Valerie Gommon Midwife’s Blog

Valerie Gommon Midwifery Practice

Posted by: gommon on: November 26, 2008

My first blog, and introduction to me

I am Valerie Gommon, a Registered Midwife and an Independent Midwife and this is my first attempt at blogging.  First of all, a brief introduction to who I am and what I get up to:

I am a midwife in Independent (or Private) Practice and offer full continuity of care throughout the antenatal period, labour and birth and up to one month postnatal. I am married to James and together we have four (almost) grown up children.  Our family home is in North Buckinghamshire.

My interest in birth spans more than two decades and started with the birth of my first son.  I was keen to learn more about the birth process and gradually learnt more about childbirth and parenting skills and subsequently had my next three children at home.

I became involved in La Leche League (a group which supports and promotes breastfeeding), the National Childbirth Trust, A.I.M.S. (the pressure group Association for Improvements in Maternity Services), and our local Birth Information Group.  Through my involvement in these groups I began to support other women and acted as a birth supporter and in turn began to teach birth preparation classes and sometimes supported these women during childbirth. Eventually my own children were grown enough for me to consider training to become a midwife and I worked within the NHS for a number of years as both a hospital and community midwife.  I am therefore confident in all areas of midwifery practice including homebirth, waterbirth, active birth and vaginal birth after caesarean section; I particularly enjoy parenthood education.

For the majority of women childbirth should be recognised as a normal event, I enjoy supporting women and families at this significant time in their lives.  My aim is for women to be fully informed and active partners in their care.  I believe this will empower women and their partners to obtain the most from this precious experience and can then enable them to move forwards into parenthood in a positive way.

I am an active campaigner for improvements in maternity services and am a member of Milton Keynes Birth Information Group and MK Mums. I also act as guest lecturer and mentor student midwives. Currently I am a local representative of the Association of Radical Midwives, a member of AIMS (Association for Improvements in Maternity Services), a member of IMA (Independent Midwives Association) as well as being a member of the Royal College of Midwives.

By working independently, I can offer the luxury of unhurried appointments in the comfort of a client’s own home allowing plenty of time to prepare for the birth. I like to think I am an experienced, sensitive midwife who works with clients to help obtain the best possible experience at this special time – pregnancy outcomes (types of birth, length of labour, need for pain relief, maternal satisfaction and length of breastfeeding) have been shown to be improved by having a known and trusted midwife – I believe that this is something every woman deserves and will continue to work towards this aim.

I usually work alone, but have the back up of other Independent Midwives if needed.

Please do feel free to give me a call for an informal discussion if you wish to discuss anything I have written.

Tel: 01908 511247
info@3shiresmidwife.co.uk

www.3shiresmidwife.co.uk

Milton Keynes and Midwifery

Posted by: gommon on: December 13, 2009

It has been a hard week for Milton Keynes Maternity Unit and for midwifery in general.

Milton Keynes has been severely criticised for staffing shortages which may have led to the death of a baby earlier this year; the Albany Midwifery Practice has been suspended and a midwife hung herself after a baby died.  Tragic.

I trained at Milton Keynes General and I know the staff do a fantastic job under very difficult circumstances – it is obvious that staffing is an issue and this is one of the reasons I left the NHS to work in Independent Practice – I just wanted to be able to give a better standard of care to clients and to give continuity so that women know the midwife who will deliver their baby.  I feel so very sad for the woman and the staff involved.  My only hope is that the service will be better funded as a result, but in the meantime local women will be frightened and this is sad.

Most women will receive safe care in Milton Keynes and from the NHS – the NHS is excellent at delivering acute or emergency care – but what they probably won’t receive is the extra TLC to make the experience special – that is down to the individual midwife and luck depending upon how busy the Unit is.

The excellent Albany Practice in London, which has for many years provided amazing NHS care, has also been closed.  There is a campaign to save it at www.savethealbany.org.uk.

Independent Midwifery is always under threat as the Government insist we must get Professional Indemnity Insurance despite it not being commercially available.  Go to www.kentmidwiferypractice.net to support our campaign.

Midwifery in this country is severely under threat – we must fight to keep midwifery alive!

Sadly a midwife took her own life when a baby she had cared for died.  She mistakenly thought that she was to blame.  How desperately sad that midwives feel so afraid.  We do a difficult job and some babies will die no matter how hard we try to save them.  Midwives, in general, do the job because they care – the vast majority will do their very best for the clients they care for – we need to be supported, not witch hunted and blamed.

