A new group is to lobby for improvements to maternity services.
Aims Ireland (the Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services) is the Irish counter-part of Aims, a UK pressure group that was established 40 years ago. It will be launched today.
Jene Kelly, chairwoman of the new group, said Aims Ireland was being set up because of concern at the "increasing medicalisation" of the birth process in recent years.
"The choices are not the same anymore. A lot of women feel they have lost their identity and they also complain about a lack of dignity."
Ms Kelly said some mothers-to-be felt they were being forced to have interventions such as inductions and Caesarean sections. "It's like the women are no more than patients, just a number. They feel like they don't have the right to ask for these choices."
The group is seeking the nationwide provision of midwife-led birth centres with access to birthing pools, a choice of birthing positions and additional birthing partners if required. It is also calling for access to home births for low-risk pregnancies. "About 85 per cent of women will go through pregnancy as normal," she said.
The group has expressed concern at the steady increase in Caesarean sections in recent years.
Some 25 per cent of babies are now born by Caesarean section, compared with about 12 per cent in the early 1990s.
Aims Ireland is also seeking the extension of schemes which allow women to leave hospital within hours of a birth while getting midwifery support at home.
The group will kick off its campaign by highlighting the need for better hygiene in maternity hospitals. "Women giving birth in hospitals are often unhappy with the level of hygiene in wards and in bathrooms," Ms Kelly said. "Some of the conditions are absolutely disgusting."
The group is conducting a survey of women who gave birth in the past five years. It can be filled in on the www.aimsireland.com website.
