BirthKeeper, educate yourself! Think outside the box

Midwives, obstetricians, and birthkeepers are a little like good wine. They usually get better over the years. But what if there is already something there from the start that could spoil the wine? What if the young midwife is taught or misinterpreted things in her training or during her first job that make her narrow-minded or fear-based? That can happen very quickly. I don't want to attack anyone or generalize things with this article. And I have to make one thing clear: I was there too! Some things happened to me in midwifery training in Germany that completely unsettled me. Of course, the main reason for "This is the only way birth is & birth without medical intervention seems almost impossible" is the fear of complications and the experience of precarious or even tragic situations in the delivery room (or in birthing centers, etc.). Every midwife deserves the utmost respect and recognition. And it is also very important to reflect and keep asking how much you (still) believe that women can give birth on their own. And that this has to be done calmly, with time, with love, and with a lot of respect. I would like to share a little bit of my journey and it is certainly not universal or complete, but it is an example of how some magical moments can open your eyes. A really big moment was, for example, when I saw a woman giving birth on all fourths for the first time or when a woman giving birth to a second child conceived her child in her tub at home without any intervention from the experienced home birth midwife (please read my blog post on “Vaginal examinations"). In another article, I talk about the baby being the midwife and how it came about that I finally got it. It was a bit like having a treasure chest. My very personal midwifery treasure chest, in which I kept everything that should remind me of my deep convictions. Nobody could take that away from me, even if the box was screwed around quite often. It was like I had two learning paths. Once the training and once through real life somehow.

What does it need to accept such paradigm shifts and eye-openers? It needs an opportunity, like an opening, maybe even a crisis, a burnout, or desperation, but in the very best case, it only needs one thing: curiosity. Hopefully, this curiosity to learn more about pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and being a parent (e.g. also in other cultures) will not be taken away during the training. The sometimes really bad experiences I had to make during my time as a midwifery student were only cushioned because I was constantly educating myself, going to further training for midwives, reading books and positive birth stories, training with home birth midwives, living in Guatemala with an 83-year-old midwife, etc. This saved my trust in nature and the strength of us women to be able to give birth naturally and independently. But now I also would like to report on some very disturbing situations during my training in a medium-sized university hospital (which at times had a monthly c-section rate of 60%!!!). We midwives know this for sure. For example, a woman giving birth to a second child with ruptured membranes is forced to lie in bed and even pee in the bedpan while she is in active labor and her body is screaming and wanting to get up to use movement and gravity to birth the baby. Since the baby's head was not quite firm at the time of admission, reference was made to the "umbilical cord prolapse" horror scenario as a possible risk, which was played out of sheer abuse of power and ignorance. As a side note, a prolapsed umbilical cord usually happens at the moment of rupture of membranes itself, e.g. when you break the waters for no reason. But to this day in Germany, many women with ruptured membranes are driven through the city to the nearest clinic in ambulances because they have been told not to get up (anymore) after a ruptured membrane. Another example is that women who "take a break" in the transition phase after rapid dilatation of the cervix are treated with epidurals and IV drips of Pitocin because there is a standard that the child is born in 2 hours after full dilatation Who comes up with that? How often does a midwife cheat and tell the doctor who is mostly the executive that the cervix is ​​only open "to the hem" instead of completely?

Or examples of women giving birth, who are jumped on their stomachs to perform the so-called Kristeller maneuver, instead of simply getting them into the "all fourth" or squatting position, which opens the pelvis in different levels and thus the child without this brute intervention could be born. Or women, who are often examined vaginally by several different people every two hours so that the documentation is correct and interventions can be justified. Another classic is the case that the babies react with stress due to the Pitocin drip, which was applied due to time pressure, and therefore a cesarean section has to be made. That's enough. Conclusion: Women do not have to be delivered. We can birth in most cases by ourselves. We midwives must learn to restrain ourselves. Birth takes patience and a loving environment. I know it doesn't make any money. The reasons why our birthing culture is the way it is today are obvious. It is not economical not to intervene. And when you constantly intervene, more unexpected and risky things happen, which in turn leads to more interventions. It's a downward spiral that, in some cases, never ends. But what to do? First of all, women have it in their hands and we as midwives have the duty and also the opportunity to enlighten women in such a way that they go down a self-determined path. And this can have a lasting effect on the maternity clinics, as they advertise for women who are giving birth. Do I recommend a healthy woman with a healthy baby to a clinic that is known for its gentle and respectful birthing culture, or do I send her to the clinic that advertises its high cesarean section rate, which it claims is a supposed safety factor? It's about information. For women to make informed decisions, we should continue our education as birthkeepers and keep reflecting on what defines our profession and how infinitely important the birth of each baby is. I am very glad that you have read this article. I hope I was able to open a few eyes and maybe even inspire you to learn more with me and to think outside the box. I offer midwife training (as well as for expectant midwives and of course doulas), in which I point out exactly these blinders and want to question them together with you.

If you would like to know more, then arrange a free introductory call with me at yourmidwifehour@gmail.com. I would be really happy!