I can be contacted at www.3shiresmidwife.co.uk / info@3shiresmidwife.co.uk

Childcare vouchers under threat

Posted by: gommon on: December 11, 2009

Written by Kassia Gardner  www.working-mum.co.uk

Nearly 80% of businesses will stop running childcare voucher schemes if tax exemptions are abolished, according to research by the Institute of Payroll Professionals (IPP).  The Government is under increasing pressure to change its mind about its intention to scrap tax exemptions on childcare vouchers from April 2011.

As a family we’d be worse off if this happened, we’re not the poorest of families but childcare is our biggest expense. It costs more than our mortgage! It would be a close call, but in all likelihood we may be better off if I didn’t work at all. This really annoys me, I want to work. I want to earn money, mainly for my own self-respect, so I don’t have to ask Kev for money to buy his birthday / Christmas present. I went to university, worked hard at career and have since started my own business , bright angels, since having my second daughter but if we’re better off with me not working that’s what we’ll do. Otherwise it will be like me paying someone else to let me work! It’s not just the poorest of families that need help, the rest of us have expenses too and they’ve not been going down recently. Energy prices are going up, fridge freezers break and many families need two incomes to pay the bills. Does the Government actually want parents to contribute to the economy and pay tax so they have some income for things like schools and the NHS, or are they looking to develop a generation of stay at home parents?

How would the scrapping of tax exemptions on childcare vouchers affect you?

Royal College of Midwives/www.netmums.com Survey

Posted by: gommon on: November 28, 2009

From next year the Government has pledged that all women will be offered a choice of where to give birth including at home but so far only half of women are reporting that they were offered a home birth.

A recent survey carried out by www.netmums.com revealed that as many as one-third of all women in NHS hospitals are left alone and worried during, or shortly after childbirth and more than 30 per cent of mums polled received no NHS antenatal classes and 43 per cent did not have access to a midwife on a postnatal ward.

Women who participated in the poll were also very critical of postnatal care, including support offered for breast-feeding, this is despite the fact that the Government is now putting huge investment into improving breastfeeding rates; some women also mentioned that they felt the lack of care had led to postnatal depression.

Cathy Warwick, General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said maternity services in England are at a critical point; she said that progress was being made. but went on to say that the target to give women a choice of where to give birth looked like it would be missed.  Warwick said surveys suggested full choice was only offered in about 50% of cases.  She also said services were also struggling to cope with the rising birth rate  which has jumped by 20% since 2001.

The RCM say that staffing numbers have increased, but by less than 10%, leaving the health service short of 5,000; they also highlighted that student midwives are finding it difficult to gain employment.

Swine Flu Vaccination

Posted by: gommon on: October 31, 2009

Understandably, one of the “hot topics” of the moment is should pregnant women accept the Swine Flu vaccine.

On discussions with women I have met with many women who are concerned about the vaccine and unsure whether to be vaccinated

Pregnant women are not known to be more susceptible to catching swine flu but if they do the risk of complications is higher because their immune system is naturally suppressed and the Department of Health is recommending and prioritising the vaccine for pregnant women.  It is important to remember that for the vast majority of people (including pregnant women) that, although unpleasant, influenza is self-limiting and the vast majority of people will make a quick recovery.  Should a pregnant women develop flu the recommended treatment is early instigation of antiviral therapy.

www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/@ps/@sta/@perf/documents/digitalasset/dh_107768.pdf

Recent Department of Health advice is available at: www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Flu/Swineflu/DH_107340

Obviously if you are unwell do follow the Government’s advice http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Swineflu/DG_177831 or contact your doctor or midwife for advice.

However a recent Guardian article quoted a survey, published by the website mumsnet.com, confirmed the uncertainty felt as almost half – 48% – of pregnant women who responded said they probably or definitely would not have the jab if it is available. Only 6% said they definitely would and 22% said they probably would.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/02/swine-flu-vaccine-pregnant-women

Another recent article www.examiner.com/x-4079-SF-Sexual-Health-Examiner~y2009m10d23-California-suspends-ban-on-thimerosal-containing-H1N1-vaccine-for-pregnant-women  also raises concerns about the immunisation programme.

I am unsure which vaccine is being given to pregnant women in the UK - this may be something for you to research further.

Good luck with your decision making.

When a mum is breastfeeding she is giving her baby the very best - breastmilk is full of antibodies and is therefore hugely protective.

