Half of UK not getting the birth they want

A recent report in The Telegraph has revealed that half of UK women are not getting the birth care they want.

The findings, announced at the inaugural Birthright’s Dignity in Childbirth Conference in London last week concluded that British women are not receiving a dignified birth.

Mumsnet conducted a survey on 1100 women and found that only 50% of women in the UK are receiving their ideal birth care. A further 26% were not able to choose where to give birth and 24% didn’t consent to intimate procedures such as forceps delivery, vaginal examination or cervical sweeps.

Of the women who completed the survey, 63% said their births affected the way they felt about themselves or their relationship with their baby. President of the Royal College of Midwives, Professor Lesley Page, commented, “Birth is a time in a woman’s life when she is at her most vulnerable but has the potential to be at her most powerful. She needs to feel that her needs are uppermost. If you give her sensitive and understanding care, you set her on the path to motherhood with confidence.”

Also speaking at the Birthright conference, TV presenter Davina McCall was very enthusiastic about home birth. She said, “I roared in the garden like a lioness, which admittedly was a bit weird in Surrey.”

Other speakers included Mavis Kirkham, Professor of Midwifery who explained, “The conveyor belt of maternity wards expects compliance. Never tell a labouring woman, ‘don’t worry’ unless you explain why. Otherwise you are just telling her to shut up.”

Also Professor Paul Lewis, who remarked, “Some [hospital environments] are not fit for purpose in the 21st century.” He also claimed over-worked midwives “are in a difficult and complex situation and yet they are penalised when things go wrong.”

At Private Midwives, we are fully committed to supporting women in their childbirth choices. We strive to provide a dignified birth where every woman feels in control, fully informed and at the heart of all decision making, Birth is a very special, unique experience and every woman deserves to be treated with dignity and respect at this vulnerable time, where ever she chooses to birth her baby.

For more information on what we can do for you and your birth options please visit births at Private Midwives