A SYM PO SIUM Page 2 P H Y S I O T H E R A P Y September, 1969 Ante and Postnatal Prophylactic Education Reassessed Introduction By Rosemary Harte, M.C.S.P. O verseas, it h a s b een th e c u sto m recently to c o n d u c t sy m p o sia o n th e su b je ct o f T ra in in g F o r C h ild b irth , w hich h as resulted in e x p e rim e n ta tio n , sta tistics, p o stu la te d th eo ries a n d lively d e b ate. In such a n a tm o sp h e re o f c o n ­ trib u tio n a n d p ro fessio n al in te ra c tio n , d e ep e r levels o f aw areness a n d u n d e rsta n d in g a re m a d e possible. In o u r c o u n try , how ever, in sp ite o f c o m p a ra b le c o m petence, th ere has n o t been th e sa m e e x change o f ideas b etw een professional a u th o ritie s a n d p ra c titio n e rs . C o n sid e rin g o u r e arly re a lisa ­ tio n o f th e im p o rt, a n d p ra ctic e o f th is w o rk , it is d isa p ­ p o in tin g th a t we h a v e n o t m ate ria lly c o n trib u te d in this field. T h e in te n tio n o f th is sym posium , co m p risin g c o n trib u tio n s by m em bers o f in te rre la te d p ro fessio n s a n d sciences, is to stim u la te d e b a te a n d th o u g h t locally. I t is h o p e d th a t its c o n tin u a n c e in su b seq u e n t e d itio n s o f th e Journal will p re sen t a re a so n a b ly w ide sp e c tru m o f o p in io n o n th e su bject o f a n te - a n d p o stn a ta l p ro p h y lax is a n d e d u c a tio n , w ith th e possible a d v a n c e m e n t o f som e new light o n c u rre n t th o u g h t. A lth o u g h I shall be c o n trib u tin g a p a p e r m yself in a late r issue, I w o u ld like, a t th e o u tse t o f th e sym posium , to p re sen t tw o p ro b lem s fo r th o u g h t a n d d iscussion, w hich in m y o p in io n deeply c o n ce rn th e fu tu re q u a lity a n d a d v an c e ­ m en t o f o u r w o rk . T h ese a re th e sta tu s q u o o f th o se tea ch in g a n te - a n d p o s tn a ta l e d u c a tio n , a n d th e lim ite d vision o f o u r w ork. D o e s th e p h y sio th e ra p ist tra in e d to d a y c o m pletely fulfil th e d e m a n d s m ad e o n h e r by th is w ork, a n d c a n we, in fact, claim th a t it is a tra in in g to w hich p h y sio th e ra p ists a lo n e en jo y a D iv in e R ig h t? I f we a re to a c t wisely a n d w ith fo re th o u g h t, n o t o n ly co n ce rn in g o u r o w n involvem ent, b u t in a n sw e r to th o se p e ople a lre a d y actively a n d effectively en g ag e d in th is w o rk , w ho a re n o t p h y sio th e ra p ists, this m a tte r d e m a n d s a lo t o f h o n e st th o u g h t. W e have alw ays co n sid ere d it a specialised b ra n c h o f p h y sio th era p y , b u t we h a v e o n ly to re m e m b e r som e o f th e b est k n o w n ex p o n en ts o v erseas to realise th a t th is is n o t necessarily so. T hese la tte r have fo u n d e d in B rita in , T h e N a tio n a l C h ild b irth T ru st (persona g ra ta w ith th e C h a rte re d Society o f P hysio­ th era p y ). T h ey a re c o n ce rn ed th a t a t p re sen t th e re is no pro fessio n al tra in in g w hich specifically e q u ip s a w o m a n for a n te n a ta l teaching, since th e re is such a n o v e rla p betw een th e physiological, psychological a n d sociological aspects. In th is c o u n try th e ten d e n cy h as b een fo r p h y sio th era p ists to h a n d le th is w o rk in c o n ju n c tio n w ith th e m edical pro fes­ sion. O f late, p e ople o f o th e r disciplines a n d w ith a n a tu ra l affinity fo r th e w ork a re p laying a n increasingly activ e p a rt. I agree w ith Sheila K itz in g e r1 w hen she says “ O n e c an only h o p e . . . th a t in th e n e a r fu tu re a system o f tra in in g a n d c ertific atio n fo r a n te n a ta l teachers, b o th fo r th o se w ho are a lre a d y m idw ives o r p h y sio th e ra p ists, a n d fo r th o se w h o are no w lay tea ch e rs, will be evolved. Such a c o u rse is urgently re q u ire d if s ta n d a rd s a re to be ra is e d ” . A n e n t th e lim ited vision o f o u r w o rk , th e re is clearly a need fo r closer c o -o p e ra tio n b etw een th e p ra ctisin g pro fes­ sions if vital in fo rm a tio n is to be fed th ro u g h to , a n d from , th o se c o n ce rn ed in tea ch in g o u r w o rk . F o r in stan c e, a g re a te r u n d e rsta n d in g o f th e psychological p ro b lem s o f p re g n an c y , p a rtu ritio n a n d the p u e rp e riu m is n e ed e d th a n f th a t offered by a p h y sio th e ra p y tra in in g ; m o re in fo rm a tio n is e ssential c o n c e rn in g a n excessive se c re tio n o f relaxing re su ltin g in pelvic a rth r o p a th y a n d su b seq u e n t b a c k a c h e ; we te n d to c o n sid er a n te n a ta l e d u c a tio n , la b o u r a n d p o st­ n a ta l recovery as a n isolated e v en t in th e life o f a w om an ra th e r th a n review ing it as a n in tegral p a r t o f h e r total h e alth . V ery little a tte n tio n is given to th e ad o le sc en t a nd m e n o p a u sa l w o m a n in th e w idest sense o f a n te - a n d p o stn a ta l pro p h y lax is. P ro p e rly system ised scientific m eth o d s sh ould replace th e c o n je c tu ra l ten d e n cy o f som e o f th e available w ritings if we a re to get th e c h ild b e arin g p e rio d in to a b ro a d e r perspective in th e g re a te r fa b ric o f T h e S tu d y o f W o m a n . R o se m a ry H a rte , M .C .S .P . ]. “ A n a p p ro a c h to a n te n a ta l te a c h in g .” S heila K itzinger. Issu ed by th e N a tio n a l C h ild b irth T ru st. 1968. R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 3. )