COMMENTS
1. At
17.25 on
12 February 2010, Astrid Osbourne wrote:
I agree that the women seemed to be mostly unattended and I felt uncomfortable about every woman being on her back on the bed with lots of coached pushing. However, there did seem to be a lot of midwives about and it wasn't clear that there was a staffing crisis. I felt that the midwives often came over as a little patronising and regimented. I think the women were marvelous and showed just how they really do endure it all, in spite of us!
2. At
19.11 on
12 February 2010, a community midwife wrote:
I am a community midwife and I had to reassure at least 3 of my ladies the day after the programme. I am very disappointed with the programme especially on prime time TV and have advised my ladies not to watch further episodes.
3. At
23.49 on
12 February 2010, a midwife wrote:
I thought the programme gave quite an accurate portrayal of a delivery suite/maternity unit: under strain, full, midwives dealing with long hours and masses of paperwork when they should be 'with woman'. It is too true and extremely sad and is the reason why I won't work on a delivery suite, and I am looking at a way out of the NHS for good. Very very sad.
4. At
08.38 on
13 February 2010, Pippa Davis wrote:
I was very frustrated at the behavior of the husband of Tracey, he was a complete idiot and had no place in that room, and why the son was in there is beyond me. I feel very privileged to work for Caroline Flint in a wonderful birth centre, and our women are supported from the beginning to the end with midwives they know and who know the women and care about them on a personal level, this is what all women deserve.
5. At
14.04 on
13 February 2010, a midwife wrote:
Really, I thought the midwife with the healthy multip was not very good. Not present most of the time then onto a CTG taking mum off her knees to hear the FH, putting her on her back and then telling her to push, calling a senior midwife in who threatened this mum who had all normal births before with a small cut! Why didn't they turn her back over or stand her up, as the birth would have been over much quicker. Another 2 senior midwives have discussed this with me and agree. Also the poor mum with the baby with gastroschisis really wanted to see her baby and I think this should have been a high priority too.
Finally, lots of midwives at the board like usual in many trusts.
6. At
14.58 on
13 February 2010, Sue Waller wrote:
I agree the programme showed the reality of a busy unit. I am sure I was not the only midwife watching who was willing for that young midwife to pull the emergency cord when that fetal heart remained so bradicardic!!!
7. At
16.04 on
13 February 2010, Sally Harley, independent midwife wrote:
I totally agree with the comments about Tracy. A woman having her 4th baby, with the one to one attention of a midwife, should normally have no need for an epidural, and the thought wouldn't even enter her head. I was also at a loss to understand why it was necessary to have her on a monitor?
I also agree with Michel Odent, in instances such as these, where it completely obvious that these type of men do not belong in the birthing environment.
I felt quite sorry for Lisa that she seemed to be left alone most of the time while trying to come to terms with being told her baby was going to be born early AND by C-section. I think it would have been nice to see a midwife or doctor spending time with her and reassuring the couple.
8. At
11.25 on
15 February 2010, a third year student midwife wrote:
I am a student midwife coming to the end of my training. Sadly, I found this programme to be a true representation of life in an NHS delivery suite. The programme just made me feel I was at work - it was all too familiar! It was bad enough watching the poor woman's husband messing around with a glove, let alone seeing her son looking totally out of his comfort zone. I say Michel Odent has got it exactly right - there are just some people who shouldn't be in the room! I really can't understand why there is the need to make a television documentary about such an intimate occasion - it's reality TV gone mad! I, for one, won't be watching it again.
9. At
09.26 on
16 February 2010, Amanda, NHS Labour ward midwife wrote:
I must say I cringed when I watched this terrible programme. It was awful. I am a midwife based in a delivery suite in an NHS hospital where, like everywhere else, we are short staffed and extremely busy, having had to close on far too many occasions recently. But I can say hand on heart that the care the women in our unit have received has been nothing like the care that Lisa and Tracy received. It was like something out of a soap opera. The media probably didn't help with their 'snap-shots' of care because you couldn’t see the complete picture. The midwives appeared to be out of their comfort zone also although I presume they would have had to give consent to the filming, as did the women and their families. I do agree with what seems to be the opinion of most in that Tracy’s husband should never have been allowed the privilege of supporting his wife in labour because he was a complete nuisance and I cannot understand why the 18 year old son was there at all.
10. At
21.59 on
18 February 2010, Alison Blenkinsop wrote:
Emma's comments are spot-on - I hope Steve was given an invoice for the glove! This unit has no plans to become baby friendly accredited, and skin-to-skin contact is not routine. I have been in correspondence with the midwifery manager about this recently, but I won't be watching any more episodes to check whether support for breastfeeding is as good as she claims, as the first programme made me so furious!
11. At
14.07 on
19 February 2010, integrated midwife wrote:
I wonder how many hours of filming were done to show the short glimpse of life in labour? I know that most fly on the wall programmes I have seen seem to concentrate on the conflicts in the hope of increasing viewer numbers! In this case it will give women a non-reassuring view of what is to come! How high an authority is required to consent to these programmes and how much is paid to the unit? I doubt any politicians watch it and no changes are likely because of it!!!
12. At
12.52 on
9 March 2010, Disillusioned Midwife wrote:
As a midwife working on a birth centre, we endeavor to provide one to one care, even when we are totally understaffed. Women are promised everything and delivered very little, as is the midwife. The midwives on my unit stay with women and go above and beyond the call of duty, much of the time to our own detriment - I cannot believe how many staff were available in this programme and a receptionist… if only. Our staff are friendly, patient kind and sometimes their own worse enemies as when we are in need nobody actually seems to listen!!
13. At
20.15 on
16 March 2010,
Birth
Centre Midwife wrote:
What we need to remember is that this is a television programme made, not for midwives, but for the general population. It is supposed to be 'entertainment' not fact. I would assume, it is subjected to the same editing procedures as any other programme, i.e. most of it is left on the cutting room floor. To judge the midwives at this unit on the basis of what is a probably a very SMALL snapshot of a shift, is, in my view extremely unfair. We were not present and are unaware of the reasons why clinical decisions were taken. I'm sure most of us would not welcome such intrusive scrutiny.
Surely, most midwives care for women to the very best of their ability and to denigrate their efforts seems very unfair and dare I say patronising.
What midwifery has taught me is just how nasty midwives can be to each other. Why do we not support each other as our medical colleagues do?
14. At 14.55 on 18 March 2010, Tracy wrote:
I
agree entirely with the comments made by birth centre midwife. Can you imagine
how strong and united our profession would be if we could only learn to support
each other rather than make derogatory remarks. I make particular reference to
an earlier comment that 'women do well in spite of us.' Most midwives enable
women to do well BECAUSE of the high quality care that they provide. We need to
stop the backbiting and get on with what we do best... supporting all women,
including our colleagues!
15. At
19.10 on
18 March 2010, disillusioned midwife wrote:
Very well said Tracy
