Midwifery and Midwives Explained
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 delivering babies which is tied in with using drugs to kill the pain, and sometimes c -sections to finish 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.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 a profession practiced by midwives. Midwives San Diego are generally woman, who attend the birth, often times at the mother’s home. This midwife would then assist the woman in trying to get through labor as naturally as possible without medicine.
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 professional with a regulatory board that 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 formal doctors or nurses, they will have some medical equipment for emergencies like resuscitation devices and equipment for suturing.
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 reduced the need and use 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.
Hopefully this was informative and helped you understand some of the benefits of midwifery and having a midwife there for your pregnancy.At the very least, it gives you some different options to look into and explore. Remember this is first hand knowledge from a San Diego midwife.
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