midwifery
Support for the Midwifery Profession: Pros and Cons The tradition of midwifery virtually disappeared in Canada during the early part of this century. Several generations of women gave up childbirth at home to the medical profession. They did this in the name of safety and pain relief, or simply because the option of being cared for by a midwife no longer existed. Midwifery should be re-instated as a legal and honourable profession. With healthy pregnancies and under normal conditions, women should give birth at home with the professional assistance of a midwife. The most common argument against home births and midwifery are perpetuated by the medical establishment. As a profession, they openly oppose to lay midwifery, and as Dr. William Hall, president of the College of Physicians, said, he and the college oppose home births because they feel it is unsafe. (Ramondt, 1990) Undoubtedly, the medical profession is correct in protesting home births in certain cases. Some pregnancies are difficult and some births are problematic. It is not difficult to concede that there are times when sound medical intervention is a necessity and a blessing. To insist, though, that every birth requires a hospital setting and the attendance o
When the myth of safety is dispelled with the facts, it is not difficult to see that giving birth at home with the consistent and professional care of a midwife offers many advantages over a hospital setting. At home they are free to create an atmosphere of their own choosing for the birth. f a doctor with ten years training is, as many experts in the field agree, rather ludicrous. 3% of hospital births while they rate for midwifery is only 307% (Hopkins, 1990). This is a consideration that midwives take seriously and is reflected in the quality of care and support that they offer throughout the entire experience. The midwife sample fared far better with significantly less fetal distress, birth injuries, and infants needing resuscitation. Furthermore, the routine of use of medical procedures initially developed to protect high-risk mothers and babies are often used by doctors simply as preventive measures. This does not include costs for hospitalization, pre- or post-natal care, or any additional costs that may arise out of inducement of labour, cesareans, spinal blocks, or other services. These realities make it questionable whether or not to use these procedures are used in only high-risk situations as originally intended. With the average stay for a birth being three to seven days, the cost to the taxpayer is very high.
Common topics in this essay:
Caldero Barcia,
University Calgary,
Pros Cons,
Health Care,
University Alberta,
Eleanor Barrington,
College Physicians,
Lewis Mehl,
Alberta Report,
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ramondt 1990,
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421 women attended,
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1990 september,
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Acceptance Essays
