Nurses are Supportive.

Editor,

The Midwife articles certainly did a thorough job of looking at the availability of qualified care-givers for those women who wish to give birth in the non-medical setting of their own homes. I was happy to provide the reporter with information gleaned from my unique perspective as both a Student Midwife, witnessing home births, and as a Doula, supporting parents who prefer to give birth in several of the area hospitals which provide maternity care.

But I was surprised and dismayed to see myself quoted as saying: "(nurses)do not encourage or support women." On the contrary I have found that, while burdened with numerous clinical and administrative tasks, nurses are the experts in providing encouragement and support to women in the hospital setting. I am sure that the nurses would be the first to admit they are sometimes severely restricted in their ability to give a woman the attention she deserves by the numerous other tasks they are obliged to perform. When I work as a Doula I have been fortunate to work alongside some of the kindest and most supportive nurses, and consider them to be my mentors.

Very few people are as lucky as I am in being able to observe birth in both the home and the hospital. I see that the people working in both those settings are people of good will who are all trying to provide the best care for the women who choose them. Women want BOTH options. What is missing in the provision of optimal care for women who choose a home birth is the ability of their care providers to cooperate fully. Respect is a first step in this process. Those who work with me will know that I was misquoted.

It may be of some interest to your readers that the American College of Nurse Midwives, after years of insisting that midwives in this country should be nurses first, is itself now certifying non-nurse midwives.

Angela Cross
cohosh@frognet.net