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The field itself is fractured. Many midwives make the point that a complication free birth is not a medical event, and the majority of births are complication
by femto 13y ago
The field itself is fractured. Many midwives make the point that a complication free birth is not a medical event, and the majority of births are complication free. Have the medical intervention nearby for an emergency, but don't make it the default.
There is a line or argument that intervention is a self-reinforcing cycle, in that the initial intervention raises stress levels in the mother, which promotes a fight-or-flight response, which causes the birth process to regress, which increases the likelihood of more intervention, and so on. This isn't to say intervention should be avoided, but only do it if it is necessary, since it does have consequences.
- rayiner 13y ago> The field itself is fractured. Many midwives make the point that a complication free birth is not a medical event, and the majority of births are complication free. Midwives are not part of the field of obstetrics, any more than sanitation workers are part of the field of engineering.
- pradocchia 13y agoDon't be absurd. Midwives are practitioners in the field of child birth. Some will have acquired a highly developed sense of what works and what doesn't. It is foolish to ignore their experience.
- rayiner 13y agoMidwives are practitioners in the field of child birth in the same way barbers used to be practitioners in the field of surgery. Yes, they engage in the practice and for a long time they were the only game in town. But it's not a systematic discipline and therefore experience isn't cumulative.
- joshdulac 13y agoThis isn't true. Midwifery is a serious discipline and you must be licensed in the US. Also, they even have Doctors of Nurse Practice (DNP) of Midwifery at the respected Baylor [1] and other schools. I would recommend watching "The Business of Being Born" (it is on Netflix) - it is very enlightening about the safety and discipline of midwifery, and why hospital births are unnatural and in some ways incredibly unsafe. [1] http://www.baylor.edu/nursing/nursing_grad/index.php?id=56683 http://www.baylor.edu/nursing/nursing_grad/index.php?id=5668...
- firemanx 13y agoThe University of Washington educates midwives alongside do tors and nurses: http://nursing.uw.edu/node/371 http://nursing.uw.edu/node/371 My wife's cousin is going through the program right now and will graduate with the equivalent of an MD. She's doing residency at a large hospital in Seattle and did clinical at another in Boise. When she graduates she'll be working adjunct at either another hospital up here, or through Stanford. I'm no medical expert, but I trust her experience and expertise. I'm not sure where you're information is coming from, but I think you may be misinformed.
- autarch 13y agoNot only are they serious medical professionals now, but they have been for a while. Watch the British TV show Call the Midwife. Even back in the 50s midwives were well-trained specialized nurses who dealt with serious medical issues on a regular basis. I think you're thinking of midwives from a few hundred (or more) years ago, before the fields of medicine and nursing existed as they do today.
- willyt 13y agoI think you are mistaken. In Britain, the term 'midwife' means specifically a postgraduate qualification on a general nursing degree. They are certified medical professionals and have a level of specialised knowledge akin to a ICU nurse or a surgical nurse. Indeed, midwifes attend Caesarean sections, as part of the surgical team.
- antimagic 13y agoI have a cousin in Australia that is a midwide - it's the same deal, she started out as an RN before getting her postgrad midwife quals.
- toomuchtodo 13y agoDoctor's are no more than overpaid, highly inconsistent expert systems.
- rayiner 13y agoAnd midwives aren't even that.
- jemfinch 13y agoMidwives are certified medical professionals (comparable to specialized nurses or physicians' assistants), at least in the United States. You're either talking about somewhere else or you don't actually know what you're talking about.
- rayiner 13y agoIn the US, deliveries are done by CNMs, CMs, and doulas. Only the former has a nurses level of training.
- barry-cotter 13y agoYes, because obviously nurses are just there to do menial labour that it would be demeaning for doctors to do. This is the most ignorant thing I've seen you say on this website, ever.
- 616c 13y agoIn France they are. At least my French neighbor has what might be considered physician assistant level education in France and she would run the show during a birth. The US is very different in this regard.