Bright Wings

Have your say on the Draft Maternity Plan

The Ministry of Health is wanting feedback on their revised Maternity Action Plan, designed to address some serious concerns with the way maternity services are currently being delivered.

This plan includes:

• Longer stays for new mothers in birthing units
• An optional meeting each trimester for at risk mothers, attended by the pregnant woman, their General Practitioner (GP) and their Lead Maternity Carer (LMCs)
• Obstetric training or refreshers for GPs wishing to return to maternity care
• Voluntary bonding scheme for graduate midwives
• Rural midwivery recruitment and retention service

The Maternity Action Plan site has a wealth of background papers and details about how to make a submission.

Maternity upgrade

Discussions on the $103 million upgrade to maternity services on Checkpoint - and Homepaddock - included the suggestion that better use is made of the old concept of "lying-in homes,"  where mothers with new babies spent a couple of weeks getting breastfeeding established, gaining confidence in managing the baby and - most importantly - having a bit of a rest.

Greater contact with the mother - both during pregnancy and after delivery might also give lead carers and GPs an opportunity to spot any family dysfunction that might need to be addressed, particularly with unplanned teenage pregnancies where the young parent(s) are unprepared and ill-equipped to deal with a young baby.  It might even prevent some cases of abuse of young children.

The picture is of a 1950s bed jacket, typically knitted for young mothers to wear while they were in the maternity home.