MWs must be competent in water birth.

[Mervs Mum]

Just wanted to share this useful document from the RCOG/RCM stating that MWs should be trained in facilitating water birth should a woman chose to birth in water.

Lack of competent mws seems to sometimes be sited to women wanting home water births. My client had it thrown at her today. Luckily when they asked her what she would do if the MW attending her wasnt competent she responded with 'I'll say on yur bike and do it myself'.

She now also knows that all RCM members (ie ALL UK MWs) are expected to be competent as per the NMC's Midwives Rules & Standards and The NMC Code of Professional Conduct: Standards for conduct, performance and ethics.

https://www.auroramidwifery.ca/documents/WaterbirthstatementRCOG.pdf

 

[RaspberryK]

I like her style!!!!

x

 

[Bournefree]

Absolutely!

If any MW doesn't feel confident in their abilities (whether it be that they haven't attended a home birth, or water birth, or breech birth, or twins) then they have a statutory duty to undertake training and to contact their supervisor of MW or senior MW to arrange for a MW to attend who does have the appropriate skills. Their duty of care to you doesn’t stop because they are incompetent.

To put it frankly = it is not your problem, it's theirs
XxX

 

[indigo_fairy]

This does worry me slightly, as I did ask if the 2 MW's that are oncall for HB's (only those 2 so yes I got 'if someone is HB'ing before me I have to transfer - you can imagine my answer) are experienced and competent in waterbirth? The answer was surprisingly 'not really no', not in waterbirth. Surely alot of women who do birth at home use water at some point, and I would have thought it was quite a popular method of pain relief so I really think it's shocking.

 

[Mervs Mum]

Yes well now you can tell them they are contravening their own professional bodies code of conduct and you could report them, their managers and the trust!

 

[indigo_fairy]

I'm going to make some notes from that doc and ask her again on my appointment on monday... thanks for sharing the info!