KIDS AND FAMILY A MIDWIFE'S VIEW 13/04/2007 LAURA Abbott, 36, from Bedfordshire, is an independent midwife and believes the government's plan can't work without thousands more staff. I worked as an NHS midwife in a birth unit but left to go independent six years ago because I was frustrated I couldn't give continuity of care. When you are working in the NHS you may be attending three births in a night. Most midwives want to look after a woman from early pregnancy through to birth and develop a relationship with her, but jobs like this are few and far between and very stressful because your caseload is so high. I'm sure the government's pledge to give more choice to mums must ring hollow for my NHS colleagues because, although that's what most midwives want, they are simply too overstretched to offer it. If lots of women wanted a home birth - which I'm sure most midwives would welcome - they simply couldn't offer it. The Royal College of Midwives has estimated that we need 3,000 more midwives in the next five years to come anywhere near to meeting the government's plan.
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