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The importance of companions for labour and birth

I am often surprised that here in the UK, many hospitals still have very restrictive policies about who can accompany a labouring woman into the hospital for the birth. Many maternity units still routinely insist that she can have only one support person at a time, which will usually be the baby’s father. If she wants others to be involved, they must take turns.

When challenged to explain these draconian measures, the reason frequently quoted is “lack of space”, yet I know that it will be quite possible to squeeze in a number of midwifery or medical staff if needed or desired and that the room will accommodate much unnecessary medical equipment, such a monitors and resuscitaires.

Here in Ireland, I discovered that if a woman comes into the labour ward during the evening, the father will often be sent home, with the instruction to come back in the morning. I was astounded to hear of this antiquated rule - no wonder women go out of labour, require drugs for sedation and then are induced for “failure to progress” - they must feel frightened and abandoned when forcefully separately from their loved ones. I even heard one midwife state (with a small laugh) that she thought the men should always be excluded, as they were a nuisance!

These kinds of attitudes show how little thought has gone into supporting normal physiology and facilitating the central event of family life - the birth of a child. Birth has always been socially important in a community, creating bonds between adults and babies, cementing relationships and ensuring that the baby has caring adults committed to its needs. Fracturing these ties, through enforced limitations on who can be present at birth is a social injustice that could have deep implications for families and community stability.

I hope that this weekend, if nothing else, I have bene able to jolt this group into realising the implications of these kinds of outdated policies and that they will make swift changes to embrace and support labouring women and their companions in more caring and inclusive ways

Posted by andrea at June 07, 2004 04:13 PM

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