We are seeing bundle after bundle rolling out to improve care
and all they seem to do is increase paperwork and scare
The bundles are a bungle of tokenistic action
despite well established solutions that would cost but a fraction!
There are two bundles in recent times that have been cause for concern. The first is the ‘perineal bundle’, which is best examined by Midwife Thinking. This had many factors that were unethical and without evidence.
The second, more recent and currently rolling out, is the Safer Baby Bundle. One of the most concerning parts about this bundle relates to the Timing of BIrth aspect. In this bundle, the focus is on the baby, in an ‘all that matters’ kind of way. See what Dr Kirsten Small has to say about it on her blog Birthsmalltalk
In line with my concerns about the bundle, my alarms bells sounds as I read this paper (which refers to my systematic review):
Citation: Brown C, Aali S, Aboda A and McCully B. Second Victims in Maternity Care – The Hidden Fallout of Parental Birth Plans. Austin J Public Health Epidemiol. 2022; 9(2): 1127.
https://austinpublishinggroup.com/public-health-epidemiology/fulltext/ajphe-v9-id1127.php
BE WARNED! This paper is emotive and devoid of any concern for women’s autonomy. This is not just a case of “all that matters is a healthy baby” but also “won’t someone think of the care providers!”…and not in continuity-of-midwifery-care-with-a-side-order-of-birth-cartography-would-solve-this-issue kind of way, but in a maternity-care-was-better-when-women-were-compliant kind of way!
We keep hearing – over and over again – of women being forced, coerced, counselled and ‘encouraged’ to agree to recommendations that are not always necessary.
With calls to override women’s autonomy in favour of babies (which implies women can not make reasonable decisions based on their own context), or to favour the care provider (beyond a reasonable expectation of skill provision – in which case they should refer your care), we will see a return to the days where women were property and nothing more than breeding objects. When the powers that be refuse to offer care options beyond the interventionist approaches which aid their management of facilities and staffing, we will see a dehumanising flow on into all aspects of society. Again I will refer to Dr Kirsten Small, who reminds us that the language use in academic paper is often suggesting women should not have a choice.
We must reclaim our power – it is yours, don’t give it over. We must DEMAND the kind of care we want, and demand the kind of care our sisters want : NO ONE WAY!
This matters, because it is not ‘just’ about birth. This is about the very core of our humanity.