I had an appointment today with my midwife, Geraldine from Rainy City Midwifery (That's NOT me in the photo, hee hee). When I got home I found out that today was International Midwives Day! International Midwives' Day was first celebrated May 5,
1991, and has been observed in over 50 nations around the world. The term midwife literally means "with woman." The idea of having a day to recognize and honor midwives came out of
the 1987 International Confederation of Midwives conference in the
Netherlands.
What exactly is a Midwife, you ask?
"We all need to look into another woman's eyes and see reflected back the trust and confidence that we can do this. We can give birth." ~Collette Crawford
Here's an excerpt from the American Pregnancy Association:
The term midwife reflects a philosophy of care; one that is directed
at the woman and her individual reproductive needs. A midwife usually
offers a variety of options and seeks to eliminate or minimize unnecessary
interventions.This philosophy of care is represented by the Midwives
Model of Care:
The midwives model of care is based on the fact that pregnancy
and birth are normal life processes. The midwives model of care
includes:
- Monitoring the physical, psychological,
and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing
cycle
- Providing the mother with individualized
education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on
assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
- Minimizing technological interventions
- Identifying and referring women who require
obstetrical attention
What are the benefits of using a midwife versus a doctor?
"Midwives see birth as a miracle and only mess with it if there's a
problem; doctors see birth as a problem and if they don't mess with it,
it's a miracle!" ~Barbara Harper in Gentle Birth Choices
One of the main reasons that women elect to use a midwife in their
homes, at birthing centers or in hospitals is to experience the childbirth
process as naturally as possible.
A focus on options is another benefit associated with electing midwifery
care. Midwives often have payment plans, sliding fees, and accept
most insurance plans, including Medicaid.
According to the doctoral research conducted by Peter Schlenzka,
an election to use a nurse-midwife and natural delivery may result
in the following benefits:
- Lower maternity care costs
- Reduced mortality and morbidity related
to cesarean and other interventions
- Lower intervention rates
- Fewer recovery complications
Midwives believe in facilitating a natural childbirth as much as
possible. Accordingly, it is common to receive care from a midwife
in a private and comfortable birthing center or in the comforts of
your own home. Because of their professionalism and expertise, midwives
are often part of a labor and delivery team associated with the local
hospital. You may choose to use the services of a midwife whether
you elect to give birth at home, a birthing center, or in a hospital.
Why did Isaac and I choose a midwife rather than a "doctor"?
"There is power that comes to women when they give birth. They don't
ask for it, it simply invades them. Accumulates like clouds on the
horizon and passes through, carrying the child with it." Sheryl Feldman
- I want the wisdom of women surrounding and guiding me (women have been birthing naturally for eons)
- I want to have a nurturing relationship with my birthing team and not someone who may or may not be present at my birth.
- I want to avoid the hospital as much as possible. (Did I mention I didn't like hospitals? FYI, My grandfather was in a coma for 9 years and I visited the hospital a lot!)
- I want to give our baby a safe, peaceful and gentle welcome into this trying world.
