Diane Fraser answers SMNET members questions!

permalink · #1 (**permalink**) 11-Jun-2009, 16:32

Thank you for ALL your questions to Diane Fraser, one of the editors of Myles’ Textbook for Midwives. Because your questions were so good we used 20 of them! Diane was more than pleased to answer them for you. Whatever you get from this; insight, inspiration, or to satisfy your curiosity, I hope you enjoy!

How long did it take you to write the Myles book, how many people were involved and what made you write it in the first place? (CharlotteH)
From being commissioned by the publishers to submitting the final manuscript it was one and a half years but then the work was on-going for nearly another year while the publishers asked for queries to be followed up, agreeing front cover and preliminary pages, checking of the manuscript and proof reading the final page layout.

How long does it take to research all of the info that goes into a book like Myles? (babycatcherwannabe)
As it is an edited book, each chapter author has to do the work for their chapter. They were given 5 months to write their chapters and send me their first draft. I then returned comments, if unsure about something they had included then I also sought another opinion from someone I considered a subject expert. The author then had a further two months to address the comments. I then had to make any final amendments over the next 5 months, cross reference to other chapters as appropriate, ensure copyright permissions were signed and all illustrations included before delivering the manuscript to the publishers. My co-editor and I both read it all each time.

Did you enjoy researching all the different aspects that were required to add to the book? (MidwifeMummy)
It was good to have dialogue with so many different people and to decide whether chapters needed including or omitting and to choose who should write the chapters.

What was the worst part about writing the books and how long did each one take? (MidwifeMummy)
When chapter authors do not deliver on time and provide a chapter double the length asked for.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed when writing the books? It is such a responsibility to help all us wannabe's get through the course. (Daisylou)
You wonder how you ever found time! Two of us and the publishers proof read it all but we are sure there will be things we missed – hopefully nothing vital!

Have you got any more midwifery books you'd like to write/or already in the pipeline? (MidwifeMummy)
Not at present, I am encouraging my younger members of staff to do so.

How did you get to where you are today? Did you decide each career move in advance or did things just evolve that way? (Growlie)
Serendipity! An inspirational Head of Midwifery in London said I was good at teaching and suggested I do a teacher’s course and which one she rated best. I met and married my husband in the year and was only one out of 16 to pass the course too. I taught in Durham and Gateshead, then had two career breaks to have my children as my husband and I had no family close by. We decided his career would be the prime one and I would seek work as and when possible (this was in Sandwell, Walsall, Birmingham). As the children became older and we moved to Nottingham I re-kindled my career and was able to do so close to where my husband’s work took him. My family were the ones that encouraged me to do a PhD and to write books, agreeing they would accept it came on holiday with us. If you are passionate about midwifery it is all consuming, hopefully the family did not suffer too much!

What made you decide to become a midwife? (MidwifeMummy)
As a nurse I thought I should know how to deliver a baby! Still not sure about it until I practised. Then loved working as a midwife at UCH, London

Have you been inspired by any midwives/non midwives? If so who made the biggest impression on you? (Babycatcherwannabe)
Eve Bowen, Head of Midwifery at UCH in the 1970s, my teacher course tutor Ann Bent who then went on to be inspirational at the RCM and UKCC.

What is the most challenging thing you've encountered in your midwifery career so far? (Curly)
Being the only midwife on the labour ward some nights at a hospital in the West Midlands

Looking back on your student days, what would be your top tip; something you wish you had/hadn't done? (floofinspectortobe)
Always ask questions and support each other. Stick with it even when the going gets tough, it’s worth it.

Have you ever got to a point where you wanted to give it all up (midwifery) and if so what made you stay with it? (TJJ)
My course was in two parts and I thought part one, and midwives, were so awful that I went to Newfoundland. They needed qualified midwives, not those with part one only so I returned to do part two – still not special but had to finish as do not believe in giving up. Then looked round at maternity units I thought were good and applied (UCH) and loved it.

Is working as a midwife everything you expected it to be? (MidwifeMummy)
No, you can’t be all things to all people and we cannot afford to resource to maximum capacity so there will always be shifting priorities. Deciding what to do when is a key skill. Hate it when parents say the baby is the wrong sex.

I noticed that part of Nottingham's Midwifery Division research centres on teenage pregnancy.... as the father of a teenage daughter I'd like to ask....What do you think is the biggest contributor to the rise of teenage pregnancy? What do you think could help reverse this trend? (Rob)
Alcohol! Keep them busy and do not allow hanging around on street corners. Dad needs to be the late night taxi.

As the head of midwifery at Nottingham, what are your views on the practising lecturer? Do you feel a lecturer should also still be practising as a midwife or is it ok to be an academic only? “This is something I quite like the idea of, but I would also want to keep practising.”SMNET Member (AutumnMaple)
All my staff are required to do a certain number of practice shifts if they teach midwifery subjects because if they do not know what it is like in current day practice their teaching and credibility will suffer – in my opinion.

The NHS is having a lot of problems in terms of staffing, bureaucracy and many people leaving their services because it is becoming more difficult to work within. I hear at the minute it is particularly bad. In your opinion how bad will it have to get before changes start being made? (BigBird30)
Midwives and women need to keep the pressure on government for things that are important. A potential Tory government fills me with concern that we could go back to the resource starved days of the Thatcher years. You cannot change something if you do not stay with it.

What would be the one thing you would change about maternity services and how they operate? (TJJ)
It is more to do with the people than the service. The inspirational leaders and managers get the service that is right for the women they serve.

Do you think it is possible to offer a true 'one mother one midwife' maternity service within the NHS? (TJJ)
Sadly not, as midwives have lives too and are unlikely to provide the on-calls they did in the days I trained! (one day and one evening off a week and otherwise 24 hour on-call). However I believe we must work for as much continuity of care giver as possible, women hate having to repeat things to different people and a midwife’s intuition is so important when she knows the woman. Women must have one to one care when labour is established and we must not give up until that is achieved.

How do you think we can promote normality in today's clinical environment? (Curly)
No problem if you want to. Good interprofessional and intraprofessional working relationships are key. The labour suite co-ordinator/lead is, in my view, the linchpin.

What for you has been the biggest change in Midwifery in the last 10 years? (Daisylou)
Midwives re-claiming their responsibility and accountability for midwifery practice, due in part to their now improved knowledge base and use of best evidence to inform practice.

Diane Fraser and Maggie Cooper are the editors of Myles’ Textbook for Midwives and the authors of Survival Guide to Midwifery. Both of these can be purchased at http://www.elsevierhealth.com/midwifery. Remember, SMNET members get 15% discount and free postage!

Got your discount code? [http://www.studentmidwife.net/books-elsevier.php]

To find out more about Diane Fraser and Maggie Cooper, visit http://www.elsevierhealth.com/produc...=9780443069390