Jul 31 2009
Midwifery Schools of Thought
Pregnancy and delivery; a source of joy and pain for the woman.Obviously joy is involved with the new baby, but if you ask most woman, they will also describe it was a source of unspeakable pain.
Well because of the pain that woman go through, there are two different schools of thought on how labor and delivery should happen. I am going to offer some perspective on one particular school of thought that I have gained first hand experience with by being a homebirth midwife San Diego.
There is the medical model for delivery which is associated with drugs to kill the pain, and sometimes cesarean to complete the delivery.
There is one other model, though not as common or accepted, but for those that practice it and believe in it, consider it a safer alternative for the woman.
That model is the midwifery model as it is called. That model is in stark contrast with the medical model. Where the medical model relies heavily on medicine, hence “medical”, midwifery relies on the natural. Midwifery believes that pregnancy and delivery is a natural process and thus should be allowed to happen naturally.
This model is performed by a group called midwives. Midwives San Diego are generally woman, who attend the birth, often times at the mother’s home.This midwife would help with some techniques that help the woman go through labor as naturally as possible without drugs.
Contrary to most people’s opinion, when medicine is not used during labor, it allows the labor to proceed much faster without the use of drugs to slow the labor down.
The midwife is a profession that has a regulatory board that oversees, certifies, and licenses the individual.
Although often not a doctor or nurse, some midwives can be nurses.
Even though they are not formal doctors or nurses, they will have some medical equipment for emergencies like resuscitation devices and equipment for suturing.
So this describes what a midwife is and what midwifery is about in relation to pregnancy and delivery.
Their goals are to let the labor and delivery happen as naturally possible. This reduces the likelihood of a c-section.Does not subject you to hospital procedures that are invasive such as episiotomys.Less medical intrusion will be used such as drugs to speed up or slow the pregnancy or the breaking of the water.And the part woman love the most, usually labor and delivery happen much faster naturally.
Hopefully this article sheds some light on the benefits of midwifery and having a midwife for your pregnancy. At the very least, hopefully it gives you more options to explore. Remember this is first hand knowledge from a San Diego midwife.
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