Why modern mums won’t call the midwife for advice

MODERN technology has isolated mothers and stopped them from turning to professionals for support, the adviser to the BBC’s Call the Midwife has said.

Terri Coates, who is a practising midwife and lecturer, raised concerns about parents ‘not getting the right answers’ when they go online for help. She said: ‘Nowadays, because there is so much information at the touch of a button, I don’t think people feel the same need for midwives’ professional advice.’

Millions of parents turn to websites such as Mumsnet for help, follow other parents on social media to see their tips or subscribe to parenting blogs. Others search for parenting advice on Google or the voiceactivated smartphone tool Siri.

Mrs Coates told the radio Times: ‘The problem with Google or Siri is that, if you don’t know which questions to ask, you’re not going to get the right answers. Technology has isolated mothers enormously.’

She also lamented how the ‘camaraderie’ she saw between mothers in the eighties has been lost. Call the Midwife returned to the BBC for a seventh series on Sunday night, with more than 7million tuning in. The show’s birth scenes are so realistic they have been played to trainee midwives.

Miss Coates, who is studying for a PhD in the portrayal of childbirth in Tv drama, said: ‘I help the director choreograph what is clinically plausible within a given scenario. I’m always there … just out of shot, to make sure the baby is safe.’