i Deputy Editor's Letter: Midwives' invaluable support
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When we’re confronted with a new experience or life-changing moment we turn to the experts to guide us. Whether it’s a grilling from your accountant as they try and unscramble your tax bill, legal advice from your solicitor as you buy your first house, or a gentle steer from the vicar to remind you of your lines as you tie the knot, most of us need help.
But when that new experience involves having children, the stakes suddenly become much greater.
Yesterday’s report that almost a quarter of women in England were left alone during labour is a worrying statistic. But before you start pointing the finger, apportioning blame, it seems impossible to blame the midwives themselves. Indeed, the good news is that there has been a rise in women saying they were pleased with their care.
Midwives give invaluable support to mothers-to-be, providing an experienced voice to nervous parents, helping first-time mothers through the fear of the unknown. From hospital wards to home births, they are the experts, fending off doctors keen to intervene. And aside from the physical support they provide, the emotional support is just as important – for both scared mothers and hysterical fathers.
My own two experiences in a birthing ward were very different, but we could not praise the staff highly enough on each occasion. I am lucky enough to have two healthy children, but without midwives’ expertise things could have been very different. With birth rates rising, the need for a more midwives numbers is more urgent than ever – to help parents through their biggest life-change of all.
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