Anyone know anything about it? I'd think it would be a very useful skill in certain circumstances. I'm also thinking of using one locally if/when I'm ready for the Big Day.
I used one with my son...and had a home delivery. I was also a L&D nurse for 12 yrs at MUSC in Charleston, SC... Let's see...I want to move to Tenn.....you need a midwife...hmmmm.... Let me get some coffee in the body and will respond...But if it were me? I would always pick the midwife...for many reasons. Home delivery is a different story...depends on the mothers age, how many pregnancies...etc... After coffee...then we'll talk...This is one area I have experience in..personal, and professional....
One thing to look into would be the local and fed requirements for getting documents with a home delivery. We have a friend that had all of her kids at home, and as infants and young kids there was no big concern about the paper work and she had gotten the runaround when she tried to get them being told she needed all kinds of things to prove the kids were hers and when and where they had been born. With no birth certificates they dont have social security numbers and will not be able to get any other form of ID (her oldest is now 13 or 14) and also would not have been able to get into school but she home schooled anyway. I know in some ways being able to not have all that stuff may sound like a cool thing but in the eyes of many institutions (schools, hospitals, government, etc.) if you dont have the papers you dont exist and cant be delt with except the law enforcement who hassel anyone with no papers and now may arest them. So like I say, it may be worth the time to check ahead of time on what will be required to get the paper work after the kid is born it its done at home cause its no longer like in our grandparents day where you go to the county office when you get a chance with the baby and they just take your word that theyre yours and when and where they were born.
If you use a legitamite, registered midwife now, that paperwork is taken care of if you want. All we are talking here is a Birth certificate. I din't have a SSN for many years and it was a matter of a Birth Certificate only. What I'm really getting at here is a post SHTF situation. I think that most people would pretty much freak out if they had to deliver. It's not that dificuly and someone with a little knowledge would be in pretty high demand.
Ok, just figured it bore mention as the 'unatended' caught my atention. My friend delivered them her self and just had her husband there, niether of them is lisenced or anything like that, so it has kind of made for a SNAFU for getting anything on the kids includeing birth certificates.
That just scares the crap out of me. For ignorance reasons more than anything. This last baby turned breach at the last minute so we had to have a C-section. I was really impressed with our OB-GYN, and the hospital also. I can't see having a child any other way, but it would be a good idea to have a midwife in a SHTF situation. No doubt.
_________________________________________________________________ This is kind of what I'm thinking...Check into one of the cabins for a week or two and just relax. Emergency help is very close by and they seem to know what they are doing. C section rate of less than 2%?... I think the national average is over 20% http://farmcatalog.com/book_sp_midwifery.html
Melbo, I don't know what the national average is, but I would guess that it is higher due to "scheduled" births. That is C sections used to deliver infants at the convinience of the doctor or the mother. Some additional thoughts: Any EMT-Basic is trained to deliver a child. Provided that the birth is normal, there should be no problem with useing them. The mid wife is a great alternative, and they do offer some selective care for the mother not usually obtainable at a hospital. However, in a scenerio that does not offer access to an ER, I'm not sure how much more prepared to deal with the problem they are. To their credit, this is what they do. They are trained to help the mother bring a new life into this world. They understand what goes on in a delivery. They know when to tell the mom to push, and when to not. They also would be great in helping to care for mother & child after the delivery. They even understand when they are in over their heads and need to call an OB/GYN. The problem is that an OB/GYN may not be available in a SHTF situation. Maybe I'm underestimating what a mid wife can do, but its my understanding that they can't preform C sections. Perhaps some one with more experience in this matter can help. Please do not think that I'm against the profession, my wife and I are considering using one when the time comes. I think they are a great alternative to a sterile hospital. I'm not sure that they are the end all be all when it comes to a difficult delivery during a SHTF situation. Just my .02, phishi
We are going through lamase (sp) classes right now, I am not seeing much difference between a midwife and a doc except what the doc can do over a midwife. I'm sure each state has different laws governing. The only thing I caught last week was that midwives cannot conduct suction assisted births here. Of course, I have been gone for half the classes due to NO, so I can ask some more in depth questions next Wednesday. That is unless CRC clears some of this up. Oh yea, I think a doc still has to be on stand by if you use a midwife.
I'll be meeting with the midwives in that link in the next month. I'll pick their brains and see what they can and can't do. I agree phishi. A doc is more likely to say, Oops, possible problem here, and open her up. C-sections are safe and are prolly a lessor liability on the OB.. IMHO
I used midwives for both of my kids. Love 'em! I did used them in a hospital setting, which is different than your scenario (because I really love the epidural guy (he's a birthing mother's best friend!) LOL. It's like the best of both worlds. The setting worked out for the best for me, as we almost lost my daughter; which is where I went from nice, friendly midwife birth to a room full of strangers. So much for modesty (ugh!). She did stay, but mostly for moral support, as medical technology had to take over at that point (no c-section).
