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Modern Midwifery
Our
country has all the modern miracles
of obstetric technology available,
yet more and more women are turning
to midwives. Although at the outset
this may seem a contradiction, a look
beneath the surface
shows why many women find that midwives
offer the ideal care. Midwives stress
preventive health care, and expect women
to retain responsibility
in their own health maintenance. They
approach each woman as an individual,
and take the time to tailor their services
to meet each
woman's needs. At its best, midwifery
care is a partnership between the practitioner
and the woman.
Philosophy
of Midwifery
Midwifery
care for pregnancy is based on a view of pregnancy and birth as
normal life events. In fact, midwives have been dubbed the guardians
of normal birth. While midwives are knowledgeable about obstetric
tests, technology and procedures, they reserve the use of such things
to those births which stray from normal. Midwives take into account
the social context of a birthing woman and family.
About
Midwives
- A
midwife can work within a variety of
practice settings. Some choose to work
within a hospital practice, some in
clinics, while others attend home births.
- Some
are employees of doctors or of hospitals
while others work independently. An
independent midwife can offer a woman
greater control over her health care
and over her birthing choices in general.
- All
midwives can perform laboratory tests
and provide full prenatal, postpartum,
newborn and well-woman care. Sage
Femme Midwifery additionally offers
natural menopause care, including bio-identical
hormones and other therapies.
- CNM's
also have the ability to prescribe
medications. Sage Femme Midwifery also
utilizes alternative therapies such
as herbs and homeopathy.
- Independent
midwives have consulting relationships
with the medical community, but are
only employed by the women they work
with.
- Hilary
Schlinger of Sage Femme Midwifery is
both a CNM and a CPM.
Midwife
Certification
There
are two midwifery certification bodies
in the US -- the American
College of Nurse Midwifery [ACNM], which
grants the Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
and Certified Midwife (CM) credentials,
and the North
American Registry of Midwives [NARM],
which grants the Certified Professional
Midwife (CPM) to qualified candidates.
This
reflects the historic split between
midwives
who arose out of the nursing profession,
tending to work in medical settings,
and those who arose
out of the grassroots setting, with
a less medical approach. While philosophies
regarding midwifery education, approach,
and scope
of practice differ between the two
national groups, this is not necessarily
reflected
in the practice of individual midwives.
Midwife
Safety
One
question often on the mind of pregnant
couples is, "Are midwives safe?" Numerous
studies show that midwives, both CNMs
and CPMs, have excellent safety records:
they have low perinatal mortality and
prematurity rates, and low rates of
intervention such as cesarean section.
They also have a high rate of client
satisfaction. Sage Femme Midwifery has
an excellent record of safe births.
When
looking for a midwife, feel free to
ask more questions about her certification,
training, and safety record.
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