Clinton News-Record, 1986-08-06, Page 7G.I.C.10/4
Local women
• from page 6.
to help her through difficult tunes by sug-
gesting different positions for Lois to rest
in. Lois finally found comfort during her
transition by kneeling at the side of her bed
with her elbows resting on the bed.
"When the baby came, he came out like
that!" she says snapping her fingers. "It
didn't bother me at all."
Though she tore a bit, she says the tear
healed much more quickly and painlessly
than her previous episiotomy.
"I don't want to hurt the feelings of doc-
tors and nurses because they're doing
their best. I just want a different option.
My demands were so basic and so natural
but they didn't seem to be able to hear me.
With their intervention, they deny you a
basic life experience," she says.
Both Lois and Jeanette are the first to
admit there is a need for technology and
the expertise of obstetricians when there is
an abnormal birth. But, aside from the two
to three per cent of high risk mothers,
birth should tie allowed to progress nor-
mally without technological intervention,
they say.
"In emergency manuals for police of-
ficers, firemen and taxi drivers, it says
that 99 per cent of all births will progress
normally if you leave the mother alone.
Why don't they tell the mothers that?"
asks Lois.
She also says that midwives give the
ownership of the birth experience back to
the mothers.
"Midwives do not deliver the baby. In
fact, no one delivers the baby but the
mother. The midwife is only there to catch
the baby," she says.
Another advocate of midwifery, Carol
(who wished her last name not be used)
had an opposite experience to that of Lois
and Jeanette. After the beautiful and
natural birth of her first child by midwives
.
in Tennessee, she was unprepared for the
different experience she had in a hospital.
With her second child, labor was induced
and she had a Caesarian section before she
could understand what was happening and
why.
"I felt completely out of control and I
had no real support through the labor. The
midwives were constantly there encourag-
ing you and making you feel things are go-
ing well. In the hospital, you become a part
of a big machine. Good nurses would go off
shift leaving you with no personalized
care. It was all for their convenience, their
set-up," she says.
After a successful vaginal first birth,
Carol was extremely disappointed about
having a Caesarian. She felt she'd been
pressured into having the operation
without being given a chance to give birth
naturally.
"They tell you you have 15 minutes to
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are advocates for midwifery
give birth and that ultimatum puts you
under such tension when you should be
relaxing. How can you push a button and
make birth happen on demand?"
Carol was also upset that the nurses kept
taking her baby away from her.
"They even put up a screen over the win-
dow of the nursery so 1 couldn't even see
my baby throughAthe glass if I walked to
the nursery," she says.
. Though doctors told her not to grumble
about the birth experience since she had a
healthy baby, Carol says it does matter
how a woman gives birth.
'"The first time, I felt strong and proud. I
went through a long, difficult labor and I
did it all myself without drugs. The second
time I felt like a failure," she says. ,
As a farm woman, Carol says she
understands the doctors' impatience when
it comes to birth.
"1 get impatient with the lambing and I
want to yank out thejamb. But, I know it's
almost always better if you let things pro-
gress naturally," .she says.
For her third child, Carol was determin-
ed to have a vaginal birth despite the fact
many doctors say, "Once a Caesarian,
always a Caesarian."
She hired a midwife, found a doctor sym-
pathetic to natural birth and together they
wrote out a birthing plan surrounding
Carol's needs. She found the midwife.
valuable when talking about her negative
feelings and fears about her hospital birth
and when she needed encouragement.
Because hospitals are nervous about
women who are attempting a vaginal birth
after they've had Caesarians, C•01 had to"'
argue against the use of a fetal heart
monitor. And, after five hours of labor, she
asked for an epideral.
"There I was waging war and giving
birth at the same time," she says.
"But, I did it. I had a vaginal birth. It
wasn't a pure birth but it wasn't a
Caesarian," she beams.
All three women agree that midwives
are invaluable allies to women who want
natural births whether the setting is home
or hospital. They believe that for the mid-
wifery profession to be effective, it must
be self-regulating, autonomous and on the
same level as doctors. As obstetricians are
specialists for abnormal births, midwives
must be recognized as specialists for nor-
mal births, they say.
"We like people to have the option of go-
ing straight to a midwife and then on to an
obstetrician if there are any problems.
Midwives have the expertise to s&een out
high risk mothers;" says Lois.
The three disapprove of the idea that
midwives fall under the jurisdiction of the
College of Nurses since nurses are trained
to be subordinate to doctors and to look for
disease. Midwives come from the opposite
apps' ach of encouraging childbirth as a
natural life experience. which needs a
minimum of interference.
They say the continuous care from the
same midwife before, during and after the
birth humanizes the eitperience for the
whole family.
"We're not saying that everyone should
use a midwife or that there isn't a demand.
for what doctors, do. This is a story of op-
tions and choices. We want to have the
choice to give, birth our way, too," they
say. •
Anyone interested in joining a midwifery
support group or in helping to write a brief
to present to the Ontario Task Force on the
Implementation of Midwifery, can call
Jeanette Harris at 523-9509 or attend an
educational meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16
at 7:30 p.m. at the Wingham town hall.
CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1986—Page 7
west coast travellers return
By Mrs. Lewis Stonehouse
BELGRAVE - Mr. and Mrs. Les Shaw and
Mr. and Mrs. Ross Anderson returned on the
weekend from a month's motor trip to the
West Coast. While in Vancouver they visited
with Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Pickell and spent
three days at Expo.
