Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-01-11, Page 14r_. P L 0. rlIII, Amer • R ` home in Liatawel, Whr gham, Mount flreet, lyillyerton, Elmira. Palrnerst f'1 ..: a The sound Ofs Waitbru>and they were allowed eeii(►tmUe fE$1�t a There are strict regulations the two weakrsmite'tio the midwives must follow. They are required to facevedh1 Qotf tl ,e 11case they I O. her k�ed:Taku►g thew of. the w�► on8 she gave have a doctor back-up on every doctor they squat g bit tt heTrms= attend. In some cases, the family a look of grafi . the two' nurses- who refuse to see his patient if she is having a ll is not one of white home birth, and in those circumstances the stood.byher• � ���bit�tli" The and Q , . Mrs. Ropp or Miss walls and a hospital bed. Nor are scene obstetrician is referred t4 another doctor or doctors standing in attendance• This Creasman.,; . "A lot of doctors, are afraid to accept the is in room, anew -another's own home, inkier own new trend is home births aid beccepe of andthe, int re scan ce, are The -nurses, n of this° instance , are Elsie pressure from the College f Physicianwhere s," r from the r Kitchener and Vhavet' Ropp, she said. There is a problem and have liability would -lie should something go he the Brunner area. Both takenvwith.a birth. extensive training in midwifery, wrong. that never been practising for severalsecertainly However, that is something that has never While home cacti are ahas ly nothingtwith occurred in Mrs. Rope's experience. e by the two ere new, it is a practice that has met with is extensive screening heto Ropp from Canadian isan doctors. MA women, as well as the physician, noand no ascertain the expectant mother will give Capp arecognizing explained there wi legislation in a babye safely. Canada recognizing midwifery, birth twrong, more Should the mother havesomething diabetes, gr protection is offered to those involved in it. blood pressure pHopular home births are rbacomidg such as highroblshe is not or popuedr and are widely practised in the various other p n United Stress and' Britain. considered for a home birth. Miss Creasman, an obstetrical nurse at a She also must see a doctor throughout her local hospital, unings to her profession a regnancy, and is regularly visited by Mrs. long background � of experience. She Ropp and Mass Cxessman. received her training in midwifery in The mother's blood pressure is checked, as well ?s the baby's heart,eurine tests End, Lo and Sheaals as a midwife in East Performed. The lie f the andbaby urine a ests spent 20 years in East are pe End, a, where she delivered ape as aecked. lSo Africa, spenthere�any asAny problem at all, she said, is referred to 1,000 babies in her timeda doctor. Before she returned to Canada Miss .,,Only who qualify for home birth a aclinic instrumental inI lanestdblishich my thosewed to continue," she ome birth a health talc gn Victoria Island, and a are lldnot dot a hotin birth without a sod. facilitates liifor a large nmdbabes. - tor's approval." clinic mothers and babies. again i�979. The number of. women participating in She returned to Canada in 1976, and started registeredpractmidwifery borne births has been fairly consistent, eMrs. ven As a dm nurse cal h s ital. is indicating a slight' increase. In 1981, aced Ropp said, 26, home births were pe fornd employed full-time at a local hospital. by the two women. In 1982, approximately Mrs. Ropp also has an imp v$ere performed, and last year the nuYaabers 2 background in her field. She worked at Red were about the same. Lake, Mission, under the Northern Gospel Mrs. Ropp and Miss Creasman are the Light Mission asit a registered nurse. with only two midwives in Ontario who are ahr Igm was with the Sioux - Look Out with IndianeHealth and rWelfare. part of registered nurses. All the rest are "lay" She worked there a year, where midwives. "W a actually have more 'at risk as nur- he" a we included home births. she explained. "We are in more "We were 88 air miles away ouldhavedto do s s,��professional standinge oers," she explainbu• danger because of our home births in the bush when the planes. as part of the health team •" , couldn't getA lot of nurses are afraid because of in, or the women couldn't get this " out." the avvlv�esarktxieiisivY with the _ "I renlized`he a added. difla}'t•knQ'?"; about ctant mo rs from the finis they are h' obstetrics,'' she added. from° the United expo Mrs.' Ropp, originallyweeks pregnant. From that time,. the States; moved to thego• operating roma where patients are visited once a month upme seating room for two the seventh month of pregnancy, ntil she worked in op Mary's Hospital in bent, at evhen y e and a half She yearsthen St.transferred visits become more ninth month, two the Kitchener. She she worked rketo the over a weeks. During wont delivery suite where she worked for a mothers -to -be are visited every The mothers' are visited after the