Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Midwives

Is anyone here a midwife? No? Good, let the stereotypes abound


The reason I’ve been thinking about midwives is my wife and I were talking about what we would do if we had another baby. It’s a big if because we have 5 now. We figured out what was causing it and put a stop to it. Turns out you can make a kid in 15 minutes with objects you find around the house.

So we saying if we had another one, would we want a midwife to do it. No. No we do not.

I don’t really understand midwifery, which is why I can ridicule it, but I’m not really sure why you would choose it. On one hand you have the doctor at the hospital with the years of medical training and all the emergency equipment in case something goes wrong. Or you could deliver on your kitchen table aided by an elderly woman who smells of cat. Plus there’s the added bonus of having no drugs!


I believe midwifery is the only profession that a man is barred from participating in, and no one seems to mind. There are no civil cases or constitutional challenges to the discrimination of men as midwives.

"Hi, I’m Bob. I’ll be your midwife tonight. Don’t worry, I washed my hands after I used your can. Anyone want a beer?”

14 comments:

Beryl said...

hmmm, I didn't know men were banned from midwifery...or that any of midwives I know smell like cats. I know some people that do, does that count? lol

I lost a baby, had a C section and then three more subsequent deliveries,in that order, not on the kitchen table, (owie), but in the comfort of my home, surrounded by those I loved and in the care of competent health care givers.

Each experience had its merits, but even having experienced each of these circumstances, I can't really make a fair comparison or determination which was a better experience than the other. They were all valuable in their own way.

Unknown said...

A midwife is a good choice for low risk women who want a natural birth. It is cheaper and generally an all around better expereince. Your midwife can help you get into a position that will allow for the passage of the baby through the birth canal in a more natural way than a doctor at a hospital as they are only taught one delivery method in med school. Also midwives are nurses that have gone through very specialised training to be able to do what they do. They are often more versed in many different types of delivery than your standard OBGYN and can often be a better choice in an emergent situation because of that knowledge. OB's usually know only the lie down and push method and they are quick to jump to surgery in the event of small mishaps because they are doctors, and doctors like to cut.

I do however think your stereotypes are quite funny and quite common.

Paul G said...

I was considering becoming a mid-wife after I retire from construction.

mel said...

I guess things vary from state to state. The hospital I work for and delivered both my girls at, has a Midwifery group. With both pregnancies I had risk; preeclampsia and a choriangioma with the other. I received my prenatal care in the hospital from a midwife and delivery by midwife in the hospital both times. I wouldn't have it any other way. My boyfriend was extremely involved in the delivery or as much as I would imagine anyone that is not clincal could be.

Another Suburban Mom said...

I had a doctor for Darling Boy since my mom had high-risk pregnancies and deliveries and I was considered high risk until I proved otherwise. My OB was a wonderful woman, who was out on vacation when I delivered and some strange woman I never saw before caught the baby.

For Princess Persistent I had a midwife. I checked 1st to make sure that I could still have lots of drugs with a midwife first and since they promised me pain meds I went with it.

I liked the midwives better. I explained my distaste for anything that could smack of crunchy granolaism and they gave me a great experience and were with me for all of PP's labor.

I have to admit I am not a big fan of home birth because giving birth is messy and I want someone else cleaning the ook.

UP said...

My grandmother, who would be 133 years old if she were living, was a midwife. She delivered hundreds of babies in the tiny mountain town of Goshen, VA. There are several ladies there named for her. (Cenie Pheletter...and I'm not kidding.) We had two kids, one a c-section and one a vbac (vaginal birth after c-section) Frankly after having been in the room watching the miracle of birth two times and two different ways, I'll skip midwifery school. And BTW, it isn't cat pee you're smelling!

UP

UP said...

My grandmother, who would be 133 years old if she were living, was a midwife. She delivered hundreds of babies in the tiny mountain town of Goshen, VA. There are several ladies there named for her. (Cenie Pheletter...and I'm not kidding.) We had two kids, one a c-section and one a vbac (vaginal birth after c-section) Frankly after having been in the room watching the miracle of birth two times and two different ways, I'll skip midwifery school. And BTW, it isn't cat pee you're smelling!

UP

Not a soccer mom said...

Bout time men were barred from some profession...

I think if I could shoot that kid out and turn over and sleep in my own bed.. I would.. But i didn't

web designing jacksonville said...

Go to freeourmidwives.org for more information, and ways to help! We don’t have too much time left!

Joanna Cake said...

I think you'll find it's because men associate midwifery with low-tech births that rely on the woman working with nature.

They prefer to be obstetricians who ride in like knights on white chargers to solve problems and rescue the damsel in distress with lots of medical and surgical intervention...

Web Hosting said...

Great reminders! I am currently listening to the Obama Administration's conference call on maternal health and H1N1, and it is imperative to get the message out to pregnant women to get the vaccine!!!

Anonymous said...

I found you through Mrs. Blogsalot and I'm fucking thrilled I did. This blog is full of awesomeness.

You ask the question "I don’t really understand midwifery, which is why I can ridicule it, but I’m not really sure why you would choose it."

Well sir, you answered your own question ; ) "I believe midwifery is the only profession that a man is barred from participating in"

Not that I would ever use a midwife (Um yeah, I made sure my doctor wrote on my chart that I want the "good drugs" the day the stick turned pink), however, many women feel very powerful giving birth without the medical intervention of a doctor. Me? I wanted a steady drip of Vicodin after I popped my curtain climber out.

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