Midwife attacks TV show One Born Every Minute
by Jess Banham
A Kent midwife has claimed hit TV show
One Born Every Minute is putting women's lives at risk.
The reality programme, which is on
Channel 4 tonight at 9pm, shows footage of women giving birth
on a hospital ward and is now in its third season.
But Virginia Howes, 52, an independent
midwife in Ashford, said she has seen outdated and discredited
practices on the show, such as the use of the Valsalva
Manoeuvre.
During two episodes in February and
March, midwives were seen encouraging the practice, which involves
sustained breath-holding for women who are pushing during the
second stage of labour.
According to Mrs Howes, The World
Health Organisation, (WHO) has concluded this is dangerous and
should stop being used.
Mrs Howes,
of Romney Point, Ashford added: "What you’re exposed to is what
becomes normal, so if a woman goes into hospital and a midwife
tells her to do something and she’s seen it on One Born Every
Minute, she’s not going to say I’m not going to do that, it’s
dangerous as they don’t know it’s dangerous."
Now she has set up a Facebook page –
which has picked up over 1,500 supporters - to highlight the flaws
of the show.
She concluded: "It doesn’t portray
births in a very fair way; it shows frightening scenes of birth,
women in dire agony, strapped to machines and drips.
"In the first season they showed some
water births, some normal births, where women weren’t so interfered
with and I think it’s brilliant that these types of shows are on
television.
"But it should be fair, it should be
just and it shouldn’t be showing out of date practices. It’s not a
fair representation."
A spokesman for the Channel 4 show
said: "This is an observational documentary series.
"During filming, the production
company followed a range of parents as they embraced different
challenges of childbirth, and witnessed dedicated staff running the
hospital and caring for their patients.
"These programmes merely show what
happens at any given time and do not advocate using a particular
practice over another."
21/03/12
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