The future of postnatal care
Midwives magazine: Issue 1 :: 2012
Posted: 15 November 2011 by Robert Dabrowski
New technology could revolutionise midwifery, it was argued at the RCM’s annual conference.
In ‘the big debate’, which closed the first day of the conference, Debby Gould, lead midwife for north central London, argued the point.
She put forward her argument in the discussion about postnatal care ‘After birth – what next?’
She said that with technology being so intrinsic to everyday life, its uses could be harnessed and applied to improve postnatal care.
She asked: ‘Can midwives really say they are the experts, when there’s so much power in our mobile phones that can tap into the wisdom of the universe?’
Debra Bick, professor of evidence based midwifery practice at King’s College London, questioned whether women’s postnatal care is well tailored to their needs.
‘I feel that women don’t have women-centred care at present, I think the woman needs to fit with the system,’ she said.
She argued that services should move away from a model of acute medical care and focus on what women need, rather than what is standard procedure.
Anne Fox, head of corporate communications at the charity NCT, was the third speaker in the debate.
She argued said she didn’t believe there was enough emotional postnatal support for women.
She reeled off a list-wish of what she believes needs to be improved, including: giving parents more information, welcoming fathers and family, providing better feeding support and more guidance and information about health issues.
