2 of 11

Write now Article Tools

Over the past twelve years there have been at least three confirmed deaths in the UK, of women who died because an epidural drug was wrongly administered in their arms after giving birth. This is according to David Masters, the Wiltshire coroner, who gave testimony on yet another recent death, the victim was a former surgical nurse who died 8 hours after giving birth to a healthy child. Her midwife put the wrong medication in her drip after giving birth.

As an American living in the UK, I wondered how this could possibly have happened, because the hospital dispensary should have issued the drug to the midwife, based on a prescription from the doctor. Apparently, over here in the NHS medical staff can help themselves to potentially fatal medication, with horrific results, yet nothing seems to change.

That said, I think midwives are wonderful in a practical sense as childbirth is their area of specialty and they can give more of their time to birthing mothers and pregnant women. The services of midwives has a long history, much longer actually than obstetrics.

A midwife tends to be a warmer, more supportive presence than an obstetrician. And she will generally be more interested in you as a person rather than a case study. In other words, a midwife is more likely to really listen to your concerns and won't be condescending in the way she treats you.

However, despite all that, for me, it is still comforting to know that an obstetrician is 'on-call' in the event of complications. I'd rather have someone with the bedside manner of Dr. House and find myself being wheeled out the front door towards my new life with my new baby, rather than being wheeled out the back door to a hearse.

I don't think this could accidentally happen in the States because the lawsuits would be so astronomical, that it's cheaper for the hospital to set up the protocol whereby full-time pharmacy staff hand out medication to medical staff, probably to avoid a disaster like this one. On the subject of health-care in the UK, there was an announcement that senior nurses would be granted the authority to issue prescriptions over here, without notifying a doctor.

I'm not sure that this is a good idea, especially after this incident. I firmly believe that a doctor should be involved in looking after my health-care needs. This may be why so many people are resisting the idea of national health in the States, because the quality of care is much higher overall, unless you're attended by a private physician, in a private hospital with very good private insurance... then your medical care is on par with the States.

So, based on this very recent experience in the UK, despite the benefits, I'd have to say that I would definitely prefer the services of a proper doctor to attend me in childbirth, or at least to have a doctor in charge of any medication that would need to be administered.

Learn more about this author, R Marie Taylor.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about The benefits of choosing midwives rather than obstetricians?
We want to hear your view. Write now!