TASA - The Australian Sociology Association

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US Researcher Praises $63.4m Victorian Maternity Program
Released: 19 May 2002

A US researcher has urged other Australian states to follow Victoria's lead in introducing a maternity program designed to improve the level of care provided to new mothers in public maternity hospitals.

Dr Bronwen Lichtenstein from the University of Alabama, has studied the effects of poor post-natal care and education for new mothers in public hospitals, and says that a program specially designed to cater to the health and emotional needs of new mothers is essential to their short and long-term wellbeing.

Dr Lichtenstein recently completed her research by studying more than 400 new mothers in a US metropolitan hospital, and was alarmed at the rapidly decreasing length of stay for new mothers in public maternity hospitals.

"Most new mothers haven't a clue what they face when they go home. A new baby is very stressful for a long time, and mothers that discharge early have a high anxiety about their mothering ability," Dr Lichtenstein said.

"More than 77% of new mothers elected to be discharged less than 48 hours after giving birth, the majority still in pain and still recovering from procedures such as tubal ligation, episiotomy and epidurals.

"Being in hospital after childbirth should be a time of recovery and learning how to mother, and early discharge is preventing this from happening," she said.

Dr Lichtenstein said the primary reason for early discharge was because new mothers in the public system could not afford to stay as long as new mothers under private care.

"It is not good enough that mothers who cannot afford an adequate stay or private insurance miss out on basic care and education after giving birth," she said.

To combat the obvious differences between the luxuries of private care and the unsatisfactory level of care for public patients, the Victorian Government introduced a maternity services program in 1999 that focused on information, education, antenatal and postnatal care, current birth practices and options.

It also focused on ensuring all women received adequate postnatal care according to their individual needs and regardless of their length of stay in hospital.

Postnatal home-visit programs were offered to women who needed additional support, including non-English speaking women, young single mothers, mothers with disabilities, and women who experienced complications in childbirth.

The $63.4 million program is currently under review.

Dr Lichtenstein will present her complete findings at the XV World Congress of Sociology, held in Brisbane July 7-13. She will join more than 3,000 domestic and international academics and researchers to discuss a range of socio-economic issues affecting the world today.

For further information on the Congress visit the website at www.sociology2002.com.

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