With a 40% staffing shortfall, midwifery needs better funding. But as new research shows, midwives also need recognition and support for the important work they do in the New Zealand health sector.
A free birth is when a woman chooses to have a baby, usually at home, without a registered midwife or doctor in attendance. It’s much riskier than a planned home birth.
Women favour seeing the same health provider throughout pregnancy, in labour and after they have their baby – whether that’s via midwifery group practice, a private midwife or a private obstetrician.
Many women want to see the same one or two midwives throughout, and want to chose where they give birth. And when the time comes, they want a vaginal birth, with less intervention.
Women described feeling dehumanised, powerless and violated. Some experienced psychological and emotional abuse, while others were threatened and yelled at.
During a pandemic, a home birth starts looking better every second. Midwives with their specialized skills in low-risk normal birth can be of great service.
Childbirth used to be a terrifying ordeal. But women were surrounded by others – mothers, aunts, sisters – who brought love and experience. But midway through the 19th century, this changed.
For lesbian couples or trans men, the ‘unexpected’ gender of one parent causes difficulties for maternity services where notions of ‘normal’ are increasingly out of step with the times.
The benefits of midwifery for women and babies globally are clear. In Canada, innovations in midwifery centres and services are tempered by low pay and high rates of burnout.
Evidence suggests that microbes play a vital role in health. But what microbes we get depends whether we were born in a hospital versus at home. That could impact our health decades later.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex wish to keep the arrival of their baby private – and it’s caused some consternation. But this was normal for most medieval women.
New research shows that midwifery care is not just for the wealthy – it has health and cost benefits for vulnerable women and provincial governments must act to increase their access.