Who is coming to the Maternity Protest this Sunday 7 March?

[emmahere]

Did you even know about it? It's organised by the NCT, the Royal College of Midwives, the Association of Radical Midwives, the Albany Mums, and the Independent Midwives Uk - it is an assortment of mothers and midwives rallying to petition the Department of Health and highlight the need for 5,000 more midwives and to protest the termination of the NHS flagship midwifery practice - the Albany.

It should be a fun day out - from 1.30pm if anyone feels like a stroll through Whitehall, or some good shouting therapy. Ends with speeches at Department of Health around 2.30pm.

Will post a link shortly...

Goo oonnnn. When did you last wave a placard for something worthwhile??

Okay - here is the link to the Reclaiming Birth protest via the
campaign website.

It starts at 1pm from the Imperial War Museum, not 1.30pm, and ends with some speeches around 2.30pm from outside the Department of Health.

Come and be counted

I am at a conference all weekend and can't come

Any chance someone is going and fancies taking along a petition against the closure of maternity and A&E unit at Whittington hospital in North London?

petition can be downloaded here
dwhc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/whittington-petition.pdf

The Whittington has a brand new birth centre just opened last summer - all this is under threat now.

There might be quite a few sympathetic people at the protest so great opportunity to get signatures

More info on the whole issue here
dwhc.org.uk/
and here
whittingtonmum.wordpress.com/

I'm going.

I did suggest to MNHQ they do some advertising but they haven't yet.

Would love too, will check out travel

Picadilly line is closed up to Hammersmith, which is a bugger.

Eccentric Gallumbits - I will email Justine Roberts about some advertising as well - have just agreed to try and get some press for something else for Mumsnet - so maybe she'll do some Tit for Tatting..

Thanks for the Whittington Details. It would be great if someone local to the Whittington could rally some support around that. I'll be co-ordinating any media for the day and would be happy to give out hand-outs if anyone could write something up on the issue from a Mother's perspective even.

There will be a big red double decker bus outside the Imperial War Museum where organisers are gathering at 1pm on Sunday if you want to bring something along there...

Can we officially claim MN support here? It would make a big difference to be able to say "on behalf of mumsnetters" as we know how hard all the parties are campaigning fior the MN vote - is there an MN banner? I'm going on Sunday and would be happy to wave it if there is one!

(I have an "Albany" baby and so truly, truly wish that every single mum could have the options and support through pregnancy and birth that I did from these wonderful ladies. Sadly that will only happen if and when the government agree to fund "casework" midwifery i.e. 1 midwife, 1 mum throughout pregnancy)

bump bump bump its today and the sun is shining!

How did the march go ? I hope it went really well...you sure had lots of sunshine
Will there be pics somewhere?

@emmahere
so sorry I was at a conference from Friday noon and have only just come back and read your post...

I don't know if anyone took the Whittington petition down to the march... I am only just starting to rally round the mums and dads on this issue because many people think it's only the A&E which is under threat. But the plans include doing away with maternity services, including brand new birth centre too...

anyway - if you ever need someone again to write/talk about Whittington/maternity/birth centre...why I want a natural birth but at a birth centre etc please contact me - happy to help to get the message out:
whittingtonmum.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/whittington-mum-now-on-e-mail/

Hi there - march went really well! Am going to start a new thread about it...

Ok - just make sure you leave the link to the new thread here....

I would have supported you, if I'd known about it.

Best wishes, hari

www.safebirth.co.uk