Hello Tina, Thank you for your feedback on my Diary entry. This is a complex issues and rather than take up a lot of ozmidwifery space, I have written another Diary entry to explore some associated issues in more detail, especially the research related to the presences of a doula, and differences between developed and developing countries and their respective maternity care systems. Check it out at: http://www.birthinternational.com/diary/index.html
In response to your comment: >I see the very argument used here against the "doula craze" …could also >be employed to that of lactation consultants….childbirth educators (with >all due respect Andrea) parenting educators etc.. The proliferation of all >these 'professionals' has only served to create layer upon layer of >'professional' who all seem to have assumed such knowledge that was once >considered to be midwifery knowledge and women's innate "ways of >knowing"…….only to be slowly eroded away with the medicalisation of >pregnancy and birth and the advancement of all these so called 'experts'. > >In an ideal world…the professional doula…CBE's and LC's, parenting >educators etc etc…..would all be redundant. Women would live and birth >locally within their own communities with the local midwife/wise woman in >attendance…All this education and support…would be done informally as >part of the woman's preparation for birth…a community >responsibly…integrated throughout her life informed from life >experiences….all normalizing the work of labour, birth and >motherhood….Sadly however…as we all know to well….this is very much >a romantic notion….as in today's society….birth like death has been >removed from our homes…our communities. We tend not to live by the seat >of our pants anymore…or follow our instincts or intuition…we live >quite removed from Mother Nature and all her splendors…. I agree with this wholeheartedly and wrote about this as long ago as 1987, in the first edition of my book Teaching Active Birth. I would say, however, that I see the most important role for the childbirth educator as that of encouraging the social networks of parents in the community - something that midwives working with women in one-to-one care (as I hope will become the norm one day) may have difficulty in doing. The need for pregnant women to feel part of a social group is very strong and this is one thing that a childbirth educator can facilitate with appropriate groups. It is all thought provoking stuff..... Regards, Andrea ----- Andrea Robertson Birth International * ACE Graphics * Associates in Childbirth Education e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] web: www.birthinternational.com -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
