Midwives as well as hospitals both offer positives and negatives that involve birthing a baby. Having a birth with the assistance of a midwife may be reassuring to a mother because the birth is in the comfort of her own home. It really depends on what kind of person you are because others might feel safer with more than one person assisting you in having the baby. The appointments of the two births are also very different. A prenatal appointment at the hospital may consist of a five to ten minute visit with the doctor and the appointment with a midwife may consist of thirty minutes to an hour just because the midwife not only wants to see how the baby's doing, but wants to see how the mother is doing also.
I really can understand having a birth with the assistance of a midwife as well as having a birth in a hospital. Having a birth at home in my opinion is more peaceful and allows the mother to really get involved with the birth whereas in a hospital, they drug you up and pull the baby out themselves and sometimes perform a c-secton. According to the video we watched in class on Wednesday, having a birth in a hospital is much more complicated as for as the health of the baby. Alot of things could go wrong in doing so and it just can be harmful to the baby. At the same time having a birth in the hospital is now pretty much an american tradition, so we might get looked at crazy by a family member if we decided to have a birth at home.
On the other hand birthing while at home can also have its complications. A midwife does not have all the technology a hospital may own. Yes, having a midwife can be a great benefit because the health of the baby is believed to be better this way. I guess its just a personal preference and what that person can afford because I'm aware that they both have their price differences. A birth at a hospital is usually less expensive if you have insurance.
I agree with you when you say that birthing in the hospital seems more "normal" and an American tradition. I think that as far as midwifery being a personal preference to all women, I believe that if women were better informed about the benefits of midwifing and the dangers of hospital births, the majority of women would prefer natural birth over hospital birth procedures. The comfort of the woman as well as the child is not taken into consideration in hospitals during labor.
ReplyDeleteYes, getting the medication in the hospital can be bad for the child or the mother, but having a midwife is not the safest way to have a child either. Did you ever think about the complications? I think it is an American tradition to have a child in a hospital because no one really ever thinks about having a midwife. I think we should make Americans more available and educated in having a midwife so they can pick this option if they choose.
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