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Nga Maia O Aotearoa's India Experience

By Nga Maia
on Wednesday, 01 Apr 1998 in New Zealand College of Midwives Journal - Volume: 18

Nga Maia representatives from the four corners of Te Ika a Maui (North Island) attended the above conference [the 5th Asia Pacific Conference] with their NZCOM Treaty Partner Karen Guilliland. I was great to have Karen's whanau along to awhi and support us. Rukmini Maya and Sian Burgess from Auckland were helpful. Rukmini could speak the language and understood the culture. Her bartering skills and advice on how to cope with breastfeeding mothers who were begging on the streets helped to "save us from ourselves".

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Midwifery - The People Profession

By Benn, C
on Wednesday, 01 Oct 1997 in New Zealand College of Midwives Journal - Volume: 17

Midwifery is a people profession - women becoming mothers, babies, fathers, families and midwives, and the relationship between the people. The consumers and midwives of New Zealand have exemplified this belief and attitude in the development of a way of working that emphasises relationships. This has been further borne out by the development of a philosophy of practice that is based on a partnership relationship between women and midwives (Guilliland and Pairman, 1995). The initiative to bring about changes in legislation which enabled midwives to work in a partnership relationship with women in settings of the women's choice was a model which other professions have still to emulate. Midwifery in New Zealand has come a long way since 1990 and certainly made an impact on me when I came to New Zealand at the end of 1993. It would be unfair to compare a developed country with a developing one where the politics, the needs, standards of living and the populations are so different. Yet there are aspects that warrant comparison, not as a criticism of one country or as a point of praise for the other, bur rather as a critique of practices so that the good and bad points of each system can be assessed. One hopes then too that past mistakes will not be repeated or allow detrimental health/economic policies to affect the way one is able to practise in the future.

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Female Genital Mutilation

By Denholm, N
on Wednesday, 01 Oct 1997 in New Zealand College of Midwives Journal - Volume: 17

With the recent rise in North East African refugees settling in New Zealand, FGM has become a health issue for New Zealand - particularly for Women's Health Care Services. In response to the increase in immigrants, FGM was made a criminal offence in January 1996. Following this, the Ministry of Health distributed an information leaflet stating that it would introduce an education strategy for communities affected and for health and child care protection professionals. My role is to initiate this as a pilot project and then forward recommendations for further work needed. I am currently undertaking the research component of the programme with the African community in Auckland and training health and child protection professionals working with genitally mutilated women.

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Pushing: A Spectator Sport?

By Davis, G
on Wednesday, 01 Oct 1997 in New Zealand College of Midwives Journal - Volume: 17

I was pleased when our group decided to look at second stage as our inquiry project and I gladly volunteered to investigate pushing. Since my introduction to midwifery practice my naivete has been shattered. I had placed 'coached pushing', which has been likened by some to yelling at a rugby match, into the birth archives where I felt it well and truly belonged. But much to my amazement I have found it alive and well and fair bursting out of the delivery rooms. 'Oh, Dear! How terrible,' I thought. 'How degrading, how patronising, how can this still be happening in the '90s?' The first birth I attended as a student midwife in the hospital was shared care with a GP who, during the woman's labour, chatted with colleagues in the corridor, leant on the desk by the nurses' station and occasionally stuck his head in the door to see if it was nearly time for the 'real' work.

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Breastfeeding Management: One Breast Per Feed can be a Recipe for Breastfeeding Failure

By Wickham, J
on Wednesday, 01 Oct 1997 in New Zealand College of Midwives Journal - Volume: 17

Over the past three years since I started working as a lactation consultant, I have become increasingly aware that women are confused about how best to maintain their breastfeeding. In particular, they contact me with concerns that they 'don't have enough milk' or that their baby is not gaining weight adequately. They often report that they are feeding for over an hour at each feed. This can occur at any time but cases often cluster around the three-month mark. While taking breastfeeding histories from these women, a common theme has emerged. They have been looked after (in the initial postpartum period) by midwives who have advised them to offer the infant one breast at each feed. Whether or not they have actually been told this (as I am aware that stories can get distorted over time), the overall perception that these women have is that this method of feeding will ensure that their baby gets the 'good' hindmilk. Since variation in fat content according to duration of a feed was first noted and written about, it seems that some midwives have embraced one sided feeding while not being fully aware of all the facts.

