Our Wonderful Media Circus

Last week, a colleague was reprimanded for sending a woman home who birthed her baby in her bathroom 2 hours later.
This woman was NOT in labour when she was seen in hospital, her waters had gone, but with no signs of labour; she was also expecting her first baby.
Although she was given the appropriate advice and advised to call and come in if she was concerned... she didn’t... her reason in the newspapers that got hold of the story ‘she thought that the unit was too busy’. She had a normal birth at home with paramedics observing, and probably didn’t even need to come into hospital if a Midwife had checked her out at home.
This was an unusually quick labour for a first time mother.... BUT IT WAS NORMAL.

My colleague is devastated at the press coverage which is inaccurate and damning of the maternity service at the unit involved.
Yes... most of the units I see are busy.. Yes Midwives are often stretched to their limits in major maternity units... but a woman’s safety is always the optimal goal in every circumstance.

I saw nothing in the news about the baby delivered outside a London Hospital on the pavement last week, or the baby born on the A1 in standstill traffic near Hatfield... or even the one that died in utero after its dad punched his mother repeatedly in the stomach... and then allegedly expected her to cook his dinner.... these are far too real and distasteful

The media has a lot to answer for when it comes to information giving and ‘sensationailsation’ of Pregnancy and Birth. Women have a clouded and rosy view of pregnancy and birth via the pretty magazines on sale with promises of pain free labour and discounts on prams and nappies.. all with pictures of beautiful pregnant women with perfect unstretched bumps on the front.

How are we going to be able to keep it real.. when we battle against the media machine?