The Department of Health has issued advice on what to do when breastfeeding if you have contracted the flu.  If a mum is receiving antiviral treatment or prophylaxis, they are advised to continue to breastfeed as frequent as possible and continue to have as much skin to skin contact as possible with the baby.  Ensuring hands are washed as frequent as possible as well as limiting the sharing of toys.

For more information on breastfeeding and swine flu go to www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Children/Maternity/Maternalandinfantnutrition/DH_099965

 
Milton Keynes General Hospital is in the news this week with a story about a client who allegedly objected to non-white staff being in the delivery room. Apparently hospital staff have complained to the Equality and Human Rights Commission about the way the situation was handled earlier this month when an unnamed white woman had a Caesarean section at the hospital. The hospital said it had begun a full investigation and said it is thought to be the first time such a request has been made to them.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/8330102.stm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223598/Pregnant-woman-race-demand-Buckinghamshire-hospital-facing-prosecution.html

Netmums and RCM maternity survey

Posted by: gommon on: October 29, 2009

The Netmums website has teamed up with the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) to discover your most recent experiences of maternity services so we can work together to instigate improvements.  Please take a few minutes to complete the joint survey so that areas for improvement in maternity services can be targeted. Please answer the questions in relation to your most recent birth. The results of the survey will be presented jointly with the RCM and Netmums at the RCM’s annual conference on November 26-27th in Manchester and featured in the media before the conference.

The survey can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=B6ZD2GutcFLoG8h7MuAMdA_3d_3d

Paternity/Maternity Leave

Posted by: gommon on: October 21, 2009

Written by Jenny Cassidy www.hrdept.co.uk Telephone: 0845 290 3910

Plans to allow fathers to benefit from up to six months’ additional paternity leave – three paid – if the mother returns to work before the end of the maternity leave period have been given the go ahead. The new right, due to come into force from 2011, will apply during the second half of a baby’s first year. In practice there is the possibility that this could become an administrative nightmare with the cross over between two people likely to be working in different businesses. We wait and see … the Government has actually shelved plans in the immediate future to increase paid maternity leave to 52 weeks to coincide with the 52 week maternity leave period. It will remain at 39 weeks, first 6 weeks 90% average earnings, remaining 33 weeks at statutory maternity pay £123.06 per week.

Fertility

Posted by: gommon on: October 20, 2009

Fertility issues or preconceptual guidance is part of the midwife’s role and is something I am often asked about.  Apart from the usual information for someone planning a baby, actually getting pregnant can sometimes be an issue.  The medical profession often do not consider it a potential problem unless you have been trying for a baby for around 18 months, and indeed it can often take longer – this must seem like forever when you aren’t getting pregnant.  I do know that stress (including trying for a baby) and sub-optimal health can lead to difficulty in conceiving, so bear this in mind.

To get yourself into optimal health obviously you need to eat well, be rested.  There are some very good websites, particularly the Foresight website and I suggest you work through this list. 

www.haveababy.com

www.womantomother.co.uk

http://www.foresight-preconception.org.uk

http://www.marilynglenville.com

http://www.zitawest.com

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/pregnancy/whenyrpregnant/

Also, complementary therapists may help and I have listed some that I am aware of in the Milton Keynes area:

Acupuncture –

Sandra Ah-Peng – Acupuncturist
Milton Keynes 01908 505883

www.mkacupuncture.co.uk

Gabi Stutz – Acupuncturist
Milton Keynes 01908 225051

Homoeopathy -

Gwynne Grayson – Homeopath
Milton Keynes 01908 520546

Jacky Swanepoel – Homeopath
Milton Keynes 01908 585385

Reflexology -

Kelly Holman – Reflexology
Milton Keynes 01908 54266

www.thesunflowerhouse.co.uk

Kinesiology -

Lesley Stephenson – Kinesiologist
Northampton 01604 871225

www.sanctumclinic.co.uk

Hypnotherapy –

Denise Marleyn
Leighton Buzzard 01525 850334

www.persephone-therapy.co.uk

Emotional Freedom Techniques

http://midwifevalerie.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/emotional-freedom-technique-eft-and-fertility/

Sejual Shah

http://www.healthyinmind.com/

Nutrition:

Kim Crundall

http://www.balancenutrition.co.uk/index.htm

How aware you are of your fertile period?  It is usually 14 days before a period, so if you have a 28 day cycle it is day 14, but on a longer cycle it may well be later, and just to confuse things women do not always ovulate on day 14!  There are various things you can use, like predictor and charting your temperature etc, but also by looking at your normal vaginal discharge (!) at your fertile period the discharge will change from a thicker creamier discharge moving towards a clear, stretch discharge like egg white.  To help with conception it is best if you have sex on alternate days around this period.   