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Petrochemical Fragrances: Are they Safe for Baby Care?

By Donley, J
on Wednesday, 01 Oct 1997 in New Zealand College of Midwives Journal - Volume: 17

Since antiquity the volatile oils from flowers and herbs have been extracted and used to calm or stimulate the emotions and to enhance wellbeing. Ayurvedia [sic] medicine was founded on such oil. Modern aromatherapy is based on the use of essential oils extracted either by cold pressing or steam distillation. As these are labour intensive processes, essential oils are expensive. Today, essential oils have been replaced by cheaper petrochemical products promoted by the combined oil and pharmaceutical industries. Referred to as 'cosmeceuticals' (Mindell, 1995) these are claimed to be uniform in quality and free from undesirable constituents found in natural oils (Killheffer). But, how safe are petrochemical fragrances when used in baby products?

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Editorial: Midwives need tenacity and hardiness

By Gunn, J
on Tuesday, 01 Apr 1997 in New Zealand College of Midwives Journal - Volume: 16

...It seems to me that we midwives and New Zealand midwifery are at a point in our history where similar qualities of tenacity and hardiness are needed to survive the slings and arrows of a harsh environment and to protect from erosion women's and midwifery's knowledge and ways of knowing about the processes of normal pregnancy and childbirth. The equity and economic issues related to the Section 51 notice are an example of how difficult the current environment is for midwives and women.

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Section 51: Contract for Autonomy

By Guilliland, K
on Tuesday, 01 Apr 1997 in New Zealand College of Midwives Journal - Volume: 16

The underlying belief structure of the women and midwives who fought for the midwifery profession over the last decade was that the midwives' ability to practise autonomously improved the experience and the birth outcomes for women and their babies. Midwifery's collective autonomy meant freedom from the authority of the medical profession concerning the provision of normal maternity care. It was considered essential that the women-intensive midwifery profession controlled midwifery in order for women to control childbirth. When the Nurses Act changed in 1990 practice autonomy also meant financial autonomy, as midwives gained entitlement to claim from the Maternity Benefit Schedule. This fee-for-service schedule was not popular within the Department of Health at the time as it was considered over utilised and abused by claimants. With the inclusion of midwives into its negotiation process, the Department of Health openly confided to the NZCOM that they hoped to restructure the whole method by which maternity services were paid.

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Breastfeeding: A Dying Art?

By Annandale, M
on Tuesday, 01 Apr 1997 in New Zealand College of Midwives Journal - Volume: 16

Breastfeeding: A Dying Art? is a complex question and in this brief session I wish to raise a number of issues including some of the threats to breastfeeding and then look at ways in which midwives can become involved in arresting these threats. I am working from the belief that we are far from reclaiming the breastfeeding culture in New Zealand as long as influential people, including midwives, do not truly recognise breastfeeding as an important public health issue. A myriad of lip services to breastfeeding protection, promotion and support exists and advancement is unlikely if we abide by existing materials and practices. Threats to breastfeeding in New Zealand today include: ... the privileged Lead Maternity Carers who play such a key role because of their scope of practice.

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Baby Skin Care

By Donley, J
on Tuesday, 01 Apr 1997 in New Zealand College of Midwives Journal - Volume: 16

The importance of baby skin care cannot be overestimated. The living, breathing skin is the largest organ in the body. Sensitive to touch, heat, cold and pain, it responds to stress and reflects bodily conditions. It protects the body from injury and bacterial/parasitic invasion and as an organ of excretion it plays a role in moderation of temperature and prevention of dehydration. (Article discusses soap, oils, talcum powder, cradle cap, nappy rash, cosmeceuticals, natural alternatives.)

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