Brain Damaged Children

I have just been watching 'Sunday' on TV 1 about kids with hypoxic brain damage and their families not getting ACC funding.

In New Zealand we have a population being brainwashed into believing that any medical intervention during a pregnancy and childbirth is going to affect the child adversely and that if this happens somehow the mother 'has failed'.

They are being mislead by their midwives, who have no medical or nursing training and very dubious midwifery training, who trot out mantra about how everything natural is right. This has lead to many midwives managing cases that are either beyond their capabilities or beyond the time when they should have asked for medical help. These babies are being put at a higher risk of developing hypoxic brain damage.

There is no science, or audit, behind their practice and in reality childbirth has moved on a bit from the days when many mothers and babies died during it. Medical science endeavours to save both and prevent damage to either. Midwifery practice seems to think that it is OK to have adverse outcomes as long as it was natural.

The Health and Disability Commisioner has been treading a very fine line in his highlighting adverse outcomes from midwifery care, but has had to be extremely careful as they have a very powerful political lobby since many in the 'covern' belong to the same persuasion as dear leader. Many of them seem to want to have complete control over these poor women in labour and will dissuade them from having pain relief or medical intervention with advice that is blatantly incorrect .

I have no problem with ACC helping the unfortunate parents who have to care for a damaged child, but do think that the finger should be pointed at the cause.

Added to this disservice to NZ women are the Breast Feeding Nazis who are forcing women to breastfeed whether they want to or not. All hospitals in NZ suddenly have to become 'baby friendly' to be compliant with a WHO/UNICEF dictat. This means that the breastfeeding numbers have to increase and that it has to be done immediately after birth.

We are told that all of society's problems can traced to children not being placed on the mother's chest while still dripping in shit and blood. Many of these poor mothers are horrified when this bloody shit-covered 'thing' is thrust on them whilst all along they have believed that they are going to get a clean, pink, sweet-smelling baby to cuddle.

OH dear - what does the Ministry waste it's money on!