Caregivers, who work with women in labour, do so with their own sets of beliefs and expectations. It is sometimes hard for caregivers to separate their own attitudes and expectations from the needs of the woman.
What complicates this dynamic is that the Australian maternity system is very fragmented in its organisation of care for pregnant women. Only a minority of women will already know the caregiver who looks after them throughout their entire labour. Even for women who have employed their own doctor, they will usually only be present for the last half an hour of the birth, conveying messages via the phone, or occasionally dropping in during the labour. This means they may be out of tune with where the woman is at when decisions are being made.
From a caregiver's perspective it can be difficult to:
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'Cater' accurately to each individual woman's needs and expectations, especially if they have never met the woman before. While good intentions may be there, it can often be hard to 'get it right' every time. |
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'Give the woman what she wants' if she is not fully informed about her pain relief options and how best to use them, or the side effects these can entail. The caregiver is often faced with trying to 'educate' the woman (in between 3 minutely contractions), as to why that choice may or may not be appropriate without making the woman feel the control for the decision is being taken out of her hands. |
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Care for the woman who says to the caregiver "whatever you think is best" because the caregiver's choice may not be what the woman really needs. In addition to this if the birth does not go to plan it becomes the responsibility of the caregiver for making the 'wrong decision'. |