TheHolisticParent.ORG Midwives: Miracle Workers or Felons

Midwives: Miracle Workers or Felons

If you’ve read the other sections, I’m sure you can guess which category
(miracle workers or felons) that I believe in. But did you know that there are still
states in the U.S. that legally consider midwifery to be a felony? They consider
midwives to be practicing medicine without a license. This thought process
comes from the same people that consider birth a medical procedure. Both are
ridiculous notions in my mind. Birth is something totally different than medicine.
Sure there can be medical complications rarely. And if the midwife is a good
one, she will carry some medications for emergencies. However, this should
not make her a felon, especially if she has proper training. Many midwives also
carry alternatives to medication such as herbs that are gentler on the system-
an area that most doctors know nothing about.

The real issue going on in our country is the monopoly physicians want to have
over birth. It was the physicians that lobbied for midwifery to be outlawed in the
U.S. This drastically changed childbirth as we know it in our culture. Childbirth
became a horrific experience for many women, not because of the pain
surrounding childbirth, but the loss of power. As these stories got passed down
to future generations, fear grew, and the pain became very real. When childbirth
moved into hospitals, women were now in a strange environment. Fathers
weren’t even allowed to be there for the birth of their child. The woman went
through it alone. There used to be a practice of giving a women chloroform to
knock her unconscious while the physician used forceps to deliver the baby.
The hospital personnel wouldn’t even let a woman push out her own baby or be
conscious for it. This was not for the benefit of the mom or baby, and many
women felt violated and with good reason. This was certainly not an
improvement than the care women had been receiving from midwives for
centuries.

So, how is midwifery care different? Midwives trust in the body’s divine power to
give birth. They are patient and do not view birth as a catastrophy waiting to
happen. They are also very well trained. They know how to handle a wide range
of situations and can spot complications easily. They have very good birth
outcomes and use very little intervention. They are more likely to attend a breech
delivery and often times are able to help a woman achieve a vaginal delivery in
the same circumstances that would have been a C section at the hospital.
Women report having a very high satisfaction rate when receiving care from a
midwife.

Midwives are very well suited to attend births. They have extensive training. They
do bring equipment with them at a homebirth. They are also able to decipher
which situations truly do require a transfer (which is rare) and can help facilitate
the transfer. Midwives offer services throughout pregnancy and the postpartum
period as well. Midwives spend much longer with their clients at prenatal visits
working on such things as nutrition and educating parents regarding many
different aspects of pregnancy and birth. They encourage participation among
families to take part in the prenatal care to have the best outcomes possible.

Postpartum visits occur in the woman’s home. Midwives assist with recovery,
breastfeeding, etc. They monitor how well the baby is doing amongst many
other things. They truly provide a valuable service to families.

During labor, a woman is actually cared for and looked after much more closely
and efficiently than in a hospital. It is a great misconception that care provided in
the hospital is better than a midwife’s care. Physicians do not stay with a
woman in labor. Nurses assume the responsibility of monitoring a woman’s
labor status. There is a shortage of nurses at this time. Nurses almost always
have more than one patient at a time. This care does not exceed the one on one
attention a midwife provides. Midwives can stay with a woman continuously
during her labor to provide support and monitor progress. They typically do not
take on large numbers of patients at a time, so they can devote this kind of care
to a woman. That’s the best care you can get.

Some midwives do work through the hospital. Most midwives practice using the
midwifery model of care, but interviewing a prospective midwife is very
important. There are some midwives out there that practice using the obstetric
model of care and won’t be much different than a physician. There are also
midwives that like to have a lot of control over the birth experience, and many
women who hire a midwife do not want this. Interview any potential midwives to
ensure a good fit.

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