June 2009, Jenny wrote:
In response to a tired midwife's comment. Should a woman be denied a home birth because her Edd is over the festive period. Birth is a special event and every woman should have the right to choose where to give birth whenever their baby is due. Unsocial hours are part of the job. Think of this a mum dad and new baby snuggled up at home post delivery or a new dad having to say good bye on Christmas morning when his wife is transferred to the ward. I know what I think is better. I may be tired but I still care!
16. At 18.09 on 21 October 2009, Linda White wrote:
As a midwife myself and a mother of four I cannot understand tired midwives comments at all. It is our job, and a very privilage one at that, to care for women wherever and whenever they decide to birth their babies.
In response to the uneducated and misinformed journalist I would like to point out that women should have the option to choose where she would like to give birth and not vilified for choosiong an option that doe not sit well with her. I have had two home births and two hospital births (vaginal breech and preterm) I was well cared for in hospital and have very few complaints but I could never adequately express the security and joy of birthing two of my babies in my own home.
