Traditional Midwives

2656 Words6 Pages

Abstract
Developing nations are plagued by high maternal mortality rates, unwanted pregnancies, and family planning policies that aim to control population growth through sterilization and unsafe birth control drugs. In such harsh settings, traditional midwives are important and effective agents of women’s wellness and family planning policy. This essay will evaluate the community roles of professional versus traditional midwives in rural Asia, including discussion regarding the meager respect afforded traditional midwives by physicians and clinic staff without acknowledging the work they accomplish with such limited resources. Analysis of the results of midwife training programs will compare government-sponsored programs’ curricula to outreach education by colleagues from the international community, showing that these professional midwives provide methods for integrating traditional midwives into professional (hospital) circles as well as offering more realistic approaches to midwives in indigenous communities in the face of Western biomedicine’s influx into government policy. Data will also be presented that suggests that maternal mortality rates are reduced as a result of pre- and post-partum care from midwives, and that education and home visits by midwives helps advance women’s status by increasing their ability to regulate their fertility.
Professional versus Traditional Midwives
The international definition of midwife ratified by the World Health Organization (WHO) describes an individual who has completed a duly recognized program of study and is registered or legally licensed to practice midwifery in their country (WHO, 2000). This differs from most cultural definitions of a midwife. More often, midwives are any woman experienced in birth and recognized by her community to be a midwife. WHO calls these women Traditional Birthing Assistants (TBAs), and considers them care providers who fall outside the formal sector of skilled birth attendants. However, these women are experienced in maternal care and offer expertise to their clients. They are also accepted by their communities as able midwives and habitually afforded more trust than professionals.
Professional midwives in Northern nations receive eight or more years of education. Their practice is usually categorized as an alternative form of healthcare. In fact, an e...

... middle of paper ...

...men’s Enews,
September 25, 2003. Retrieved February 7, 2005 from http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1539/cintext/archive

Maine, D., Murat, Z.A., Chakraborty, J., Francisco, A. de, & Strong, M. (1996). Why did maternal mortality rates decline in Matlab? Studies in Family Planning, 27(4), 179-187.

Mcrory, F. (1995). HIV testing and pregnancy. [Electronic version]. Midwifery Matters,
67, 10-13.

Nasir, K., & Hyder, A.A. (2003). Violence against pregnant women in developing countries. European Journal of Public Health, 13 (2), 105-107.

Phillips, J.F. & Hossain, M.B. (2003). The impact of household delivery of family planning services on women’s status in Bangladesh. International Family Planning Perspectives, 29(3), 138-145.

Rogers, E. M. & Solomon, D. S. (1975). Traditional midwives and family planning in
Asia. Studies in Family Planning, 6(5), 126-133.

UNICEF Press Release. (2004). UN taskforce meets to address infant infection with
HIV/AIDS. Retrieved March 3, 2005 from www.unicef.org

World Health Organization (WHO). (2000). Global action for skilled attendants for pregnant women. Department of Reproductive Health and Research publication.

Open Document