birth year.ovine That, she said, is herwheredesire got her initialoemphasized vide post -natal care. Mrs. Ro could hasthe mother background and to learn• about three to five times, as the g mid had in are always available "I had in St. Mary's a head nurse who was tions. very good, at teaching have any ques us' close patient considers herself the junior Mrs. Ropp Miss' elfCrthe an has fr contact. I, reane lio zed constant S re was ing partner as, she says', much more experience in this field.. helped w mericope new What better." she was doing much the two take turns at the births, heIne174, Mr cope a lotbetteed and In 1974, Mrs. Ropp travelled to England- the mother .with her with one helping' her, while the where she took six.months training' breathing, and reassuring she explained t Hammersmith Hospital which are both was, a big teaching hospital. ' other will assist with the actual air • she Miss Cressnan and Mrs. Ropp Tont was the first part o her training. to Ash members of the Mennonite worm an �e second part saw Mrs.. Ropp This, Mrs. Ropp explained, wed, Kent for three months district dwife and factor that decided her in favor. of home w priority for which required her to go.wi births. "The first'p ' me is helping our assist tristar), Brussels, Al ankton,llIl ank Newton Clifford, Wellensteih, Drayton; Moorefield end ArthurWednesday ,January 11 1984 hin Name blows.r shey stated.. "Therepwere . This was Hospwed by. tto heree r tray training. ethnic group,� births at home . Canter. Hopp returnednl as pa women who. were havingane, Mrs. Ropp to Canada; where she without any kind—of help from any hospital for four years, because they. didn't 'want to' subject them- , married her husband Christian. She worked public scraitiny of the hospital staff . part-time at a local selves to p until she began a family of her own: midwives, we can't sit back and let them she was Ropp lostbher with est child. dt child h that As them have feel a in labor with her second mecca bobligation to help mane We a as possible." her belief in midwifery was reinforce births as safely „ strongly "When secoached I was in .the".ho would iri labor, nod However, 'she -also emphasized nurse me. They c ome h and id� on me from time to time. Even though neither she nor Miss Creasman wouldagree C was woman . '' to perform a birth when the doctor vetoed I a puree, I still was a pregnant the idea,' nor perform births in a high risk I needed the reassurance." 'Mrs. Ropp explainedere "We strivernot to be in competition with nsisters she and the l bornrity category. vbuto tot workbeas part the with home.f her Bothers andeexpo ence, d her the doctors,system. appreciate of all otal Because of her births health who are Weng to ciat us thoseup in upbringing, home births were just as healthcare natural to her as hospital births. "I think it's a q Mrs. Ropp said sometimes she is not able diet, natural environment. these homebirth endeavors.' Women are arenmuch more relaxed because' u arrangement is also made in case in charge^of the situation, and are to assist. Miss Creasman in a h°meevent. A they with their own feelings and the able tot cope neither of them are able to be at the aspects of pp hr intheir own home," The two women travel great distances snide o any .years ops had known Miss am -up was attend births, other Elmira maninevitabley ye con and their team -up London up to Wingham, to Guelph, f their circumstances. •cover an ap- Ms. Ropp beganang homebirths in and W allenstei�e radius. They Mrs. attending said she Pref 'sten of many. p the L a birth, whether roxamate 150 mi era to have Inwood area, which tensa Mrs. Ropp o she be Old Order Mennonites• attend are someone with her at Many of the women they re not. They a nurse, another midwife, or someone who but just as many ciente d Participated Mennonite, nurses, are. from all walks"of life, including • chiropractors' Ropp wives, d one and the reasons she Mrs. Ropp back to ,thinks. many people are turning home births is because of the conditions at the hospitals. I -think hospitals have become too standardized, and too mechanized for some women." Mechanized or not; others feel a hospital is the only, place for women to haveheir children. In 1982 the two were iae owed too the Ontario College of Phy turn reported therir to the Collegef and what "They are aware of our position„she said, we are doing in this community, has hadexperience.- She xpo •” in a birth in She has already p the new year. She was called out Sunday evening (J anuary 1) to perform a birth out of tovbn. This was the third home birth for the mother. _ Mrs. Ropp feels the number of women experiencing home births will continue to grow., feel a lot more people le are not going to ` op be able to afford to go to hospitals, because of doctors opting out of OHIP, and will turni to midwives," she .said.' "I'm hoping the# Canada Health Act, home births will become recognized."