Labor and Delivery with a Midwife
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 there is that pain involved, two schools of thought have come about on how to deal with labor and delivery. 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 delivery which is associated with drugs to kill the pain, and sometimes cesarean to complete 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 the midwifery model as it is called.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 philosphy believes that pregnancy, labor, and delivery should happen as naturally as possible because it is a natural process.
This model is carried out by a profession called midwives. Midwives San Diego 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 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 this is what a midwife is and what midwifery is in regards to pregnancy and delivery.
Their objective is to let the labor and delivery to occur as naturally as possible.This makes the likelihood of a c-section less likely.Does not subject you to hospital procedures that are invasive such as episiotomys.Less medical intrusion will be used such as drugs to speed up or slow the pregnancy or the breaking of the water.And the part woman love the most, usually labor and delivery happen much faster 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, it gives you some different options to look into and explore. Remember this is first hand knowledge from a San Diego midwife.
Tags: homebirth, midwife, midwifery, midwives, waterbirth