Mr.and Mrs. Rob Roy and baby Christina
of Lakefield and Sheila Anderson of
Waterloo spent the holiday weekend with
their parents Mr. and Mrs. Ross Anderson.
Mr. and Mrs. Rick Ball, Matthew and
Alicia of Hanover visited on Monday with
the rest of their family at the same home.
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Leitch, Julie and Jeff
of Waterdown and Mr. and Mrs. George
Johnston, Tara and Erin of Ilderton, visited
on the holiday weekend with their parents
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Grasby.
Don Campbell of Toronto visited on Sun-
day with his mother Olive Campbell and his
sister Ivy Cloakey.
Mr. and Mrs. Bert Garniss of Wingham
and Mr. and Mrs. James H. Leishman of RR
5 Brussels attended the funeral of their
cousin Harry'Oberend, who died at his home
in Milton, after a lengthy illness.
Dorothy Procter of Belgrave spent a cou-
ple days with Mr. and Mrs. Allan Walker of
Owen Sound and visited with her sister Mrs.
Carl Bennett who is a patient in the Owen
Sound Hospital.
Mr. and Mrs. Murray Procter, Mark,
Kyle, Kirk and Andrea of London spent the
weekend with their parents Dorothy Procter
of Belgrave and Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Pear-
son of Brussels.
Mrs. Don Vincent, Patrick, Angela and
Aaron from Riverview, New Brunswick are
visiting with Mr. and Mrs. George Webster
of Whitechurch and Mr. and Mrs. Harold
Vincent and other relatives in the area:
Mel Gateman of Matkdale spent last week
with his sister and brother-in-law Mr. and
Mrs. John McIntosh.
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Haldenby of Lucknow
spent the weekend with Mr. and Mrs. John
McIntosh.
Keith Massey of the second line of Morris
is spending a week's holidays with his friend
Chris McIntosh.
Mr. and Mrs. George Johnston, Tara and
Erin of Ilderton spent the weekend with his
mother Laura Johnston.
Joint Service
A joint service was held at Knox
Presbyterian Church, Belgrave on August 3
with members present from Calvin -Brick
and Knox United Churches.
Pastor Don Vair was the guest speaker
who spoke on "Repentance." Cheryl Cronin
of Blyth, guest soloist, sang "The King is
Coming" and "The Wonder of It All" ac-
companied by Hazel Dalrymple of Blyth on
the piano. Mrs.Dalrymple played the organ
prior to and during the service.
WMS Meet
The Belgrave Women's Missionary Socie-
ty (WMS) held a summer meeting at Knox
Presbyterian Church on July 28 with Mrs.
Mac Scott presiding.
Mrs. Garner Nicholson read scripture and
Mrs. Jack McBurney read a story on
"Faith," Mrs. Joe Dunbar led in prayer.
The topic was taken. by Ivy Cloakey who
read a story about an Indian lady who lives
on the reserve near Peterborough and the
.story of how some Indians built a sweat
lodge and offered prayers.
The secretary's report was given by Mrs.
McBurney and the roll call was answered by
a verse on "Faith." Twenty-four sick and
shut-in calls were recorded and the
treasurer's report was given by Mrs.
Cloakey.
New programs for farmers announced.
- from page 5
(the same amount spent last year) will
feature five new TV commercials, increase
retail, display promotions, expand public rela-
tions activities with consumers, increase
market research, and add shared -cost pro-
gram with producer groups and marketing
boards.
More than ever, Ontario citizens know the
benefits of good nutrition, quality, freshness
and good taste of Ontario grown food and I am
confident we should spread the good news.
Equal Rights In Child Naming
The Vital Statistics Amendment Act came
into force on Aug. 1. The new legislation is
designed to correct past inequities in the
establishment of a child's surname at birth.
The changes give parents equal rights in the
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her surname if she identified the father on the
birth registration form.
Immediate Payment Of
Survivors' Benefits
As a result of an amendment to the Family
Law Act, surviving spouses are now entitled
to immediate payment of death benefits, in-
cludinglife insurance. In addition, the amend-
ment clarifies the definition of property and
its application to pensions.
Prior to this amendment, problems had
arisen because of the perceived risk of liabili-
ty among insurers, pension and other plan.ad-
ministrators. They were not distributing death
benefits until the deceased spouse's will or an
entitlement under the Act.
Now, if a surviving spouse elects to receive
an equalization of family property, any death
benefits paid are to be credited against the
surviving spouse's entitlement, thus permit-
ting the immediate payment of death benefits.
ODC Loan For Exeter Finn
I am pleased to announce a $100,000 Export
Support Loan recently approved by the On-
tario Development Corporation for DanBrie
Moulded Plastics Limited of Exeter. My col-
• •
league, Industry, Trade and Technology
Minister Hugh O'Neil, has stated the money
will finance annual, exports worth over
$600,000 and help create 17 new jobs over the
next five years.
The loan will provide DanBrie Moulded
Plastics Limited with a revolving line of credit
to finance its export sales. The company
manufactures plastic products mainly for the
farming community.
Information on all financial assistance pro-
grams is available from the Ontario Develop-
ment Corporation's London office by telephon-
ing 433=2871, or toil free at 1-800-265-4746.
We're -Fully Equippe
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• Trucking • Gravel, Sand & Stone • Bulldozing
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"No job, is too big or too small"