Midwife nurses an old tradition back to life (From Gazette & Herald)

Midwife nurses an old tradition back to life

12:20pm Thursday 11th December 2008

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FOR mothers of a certain age, the name Westow Croft will bring back fond memories as the place where they brought their children into the world.

The maternity home closed in the mid-70s as thinking moved towards mums giving birth in hospitals, and the property eventually became a private house.

Moving on three decades and the house has once again regained some of its maternity status as the home of independent midwife Anne Adamson.

Anne moved into the top floor apartment of Westow Croft with her husband Alan three years ago.

Known as ‘The Village Midwife’ Anne provides one-to-one care for mothers-to-be through all stages of pregnancy, birth and post-natal care, with the emphasis on the needs of the woman.

Through this individual care Anne believes women are given the time and attention they need to have a more relaxed normal birth in their own home.

Anne, who was brought up in Devon, decided she wanted to became a midwife at the age of 14 following the birth of her half-brother.

“We had an old midwifery textbook which I read and read and I knew from that moment that was what I wanted to do,” Anne explained.

After leaving school Anne started her training as a nurse but dropped out due to her ‘independent’ nature and embarked on a series of jobs before meeting her husband Alan in the late 70s.

Three children quickly followed, all born in NHS hospitals despite her best efforts to secure home births.

“When the children were young I decided to fulfil my dream and start my nurse training again – this time at Lincoln County Hospital,” Anne explained.

“It was a full-time course and very tough with three children, but it was the only route to becoming a midwife.”

After completing the three-and-a- half year course, Anne spent another 18 months at the Jessop Hospital for Women in Sheffield where she finally achieved her ambition of becoming a registered midwife.

Anne’s career, however, was not to follow a conventional route.

After qualifying, she worked with an independent midwife in rural Lincolnshire before joining an innovative scheme at Queen Charlotte’s Hospital in London.

“The scheme was the idea of Professor Lesley Page and involved giving pregnant women their own pair of midwives who were on call for them at any time of the day or night,” Anne explained.

“Women and their partners developed a relationship of trust with their two midwives which made a huge difference to the outcome of their pregnancy.”

The scheme covered a part of London with a broad ethnic and social mix comparing the results with ‘traditional’ care and achieved consistently better results.

“It was a brilliant model but unfortunately was never widely adopted and eventually funding dried up,” Anne added.

With her husband training to be a barrister in London, Anne joined the capital’s largest and busiest independent midwifery practice.

“Here most women delivered at home or in a small birth centre which was really a a home from home,” Anne said.

“It was a lovely place, but hard work for the midwives who had to do all the laundry, cleaning and even cook three course breakfasts for the new mums and their partners following the birth.”

It was Anne’s experience here that strenghtened her conviction that when women are given the attention they need from a midwife they know and trust nearly all can give birth normally.

“Even when interventions are needed for the safety of the mother or baby, the companionship of a knowledgeable and trusted midwife in the hospital makes an appreciable difference to the outcome and to the overall experience for the woman and her partner,” she said.

Following her and Alan’s move to Yorkshire, Anne decided to use her experience and knowledge by setting up her own independent midwife practice.

As The Village Midwife, Anne visits mums-to-be and their partners in their own homes helping them to decide on their choice of care.

These visits are followed by ante-natal checks including blood tests and scans if required.

“Some women prefer not to have ultra-sound used during the pregnancy in which case I will use the traditional Pinnard’s stethoscope to listen to the baby’s heartbeat,” Anne said.

The birth can either take place at home or in hospital with many of Anne’s clients opting for a water birth.

Anne is on call from 36 weeks – booking her own holidays to allow plenty of time either side of due dates.

Every detail of the pregnancy and birth is recorded, including the weather on the day of the birth itself (details the woman in labour is usually unaware of) as a reminder for the new mum to look back on.

Visits continue for six weeks following the birth and Anne strongly recommends the traditional ‘lying in’.

“Maternity hospitals were often called ‘lying in’ hospitals and I still believe it is so important for new mums to stay in bed for 10 days following the birth to help with her own recovery and to bond with her new baby,” she added.

Anne’s also offers a debriefing service for women and their partners.

“Traumatic emotions associated with previous pregnancies may require dealing with before a couple can confidently embark on another pregnancy and even when there is no intention to have another baby, the opportunity to talk to someone professional about an experience can help to lay to rest painful memories.”

There are about 120 independent midwives across the country with three in North Yorkshire. Each midwife is allocated to a local supervisor and Anne is also a member of the Independent Midwives’ Association.

“Independent midwives have access to NHS facilities at all times,” Anne said. “If problems develop during the pregnancy that mean regular input from an obstetrician or other specialist becomes necessary, the independent midwife works in tandem with the medical team ensuring continuity of care.”

Anne also works closely with the other independent midwives in Yorkshire and one of them will usually attend a couple of her ante-natal visits in order to get to know the mum-to-be in case a second pair of hands is needed at the birth.

After delivering more than 250 babies Anne still describes each birth as a miracle.

“Being a midwife is part of me, it is woven into my personality,” she added.

Now a grandmother, Anne has helped deliver all three of her grandchildren, but it was the birth of her son and daughter-in-law’s child which is particularly poignant.

Over 30 years since the last baby was born at Westow Croft, Anne’s granddaughter Grace arrived in the family’s bathroom in September last year.

A fitting start in life at a country house that has seen two generations of post-war babies brought into the world.

* To contact Anne Adamson telephone 01653 619987 or visit www.anneadamson.com

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