Sixty-eight percent of births outside the United States are attended by midwives (Johnson). Surely, these countries are doing something wrong. What expectant mother would want to be locked away in a dark room during labor while a little old lady barks out orders to whomever will listen? Although she may take command of the room, no sane woman would ever consider her as the best option to help her through the birthing process. She isn 't a board-certified doctor and probably has little to no formal education. A midwife has no business delivering a baby. The practice after all is rather archaic and risky. Or is it? Other industrialized nations such as Great Britain recognize midwifery as a formal profession backed by science and formal training.
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At first, physicians worked in conjunction with midwives because they did not have anything more advanced to offer (Stover, p313-317). As technological advances were made, this quickly changed and they began to speak out against midwives stating that they were uneducated and unfit to provide care for expectant mothers. They ran campaigns to discredit them and lobbied the government to outlaw them, painting horrific pictures of them. They didn’t succeed completely. Midwifery has had a resurgence and the movement continues to grow. Perception needs to change in the United States. Midwives in other countries are the primary caretaker for expectant mothers. For example, in England, 55.6% of births are attended by a midwife verses 39.7% conducted by a hospital doctor (United Kingdom. Health and Social Care Information Centre). Even the World Health Organization has a positive view of midwives. They support programs throughout the world to train people in this profession so that people in rural areas can receive the care they need for childbirth. Per their studies, 87% of service need can be delivered by midwives and should be considered a core part of universal healthcare (The Case for Midwifery). So, if other developed countries and organizations have a positive view of midwives, is our perception wrong? The …show more content…
One of the key differences between midwives and obstetricians is training. Obstetricians spend years training for their degree. They are required to do formal classroom training before moving on to four years of specialized residency training (FAQ). From beginning to end, this can take up to 15 years to complete. Whereas certification for a midwife requires a Bachelor’s degree (a nursing degree is strongly encouraged) followed by a 3-year program with an apprenticeship (American College of Nurse-Midwives). This is important because medical training focuses on teaching doctors to think a certain way. The president of the American College of Nurse-Midwives Ginger Breedlove states that
One of the major differences between obstetricians and midwives is the philosophies that ground their training. Medical education is fundamentally disease-based and curative; as a result, “[OB-GYNs’] focus is more on the sick woman who either has healthcare needs through the lifespan or has complex obstetric needs (Santa
At first, physicians worked in conjunction with midwives because they did not have anything more advanced to offer (Stover, p313-317). As technological advances were made, this quickly changed and they began to speak out against midwives stating that they were uneducated and unfit to provide care for expectant mothers. They ran campaigns to discredit them and lobbied the government to outlaw them, painting horrific pictures of them. They didn’t succeed completely. Midwifery has had a resurgence and the movement continues to grow. Perception needs to change in the United States. Midwives in other countries are the primary caretaker for expectant mothers. For example, in England, 55.6% of births are attended by a midwife verses 39.7% conducted by a hospital doctor (United Kingdom. Health and Social Care Information Centre). Even the World Health Organization has a positive view of midwives. They support programs throughout the world to train people in this profession so that people in rural areas can receive the care they need for childbirth. Per their studies, 87% of service need can be delivered by midwives and should be considered a core part of universal healthcare (The Case for Midwifery). So, if other developed countries and organizations have a positive view of midwives, is our perception wrong? The …show more content…
One of the key differences between midwives and obstetricians is training. Obstetricians spend years training for their degree. They are required to do formal classroom training before moving on to four years of specialized residency training (FAQ). From beginning to end, this can take up to 15 years to complete. Whereas certification for a midwife requires a Bachelor’s degree (a nursing degree is strongly encouraged) followed by a 3-year program with an apprenticeship (American College of Nurse-Midwives). This is important because medical training focuses on teaching doctors to think a certain way. The president of the American College of Nurse-Midwives Ginger Breedlove states that
One of the major differences between obstetricians and midwives is the philosophies that ground their training. Medical education is fundamentally disease-based and curative; as a result, “[OB-GYNs’] focus is more on the sick woman who either has healthcare needs through the lifespan or has complex obstetric needs (Santa