That while a natural caesarian can be seen as a whole package, many aspects of this (e.g. playing your own music, or skin-to-skin contact immediately after the birth) could be offered to any woman having an elective caesarian, or even in some cases an emergency caesarian. Andy is considering developing a checklist so that all mothers could request the options they would like.
The importance of communicating between different professional specialisms. Andy described how through his work on natural caesarians he has found himself in midwifery conferences that he might not have previously attended (and where he can sometimes be the only doctor in the room). He has gradually become more aware that many women are experiencing birth in quite a negative way – women whose births, from their medical notes, “would look OK, pretty normal”. Andy described how “people I’ve come into contact with have shaped me to change” - for example, the independent midwife who first asked if he could perform a natural caesarian for her client.
I asked how we could make it easier for obstetricians to attend conferences such as the Women’s Voices conference, MSLC meetings, etc. Andy’s view was that convenient times and low cost can help but that there is an issue of doctors staying within their own sphere. We both agreed that anything we can all do to get different professionals and service users talking to each other is really helpful. One idea we had was to invite doctors in training to attend events or meetings, in the way that student midwives often do. Andy suggested contacting our local College Tutor about this.
I will be taking a number of ideas forward as I take on my new role as Chair of Women's Voices (formerly Bromley MSLC) from January 2017. It’s unlikely that Andy and I would ever have spent 30 minutes in conversation without the RCT prompt. The fact that we had no prior relationship and came from different local maternity systems reduced the likelihood that our conversation would be limited by political, organisational or social constraints and made it easier for us to discuss some potentially challenging subjects.
So thank you Andy for your willingness to engage in this process, to Dominic Cushnan for administering the RCTs and to everyone else who has been involved in organising NHS FabChangeDay.
Bromley Maternity Voices (formerly Bromley MSLC) is a committee of service users and health professionals aiming to improve maternity services in Bromley. We meet six times a year and always welcome new members. If you’d like to find out more, please contact Hannah Lynes on 07790 032620 or [email protected].
If you'd like to read more from Hannah, check out her blog page: http://hannahlynes.com/