For many years women helped fellow women give birth. In offering support, calming them and in doing so relieve their pain, and delivery the child. I find it fascinating how midwifery has been demonized and outlawed as the power in the delivery room shifted to the men. More currently Certified Professional Midwives (CPM's) can only practice in 27 states and are frowned upon in certain sectors of society. Doulas are seen as unnecessary and there are those that doubt the need for them at all. Hospitals are preferred when giving birth but there is a growing murmur of a trend where women are branching out and discovering that there are other less conventional ways of doing things. Or perhaps the conventional ways of doing things are what we should be aiming for in this case!
Ricki Lake Documentary - The Business of Being Born
My good friend recently gave a hospital birth and the baby came so fast that the nurse ended up delivering the child before the Doctor arrived. Shockingly the nurse felt the need to apologize to the Doctor when he got to the room. Can you imagine that a Registered Nurse would have fear or reservations about conducting a birth when necessary but this is part of the dilemma that women face today concerning midwifery.
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