Yikes, just re-read this. In the paragraph below where I invoke Shakespeare, the rose I am refering to is the generic but critical midwife, not the lovely Nicky, who could rightly be called a rose, but not in the context below. Nicky is very respectful of her midwife colleagues. Trish
Trish David wrote: > Abby, could I ask where you are studying midwifery??? > > I've read a fair bit about 'wise' women, don't romanticise some > half-forgotten past. Don't idealise a model of training and education > that isn't open to the scrutiny and evaluation of all its > stakeholders. To talk about traditionally trained midwives is like > talking about clouds. There are some fantastic programs for the > creation of 'lay' midwives across the world, and there are some really > dodgy ones as well, not even worthy of the name 'program'. > > Similarly, to say most student midwives in Australia are taught > obstetric nursing is an affront to those of us who struggle very hard > to create curricula and learning opportunities to subvert systems that > oppress women and midwives while allowing them to work safely in the > system that is out there. Would you have them learn for some ideal > world in the future while the women of today suffer a lack of midwives > who can work with them now? > > I'm with Belinda. While I believe not all midwives have the same > qualities or levels of skill, it serves no purpose to create a schism, > to pit us one against the other, but rather we should walk a mile in > each others shoes and learn to critically evaluate why we are as we > are, and determine how to make it better.... without blame and > finger-pointing. Nicky Leap is fond of saying a midwife is a midwife > is a midwife, but I believe that rose would smell sweeter if she was > as compassionate to her sisters as she is to birthing women. > > The 'lay' midwives I know, the homebirth midwives I have been > priveleged to work alongside, and the 'direct entry' midwives I have > met and am now helping to educate, are expected to be able to provide > the spectrum of care.... not just for well women, but also for those > who have emergencies and illness. These women need competent, fast > thinking, appropriately acting midwives with a heart, and who can use > EVERY tool at their disposal. > > As to interventions, we in the one-third of the world with good > nutrition, hygiene and public sanitation, freedom from poverty and > with good shelter and education might be complacent about midwives > only needing to guard normal. But ask the women in the developing > world, and the 'third world' whose greatest threat to life is PPH, who > have almost 100% morbidity, whose infant mortality rate is off the > scale, and who would sell their body for a chance to birth in a > well-equipped and clean facility what they want. Bet you can't guess? > It's not always a midwife. > > Wisdom doesn't always fall out of women's mouths or reside fully in > the practices of the past. Books have lots of it, and there are many > complementary paths to wisdom, not one single way. To choose merely > one is to turn one's back on all other possibilities. > > Anyway, enough sermonising for one night. > > Trish > > (PS can whoever started with the coloured wallpaper, and other > animated little thingies please think about turning them off? It's > really pretty, and artistic. But they take much longer to download and > sometimes create problems on the printer if there is something really > worth printing out to keep, thanks) > > Abby and Toby wrote: > >> Hi Belinda, >>I will throw a flame - what is a traditional midwife >> and why is this person always without faults and seemingly all >> knowledgeable and sanctified. I don't think anyone thinks that >> traditional midwives are without faults or sanctified, however, I do >> believe that in their education they learn more about the natural >> processes than in our current midwifery courses. I don't think this >> makes them anymore or less, though, they often have less rates of >> intervention. >>Why should I as a midwife capable of managing women >> with induction's, ctgs, multiple iv lines and drugs, catheters, >> monitors, ventilated babies, suction, uvcs uacs etc etc be classed >> as something other (therefore subtextually less than) this >> traditional midwife - where is she for sick women and babies who >> deserve a midwife. I believe traditional midwives are different. >> They often learn from another woman, on the job training so to >> speak, the wise ways rather than from books, in a classroom, in a >> hospital, from men etc. I guess the main difference I see, is that >> they don't see it as "managing" women or labour. In todays studies, >> from what I understand, student midwives are taught more about >> interventions and how to "manage" labour, rather than trusting a >> woman to birth her baby her way. Unfortunately much of the >> interventions you mention above are because of the system, not >> because women need them. Obviously there is a need in a very minimal >> percentage of cases, but most these interventions come from the way >> we are taught to believe birth has to be and from a lack of >> traditional knowledge within the hospital system and within women. I >> don't think this is the midwifes own problem but it stems from the >> training and conditioning. It is kinda like the difference between a >> naturopath and a doctor, one is naturally, wholistically trained ( >> though these days mostly through a college) and the other is >> medically trained, and not often wholistically. >>Please do not >> separate midwives, it maintains the divide and conquer problem which >> means we can do less than if we accept diversity and stand together. >> I think diversity is wonderful, though I would not put doctors and >> naturopaths in the same category. Would you not agree that current >> midwifery studies are not based on traditional, wise ways or even >> evidence based care in some schools? I find it hard not to seperate >> the two. That does not mean that midwives who are training now >> aren't good midwives, but they certainly are trained more as >> obstetric nurses and have to work hard to learn for themselves the >> wise and traditional ways of women. >>This traditional midwife vs >> obstetric nurse stuff is a huge bug bear of mine. I attend homebirth >> as well and am quite confident and comfortable independently, but my >> ability to work in labour wards and NICU settings does not mean I >> work as an obstetric nurse - ever.I also work very hard with >> students and know full well the dilemmas they endure in their >> training and can understand their frustration. Unfortunately, I've >> got to leave it there, just found my daughters first chickenpox and >> she is radiating heat. Great discussion though and I would love to >> finish this email another day. Love Abby > -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
