Reflection on Observed Births ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.In what ways has your experience observing births changed your ideas about childbirth and the midwifery model of care? During these past 6 months as a student midwife in my clinical phase, I have evolved and learned so much from my experiences. From the first time that I attended a home birth, I realized that the midwives model of care was completely different from anything else that I have ever witnessed. It was around 1 in the morning when I got the call that the mother was in labor. I immediately got in my car and drove 45 minutes to witness this birth. The mother was surrounded by her midwife, the assistant, a doula, and her partner. Everyone was so supportive and calm. The environment was inviting, and full of love and confidence. The midwife gave constant support to the mother and positively encouraged her throughout the process. Where was I? I had never experienced this before. This model of care where the mother’s needs come first, and everyone is there to serve her. There are no monitors attached, no stress, just support. I sat there and I observed this beautiful scene in front of me. I felt that I was there to learn about this model of care, and to see how caring and natural it was. After witnessing this birth and the other 19 that I have observed, I find myself in deep thought on why the midwives model of care is the right care for mothers. Before I had attended homebirths, I assumed that hospital care was the normal care and that there were no other options. I thought homebirth was tabu and dangerous. As I progress into my clinical work, I find that my ideas about childbirth have changed dramatically. I feel now that homebirth is a safe option, and that it is the highest quality of care for a low risk birthing mother. I am saddened by the hospital birth stories of unnecessary cesarean sections, lack of informed consent, lack of support, and birth being viewed as a medical issue. These feelings of sadness and my empathy for mother’s has made me fall in love with the midwifery model of care. I now know that homebirth is a safe option, and that it is not dangerous. I feel such a sense of joy when these mothers bring their babies into the world in the comfort of their own homes, surrounded by loved ones, and with women-centered care. Listening to client’s feelings and opinions about their births, has really made me change my ideas and thoughts regarding childbirth. Before, I learned about midwifery, I was unaware that so much support and quality prenatal care could be present. My preconceptions was that prenatal care was made to be short, to the point, and impersonal. Being a student has opened my mind and showed me a better way to quality prenatal care. Many homebirth mothers have shared that quality and personal prenatal care through midwives allowed them to open up, bring up hidden issues, be confident in their process, and in turn, was one of the main reasons for healthy births. Both the mother and midwife gain an open communication through this process and allows for better care to be provided to women. Quality prenatal care through the midwives model of care has brought new ideas and concepts to mind, that before seemed unreasonable. I am now aware that quality care needs to be provided, and for that to happen, it needs to be done with an unbiased, personal, open, and women- centered approach. This idea had never crossed my mind before I become a midwifery student. Another new idea that came to mind from my observed births, was that, support and encouragement go a long way. My preceptor and the birth assistant are very hands on when the mother wants this. They are constantly serving the mother and finding ways to comfort her during labor. I had no idea that support and being in tune with the mother could possibly determine the outcome of the birth. I have seen births where the mother is stressed, anxious, scared, and is not progressing. My preceptor showed her how to let go of the negative emotions and baggage that she was carrying. She supported the mother, encouraged her with affirmations, continued with comfort measures, and within minutes the baby was born. This was so powerful for me to watch that support and confidence can drastically change birth outcomes. The birth assistant has always told me that a mother’s emotional state change change many things. I believed her, but it wasn’t until I saw it with my own eye’s that I really believed it. My experience with observing births has definitely changed my outlook and ideas on childbirth. I have learned that there are other and better ways to childbirth. That homebirth is safe, and better for mothers. I have learned that serving mothers and making them the center of care is the key to successful outcomes and quality care. I feel that I have evolved a great amount in my midwifery path and I will continue to be a student for life. My action plan is to bring the midwifery model of care to light. To promote an unbiased, women-centered, personal prenatal care in my community. I want to share with mothers and peers that homebirth is a valid, and safe choice. I want to share research, and educate the mothers who do not know that midwifery care is an option. My ideas about childbirth have evolved and I want to use my new known knowledge to promote consciousness, and awareness for birthing. I know that there are many mothers out with the narrowed mindset that I once had about birth and the expectations and normalcy of the event. I want to encourage families to get out of their fixed mindsets, and to find better solutions. Knowledge is power, and if I can make a difference in my community then I know I have done my best for the betterment of society. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connections to Midwifery Class ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I chose to write about an assignment that I did in my class SOSC 150: Cultural Competency in Midwifery Care. The assignment was 2.2: Researching Health Disparities.This assignment is about researching health disparities by choosing an identity category such as :African American, female, low-income, etc. Then we must choose two markers of maternal-child health. I chose to write about African American women in respect to high premature rates and low breastfeeding rates. I chose this assignment because acknowledging and acting on health inequalities is a key factor to the Midwives Model of Care. As midwives, we must treat all women equally and with an unbiased approach. If we cannot see that there are health disparities for certain ethnic groups over others, than we can do nothing to help the situation. I think in order to make change on social injustice, we must be educated and learn how to approach situations without bias. Since I have started my clinicals, I have realized that there is a lot of diversity in our clients. My preceptor is very culturally humble and I believe this is why she is an excellent midwife. I have seen different opinions, perspectives, and oppressions of each ethnic group, and it must be acknowledged. I see women from all over the world in my preceptors practice. We have seen women from Africa, Canada, Central America, South America, Europe, Philipines, etc. On a day to day basis, I see my preceptor change her approach with every client depending on their ethnicity, background, traditions, and culture. She is very aware of the importance to connect with her client and getting to know their background and culture.I think this is an extremely useful tool for midwives, as we will deal with clients of all social backgrounds. She treats her clients with equal respect, regardless of income, or ethnicity. In order to change health disparities, we must first remove biases and treat the women the way they deserve to be treated. One example of seeing positive ways of eliminating health disparities in my clinicals is by offering support where support is needed. If mothers have a low income, we will give them resources for financial, or living support. If a mother is experiencing emotional barriers are issues, we will address them, and speak openly instead of ignoring the issue. Every mother is important, and every concern or barrier must be addressed in order to make change. The goal is not to just document, but rather to document, find a plan, and make change. African American mothers are being oppressed, and it is our duty as midwives to provide to them quality and equal care. By being a midwifery student, I have realized that the mothers always come first, and we are here to serve them. If we are not serving the women, we are not following through with the Midwives Model of Care, nor are we putting an end to health disparities. By working one client at a time, and approaching the situations in a cultural humbled way, we are making change in our healthcare system. I see the needs of our clients being addressed at every appointment. It is not strictly about medical issues, but how we can help this mother to have a successful, fulfilling pregnancy and postpartum period. Cultural competency and humility is something that I see on a daily at clinicals. One example of showing cultural competency is learning about someone's diet and if it has to do with their background, tradition, or culture. We must learn what and why someone eats certain things before we can make suggestions and alternatives. You cannot tell everyone to cut out white rice because some people grew up on that due to culture. You cannot tell all women to cut out tortillas because that could have been their breakfast every single morning growing up. We are not mind readers, but we can take the time to learn about our clients in order to properly serve them and in the long run, to help eliminate health disparities. I chose this assignment because it is directly related to the Midwives Model of Care on cultural competency, and putting the women in the center of our practice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------