Hope that something here will be helpful to you.

Eating the placenta (placentophagy)?

Posted by: gommon on: October 18, 2009

A client who has previously suffered with postnatal depression has asked me to research placenta eating (or placentophagy).  Apparently it is traditionally practiced in many cultures, including Mexico, China, and the Pacific Islands, however British consultant obstetrician Maggie Blott dismisses prospect that eating the placenta helps with post-natal depression however there remain a number of women who are convinced that eating their placenta was helpful, indeed it is rich in iron and this alone will be beneficial.  Some women chop it into tablet size pieces, freeze them then swallow them!

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/43315.aspx#ixzz0UHDBQjT5

http://havingapoo.blogspot.com/2007/07/placenta-party.html

These are from ‘Mothering Magazine‘ – September 1983:

Work on the basis that each placenta weighs approximately 1/6 of the baby’s weight. To prepare a placenta, cut the meat away from the membranes with a sharp knife. Discard the membranes.


Roast Placenta

1-3lb fresh placenta (must be no more than 3 days old)
1 onion
1 green or red pepper (green will add colour)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 sleeve saltine crackers
1 tspn bay leaves
1 tspn black pepper
1 tspn white pepper
1 clove garlic (roasted and minced)

Method

(Preheat oven to 350 degrees)

1. Chop the onion and the pepper & crush the saltines into crumbs.
2. Combine the placenta, onion, pepper, saltines, bay leaves, white and black pepper, garlic and tomato sauce.
3. Place in a loaf pan, cover then bake for one and a half hours, occasionally pouring off excess liquid.
4. Serve and enjoy!


Placenta Cocktail

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh, raw placenta
8oz V-8 juice
2 ice cubes
1/2 cup carrot

Method: blend at high speed for 10 seconds. Serve. A tasty thirst quencher!


Placenta Lasagne

Ingredients:

1 fresh, ground, or minced placenta, prepared as above
2 tblspns olive oil
2 sliced cloves garlic
1/2 tspn oregano
1/2 diced onion
2 tblspns tomato paste, or 1 whole tomato

Method: use a recipe for lasagne and substitute this mixture for one layer of cheese. Quickly saut� all the ingredients in olive oil. Serve. Enjoy!


Placenta Spaghetti Bolognaise

Ingredients:

1 fresh placenta, prepared as above
1 tblspn butter
1 large can tomato puree
2 cans crushed pear tomatoes
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tblspn molasses
1 bay leaf
1 tblspn rosemary
1 tspn each of: salt, honey, oregano, basil, and fennel

Method: cut the placenta meat into bite-sized pieces, then brown quickly in the butter and olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 1-1.5 hours. Serve. Yummy!


Dehydrating your placenta

Instead of cooking your placenta whole, you can dehydrate it and then add it to meals! The following method is extracted from an article entitled “Thinking About Eating Your Placenta?” by Susan James, which appeared in the winter 1996 issue of “The Compleat Mother”. It was discovered posted on a newsgroup noticeboard, so we cannot absolutely guarantee its authenticity, or that it is an actual verbatim account of the magazine article.

Method:

Cut off the cord and membranes.

Steam the placenta, adding lemon grass, pepper and ginger to the steaming water. The placenta is “done” when no blood comes out when you pierce it with a fork.

Cut the placenta into thin slices (like making jerky) and bake in a low-heat oven (200-250 degrees F), until it is dry and crumbly (several hours).

Crush the placenta into a powder – using a food processor, blender, mortar and pestle, or by putting it in a bag and grinding it with rocks.

Put the powder into empty gel caps (available at drug and health food stores) or just add a spoonful to your cereal, blender drink, etc.

The recommended doses vary, some suggest up to 4 capsules a day, others just one. Perhaps the best advice is to take what makes you feel good.

It is also possible to have your placenta made into a homoepathic preparation contact www.ainsworths.com

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and fertility

Posted by: gommon on: October 15, 2009

This article has been written by Sejual Shah is a Hertfordshire, UK base practitioner. She works in person, by phone, and webcam with clients on over 4 continents. She loves seeing the joy her work brings to her clients. She can be contacted @ healthyinmind.com

Wanting to conceive a baby is a natural part of our growth and development as humans. However, many find starting their families difficult. Using controlled practices such as timing intercourse to ovulation can lead to a lot of stress for both parents and conceiving even the first baby becomes a nightmare instead of the anticipated joy.

