News

6th May 2004

RNID publishes pregnancy book for deaf women

All mums-to-be are concerned for the health and well-being of their unborn babies. But imagine if the information and support you needed wasn't available to you because you were deaf. This may seem incredible but deaf women are currently not receiving the support they need to deal with the joys and challenges that becoming a mother brings. It is for this reason that the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) has produced the first guide for pregnant deaf women who use British Sign Language (BSL), rather than English as their first language.

The launch of the book coincides with national deafness awareness week, 3-10 May 2004. Pregnancy and birth - a guide for deaf women, published in association with the National Childbirth Trust, aims to ensure that pregnancy and birth are easier for thousands of deaf women throughout the UK. The guide will provide much vital information that deaf women currently miss out on. The book was written by Sabina Iqbal, (herself a deaf author) and contains vital advice and information that all pregnant women need - from planning a family and receiving the appropriate antenatal care, right through to the birth itself and coping with a new-born baby.

The demand for such a book can be seen by the following unfortunate experience of a deaf mother, whose needs were clearly not met during her baby's delivery.

"I was nearly 42 weeks pregnant when I started bleeding heavily. I telephoned the nurses at my hospital via typetalk (the telephone relay service for deaf people) and was admitted into hospital.

None of the doctors could communicate in British Sign Language (my first language), and there was no interpreter available. I told the doctor that I wanted a vaginal birth, but he said that a caesarean section would be better for me and my baby. He could not explain why, and I felt that an important decision was being taken away from me.

Various nurses came to speak to me, but none of them knew sign language or seemed aware that I was deaf. No one even asked my permission for a trainee doctor to be present during an examination. I felt scared, isolated and frustrated.

Eventually I insisted, through writing, that an interpreter be provided, so that I could finally understand what was going on. Only a partially qualified interpreter was found. She did at least manage to communicate why a caesarean was necessary, and I was relieved to finally have someone I could talk to. I was horrified to find though, that she was not allowed into the delivery room as I was very frightened in case anything went wrong. However, the operating staff were more understanding of deaf issues; they attempted gestures in order to communicate with me, and spoke slowly and clearly so that I was able to lip-read.

After the operation I needed to ask questions about breastfeeding and other baby care issues. I was having difficulty changing nappies, walking to the bathroom, or simply getting out of bed to feed David, but was unable to ask. The ward nurses ignored me, not aware that I could not ask for help, or even understand them had they offered advice.

The worst time however was when a nurse with a very annoyed expression on her face, woke me up telling me that David had been crying uncontrollably. She implied that I was a bad mother and did not realise that I was deaf. I could not hear David crying, and needed a vibrating baby alarm to wake up.

Almost two years later I had my next child, Mollie, at a different hospital. I thought that things might be different. Sadly, this was not the case."

• Pregnancy and Birth - a guide for deaf mothers, by Sabina Iqbal, is priced £14.99 and is available through all good bookshops or from Forest Books, tel: 01594 833 858 voice/minicom, email: forestbooks.com
• What do you think about Sabina Iqbal's experience? Join mums to discuss, debate and deliberate on this subject.