Midwives and Midwifery Explained
Pregnancy and delivery; a source of joy and pain for the woman. Obviously joy because of the new baby, but ask any woman, and they will tell you 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 delivering babies which is tied in with using drugs to kill the pain, and sometimes c -sections to finish the delivery.
While there is a lesser known model, not as widely accepted, for those that have experienced it and believe in it, they consider it a safer alternative for the woman.
That model is the midwifery model as it is called.That model is the exact opposite of the medical model which is usually used. 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.
Against most popular beliefs, not using medicine during labor actually allows the labor to happen quite a bit faster because drugs usually slow down the labor.
The midwife is a profession that has a regulatory board that oversees, certifies, and licenses the individual.
Although usually not a nurse or doctor, a midwife can be a nurse as well.
Even though they are not a doctor or nurse, they do carry with them some medical equipment, such as resuscitation devices and suturing equipment.
So in regards to pregnancy and delivery this is what a midwife is and generally what midwifery is about.
Their goals are to allow the birth and delivery to happen as naturally as possible. This reduces the likelihood of a c-section.Does not subject you to hospital procedures that are invasive such as episiotomys. Less medical management like breaking the water or using drugs to slow or speed up the pregnancy. And the best part of all that a woman will love, generally labor happens much quicker naturally.
My hope is that this information has given you more information on the benefits of midwifery and using a midwife in your pregnancy.At the very minimum, maybe it gives you some other options to think about and look into. Remember this is first hand knowledge from a San Diego midwife.
