First-time mothers need more support

Title: First-time mothers need more support.

Description:

The Norfolk and Norwich National Childbirth Trust believes improvements could be made to both the antenatal service offered by the hospital as well as the care given to women immediately after child-birth.

Content:

First-time mothers need to be given more support so that giving birth at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is a less daunting experience, it was claimed today. The Norfolk and Norwich National Childbirth Trust believes improvements could be made to both the antenatal service offered by the hospital as well as the care given to women immediately after child-birth. The call comes as a national report revealed hospitals in the UK are reducing or even axing services for pregnant women because of the NHS’s financial problems. The N&N does offer ante-natal classes, however, in the last two years it has stopped offering parents-to-be tours around the maternity unit. Instead visitors are shown a virtual tour or allowed to take home a DVD to help them get used to the surroundings they could soon find themselves in. However, mother-of-two Joanne Doleman, 35, believes an important service has been lost. Mrs Doleman lives off Earlham Road with her husband Richard, 38 and their two children Angus, two, and Moira, 16 months and is chair of the Norfolk and Norwich National Childbirth Trust (NCT). She said: “It can be daunting going into labour and having to go into the maternity suite for the first time, that is why it helps to be shown around it beforehand. It is a shame they have lost this because it really helped.”

Antenatal classes set out what happens in labour and what options women have about how to give birth, as well as offering breastfeeding advice and information on what to expect in the first few weeks as a parent. Mrs Doleman attended both N&N and paid-for NCT antenatal classes during the birth of her first child and said the standard of support given in the former was the best. She said: “I think in general the hospital classes are not as in-depth. The NHS covers the same issues as the NCT classes but just not to the same extent. “But antenatal classes are so important because there is so much to learn and so much you need to get right from the start. “There is also an issue with breast-feeding. First time mums need to get it right from the start but there is very little support from the moment the baby is born. “I ended up in a situation where to start with I was not feeding my first baby as much as I should have been and he became weak. “I felt that if I had been given the correct advice before and straight after birth this wouldn’t have happened.” Andrew Stronach, N&N spokesman, said the maternity suite tours had been stopped because staff did not always have time and it was felt the alternative was just s good.

The National Service Framework on maternity services, published in 2004, said good antenatal care should include providing access to parenting education and preparation for birth. Whether or not services are provided depends on local primary care trusts as to who pays the local hospital to provide them. The NCT and Royal College of Midwives said it has been told 19 areas across England and Wales have either cut or closed antenatal classes or visits to maternity units – designed to help expectant parents become familiar with the surroundings in which they will have their baby.

Source:

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk

Disclaimer:

Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent those of The Federation of Antenatal Educators (FEDANT) unless specifically stated.