Labor and delivery; it brings joy but also 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 in my profession as a midwife.
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 another model, which though not widely accepted, for those who believe in it and have experience it consider it much safer and natural for the woman. That model is called the midwifery model. That is in obvious contrast with the usual medical model way of doing things.
The medical model is where you rely heavily on medicine, while the midwifery model 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 carried out by a profession called midwives. Midwives are generally woman, who attend the birth, often times at the mother’s home. This midwife would help the woman try to deliver the baby as naturally as possible without the use of 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 a lot of the times they are not a nurse or a doctor, a midwife sometimes is a nurse also. 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 objective is to let the labor and delivery to occur as naturally as possible. This reduces the likelihood of a c-section. Doesn’t allow you to be subject to invasive hospital procedures 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 least, hopefully it gives you more options to explore.
If you would like to learn more from a San Diego midwife visit her site.
You will learn from her experience assisting women in labor as well as from other midwives San Diego
Article Source: Alternative methods of pregnancy and delivery