Pregnancies attempted late in life are perceived in the medical field as difficult since a woman’s fertility declines heavily after her mid-30s. What many Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) practitioners, myself included, are finding is that these and other problems can be neutralised with tapping to enable a healthy conception leading all the way to realising that cherished birth of innocent joy.

The support I give is of help to both people in the relationship. Men’s stress levels and worries about conceiving are equally important as the problems a woman experiences as both parents need to be healthy to create a baby.

Common Problems with Fertility
The most common problems I encounter in my practice and have success in helping with EFT are:

  • Unresolved grief about earlier miscarriages, stillbirths and traumatic loss of loved ones
  • High stress levels
  • Residual post-natal depression
  • Previous problematic births
  • Couple problems – relationship and communication issues.

This article will deal with the first two.

Unresolved Grief
Conceiving a child is an act of joy. When we are harbouring a deep-seated grief it is too far removed for the joy and happiness to come in. It is like the two sets of emotions are incompatible and as the grief has been there longer it stops the new possibilities from coming in.

This grief comes in so many shapes and forms. “Heather” was 44 and was still waiting to conceive her first child. She felt the pressure of not being able to, conceive. She had tried natural approaches and IVF, but nothing was working. When we talked about her personal history it quickly became evident that she’d never finished grieving over the loss of her beloved mother ten years before. She still had her mother’s ashes in a cupboard in the bedroom.

Very gently we tapped away the grief. We created emotional space so Heather could express all the things she never got to tell her mum before she passed away. Over several sessions Heather went through a gentle clearing process to lastingly let go of the grief. With this approach she was able to create mental space within herself to bring in new life. Four months ago she gave birth to a healthy set of twins that have brought countless joy and new opportunities for growth in her life.

Lasting grief often accompanies pregnancies lost before the baby reaches full term. One client shared, “I miscarried at ten weeks. The doctors just said it happens to everyone and that I should get over it”. Yet, in those ten precious weeks that same woman was already connecting from the heart with this longed-for baby. While it may have been as tiny as a beetle, that baby was still real and alive for her. If we can’t grieve properly over what could have been, then it’s difficult for us to make way for what we wish to realise.

It’s equally important to clear that grief over stillbirths, or other upsetting losses like losing a sibling when they were young.

High stress levels
Stress can be a huge barrier to conceiving. Stress can come from high-pressured jobs, draining situations in our lives, and feeling that we must be perfect at everything we do.

Some of the women who come to me for help have very full active lives. They feel empowered by their successes – and they have every right to – but nobody has yet taught them how they can release the accompanying stress that constantly builds up. Keeping up their work successes turns sour – they’ve fought for their career progression but now it is cruelly taking away a cherished goal.

In this situation, I help them address their work stress so that instead of constantly fire-fighting, their bodies can relax and get on with conceiving.

“Diane” came from a background where her parents were proud of her high-flying achievements. She had gone further than her brothers and sisters in her studies and was a well-paid executive. That hard work attitude had helped her create huge success, but hard work didn’t pay off when it came to conceiving. She and her husband had been trying for years and wondered if the time had come to give up. But it wasn’t in her nature to quit – hadn’t she fought for each promotion?

Initially she came to see me for help in moving up the next rung of the ladder up to the boardroom. She saw the glass ceiling and was determined to crack it.

Diane and I worked to help her relax in these work situations and so have more energy to put into her work. She learned to thrive without high levels of stress in her demanding role by using EFT in sessions with me, and then learning how to do basic structured tapping exercises outside of our work. Her body realised she didn’t need to feel stressed all the time.

In that process of releasing the stress she conceived naturally and used our work to help her manage her still hectic schedule with the demands the growing baby was making on her physically, so that she could still nurture the foetus. Her baby son was born bouncingly healthy one year ago. With the work we had already done she was able to devise a healthy strategy for balancing her return to her career while enjoying motherhood in a balanced way.

EFT as a stress management tool can also support a man experiencing problems with sperm health as a result of a pressurized life-style.

Conclusion
There is a very complicated connection between our physical and emotional health. Many times the emotions we are carrying prevent the body from fulfilling its potential. By doing work on these core emotional issues we can see transformation in our physical health.