Peter Rhodes on missiles, maternity units and making time for meditation
Britain's maternity units have had more than their share of scandals and traumas, so there are few surprises in the latest research by Mumsnet claiming that women are being "failed at every stage" in maternity care.
Campaigners found that 79 per cent of 1,000 women who answered their questionnaire had experienced some form of birth trauma. Forty-four per cent said healthcare professionals had used language implying the women were "a failure or to blame" for what happened.
Other research in the UK and Australia reveals bullying by some maternity staff, some of whom are bullied by their seniors.
While most maternity units are fine, some seem to have an unhealthy culture where natural childbirth and breast-feeding are regarded as the only acceptable route. Why so? I
Is it not odd, for example, that while the NHS has 21,000 midwives, fewer than half of one per cent – a mere 180 – are male. How, in this age of equality, is such a gross inequality tolerated? Might more male midwives bring a new perspective and a new workplace culture? It's got to be worth a try.
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The incident over the Black Sea when a bungling Russian pilot tried to shoot down an RAF spy plane was a near catastrophe. Thankfully, both his missiles malfunctioned.
It makes you wonder what calibre of man – or missiles – the Russians are using. During the Cold War there was a whisper that some Soviet squadrons were limited to flying below a certain altitude to prevent parts freezing. Having drunk all the available vodka, the Russian crews had allegedly drunk the anti-freeze, too.
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A report at the weekend suggests we should spend 45 minutes a day meditating. That's presumably in addition to the time we should spend exercising, moisturising, sun-screening, flossing our teeth, cleansing our eyelids and all the other daily maintenance recommended by various experts. Oh, and that's all in addition to the eight hours sleep we need.
It is a fact of modern life that if we devoted all the recommended attention to our various bits and pieces we would run out of time . Which would create anxiety. Which would require more meditation . . .
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