Midwifery has been the topic of many heated debates in recent years, and a source of my own confusion here as of late. Midwife after midwife across the globe have been subject to legal actions for practicing "medicine without a license" or even "medical negligence." I wanted to address the "medical" aspect of midwifery, but I have found no evidence to suggest there is a medical aspect. The disciplined study of midwifery is not medical by any means. There are two main types of midwife: A Certified Professional Midwife (or Certified Midwife) and Certified Nurse Midwife. According to the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), The midwife-led model of care begins with the premise that pregnancy and birth are normal life events and Founder, Executive Director and Curriculum Developer of Ancient Art Midwifery Institute Carla Hartley said, "Midwifery, in my definition, is very adept at assisting with all the variables of normal, and quick to recognize when a line has been crossed and medical help needs to be considered. I do not believe that midwives should carry drugs or oxygen. I do not believe that they should be practicing medicine under the guise of practicing midwifery."
So where does the medical aspect of midwifery come in to play? It doesn't. Certified Nurse Midwives are able to practice medicine due to their nursing background on which their midwifery training builds. But the disciplines of midwifery and nursing remain separate. "It boils down to this: either birth is medical or it is not," Hartley said. "If it is, then we should all go to the hospital for birth anyway. If birth is physiology rather than pathology, and we stay home with women exercising their sovereignty over their biology, then no medicine is being practiced. When medicine is needed, the best plan is to go where medicine is practiced." Pathological vs. Physiological The term pathological refers to diseases and dealing with the nature of diseases. However, pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period are not diseases. Instead, they are physiological in nature, which means these stages of life are appropriate and normal functions for our human bodies. So... let's recap: Birth is not a disease. It's normal. Here's a few examples of other aspects of life which are normal, natural, physiological processes:
We get bumps, bruises and headaches... we go through a lot of physiologically normal situations all on our own. Without seeking medical help unless complications arise. Now, I'm well aware childbirth is on a whole different playing field than some of these minor, every day occurrences. However, the fact of the matter still remains the same: The perinatal period (Pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum periods) is a physiologically normal part of a woman's life. A midwife is trained to provide care and guidance to the physiologically normal aspect. She is not trained to provide care for the complications which may arise. She is, however, trained to identify complications and refer that mother out when referrals are warranted or requested. A midwife with a nursing background (Certified Nurse Midwife), is qualified to provide extra medical support and usually works under the supervision of an OB/GYN and/or practice. Midwifery is not medicine. NOTE: There's currently an open petition for the state of Delaware to allow CPM's to obtain permits so they may practice in our state. Please sign and share our petition (especially with friends who may live in Delaware!).
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AuthorWelcome to Momma Trauma's Blog! Thoughts, empowering posts and stories straight from Momma Trauma herself, Birth Trauma families & birth professionals. Archives
July 2015
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