MoonDragon's Articles: Comparison Women's Birth Way VS Obstetric Birth Way Table

MOONDRAGON'S ARTICLES

BIRTH COMPARISONS
WOMAN'S WAY VS OBSTETRIC WAY

From The Homebirth Information Page

WOMAN'S WAY OF BIRTH OBSTETRIC WAY OF BIRTH

Cultural Definition of Birth

Social event.

Normal part of women's lives.

Birth is work by the woman and her family and kin.

The woman is a person passing through a major life transition.

Potentially pathological process.

Illness.

Birth is work of doctors/nurses/midwives and other experts.

The woman is a patient.

The Setting For Birth

Home or other familiar surroundings.

Informal system of care.

In a woman's home or nearby.

With other women of neighborhood and family.

Continuity of care.

Woman free to change position and move about.

Hospital, territory alien to the woman.

Bureaucratic, hierarchical system of care.

May be distant from woman's home.

Woman is separated from those close to her.

Discontinuity of care, e.g. shift changes/woman is moved from one room or one ward to another.

Woman may not be free to change position and move about.

Caregivers: The Support They Give & The Conduct of Labor

Older and more experienced women who are themselves mothers.

See birth as holistic process.

Shared decision-making between caregivers and woman giving birth.

No class distinction between caregivers and woman giving birth.

Equal relationship
Information shared.

Personal caring - longer, more frequent, and in-depth prenatal visits.

Often strong emotional support.

Verbal and non-verbal encouragement.

Familiar language and imagery used.

Empathy.

Cultural awareness because they are part of the same culture.

Awareness of spiritual significance of birth.

Believes in integrity of birth, uses technology if appropriate and proven.

Young and older women who have often not themselves had babies, under direction of male obstetricians.

Trained to focus on medical aspects of birth.

Professional care that is authoritarian.

Often class distinction between obstetricians and patients.

Dominant-subordinate relationship.

Information about health, disease, and degree of risk kept secret.

Care depersonalized.

Little emotional support.

Lack of communication.

Use of medical language.

Threatening and often punitive behaviour, e.g. commanding, scolding, warning.

Little cultural awareness of rituals, beliefs, social behavior, values.

Spiritual aspects of birth ignored or treated as embarrassing.

Values technology, often without proof that it improves birth outcomes.

Techniques Used

Skills to preserve the physiological progress of labor.

Usually intervention-free.

Comfort skill, e.g. massage, hot and cold compresses, holding.

Few resources to handle complicated obstructed labor.

No skills to preserve the physiological progress of labor.

Obstetric intervention.

Drugs for pain relief.

Skills and resources to handle complicated and obstructed labor, e.g. intravenous fluids, oxytocin stimulation, surgery.

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WOMAN'S WAY OF BIRTH	OBSTETRIC WAY OF BIRTH
*Cultural Definition of Birth*
Social event. Normal part of women's lives. Birth is work by the woman and her family and kin. The woman is a person passing through a major life transition.	Potentially pathological process. Illness. Birth is work of doctors/nurses/midwives and other experts. The woman is a patient.
*The Setting For Birth*
Home or other familiar surroundings. Informal system of care. In a woman's home or nearby. With other women of neighborhood and family. Continuity of care. Woman free to change position and move about.	Hospital, territory alien to the woman. Bureaucratic, hierarchical system of care. May be distant from woman's home. Woman is separated from those close to her. Discontinuity of care, e.g. shift changes/woman is moved from one room or one ward to another. Woman may not be free to change position and move about.
*Caregivers: The Support They Give & The Conduct of Labor*
Older and more experienced women who are themselves mothers. See birth as holistic process. Shared decision-making between caregivers and woman giving birth. No class distinction between caregivers and woman giving birth. Equal relationship Information shared. Personal caring - longer, more frequent, and in-depth prenatal visits. Often strong emotional support. Verbal and non-verbal encouragement. Familiar language and imagery used. Empathy. Cultural awareness because they are part of the same culture. Awareness of spiritual significance of birth. Believes in integrity of birth, uses technology if appropriate and proven.	Young and older women who have often not themselves had babies, under direction of male obstetricians. Trained to focus on medical aspects of birth. Professional care that is authoritarian. Often class distinction between obstetricians and patients. Dominant-subordinate relationship. Information about health, disease, and degree of risk kept secret. Care depersonalized. Little emotional support. Lack of communication. Use of medical language. Threatening and often punitive behaviour, e.g. commanding, scolding, warning. Little cultural awareness of rituals, beliefs, social behavior, values. Spiritual aspects of birth ignored or treated as embarrassing. Values technology, often without proof that it improves birth outcomes.
*Techniques Used*
Skills to preserve the physiological progress of labor. Usually intervention-free. Comfort skill, e.g. massage, hot and cold compresses, holding. Few resources to handle complicated obstructed labor.	No skills to preserve the physiological progress of labor. Obstetric intervention. Drugs for pain relief. Skills and resources to handle complicated and obstructed labor, e.g. intravenous fluids, oxytocin stimulation, surgery.