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MaKayla Stout
WGS 210
Spring 2014
Rachael Smith

The Aboriginal Woman

Childbirth is an act of nature in its purest form. Innately, women have the knowledge of
how to give birth just as natural as their bodies adjust to being impregnated. In recent years, this
natural knowledge has been clouded by the assumption that in order to have a child a doctor
needs to deliver it in a hospital. This assumption is false due to the hundreds of years of
midwifery practice and the great number of countries still practicing to this day. A midwife is
defined as, the traditional care providers for mothers and infants (MANA). The word
traditional is central to the issues related to midwifery. Pregnant women in the United States have
been molded to believe that the hospital system has their best interest over a midwife. This paper
will show that a number of dynamics determine that births at home are more beneficial to both
the mother and child.
Midwifery has been in practice for many centuries due to the traditional roles bestowed
upon midwives in early societies. Women took care of the children while men worked to provide
for the family. Regardless of these roles, women were honored and respected for practicing
midwifery. In the article, As Patients and Healers: The History of Women and Medicine,
Charlotte Borst and Kathleen Jones write about the history of early midwifery. For the majority
of American women, whether European or African American, childbirth was a female event,
where female friends, relatives, and the local midwife gathered to support the birthing mother
(Borst & Jones 1). Childbirth was regarded as a festivity, where women naturally deliver their
baby and rejoice with loved ones. It was a special, intimate ritual that used to be valued
traditionally; now women are robbed of this experience. Midwives have been in practice for

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many centuries due to the traditional roles bestowed upon them in early societies. Women took
care of the children while men worked to provide for the family. Regardless of these roles,
women were honored for delivering and caring for children. Martha Ballard practiced midwifery
from 1785 to 1812 and was one of the most experienced midwives of that time. She had a great
deal of experience due to the many patients she nursed and prescribed medicines she
administered. Rural midwives like Ballard were part of a network of wives, mothers, friends,
and neighbors whose domestic duties put them in charge of most local health care. As a midwife,
however, Martha Ballard enjoyed enormous respect in her community (Borst & Jones 1).
Unlike today, pregnant women did not call on doctors when they were in labor; midwives were
required. This changed when medical advances were made and doctors promised better health
options for delivering children.
In 1990, there were 27,678 home births in the United States, representing 0.67 percent
of all births in that year. Both the number and percentage of births occurring at home declined
gradually from 1990 to 2004, to a low of 23,150 births, or 0.56 percent of births (Declercq 2).
The important question would be why is this decline happening? A large number of factors can
be associated with the decline of homebirths in the United States. The first factor would be
technology. This is blamed for many issues in modern culture because of its significance within
it. Technology in medicine means safety, which in turn, leads to more women trusting their
pregnancies to medical practitioners. Secondly, media plays a big role in brainwashing women to
rush to hospitals. Movies strictly have scenes of enormous, angry women laying in hospital beds
cursing their husbands and screaming for an epidural. Although this may occur in some cases,
this false ideal scares women into running to the hospital so that the doctors can save them from
the pain. On page four of the article, a chart shows statistics of the number of home births versus

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hospital births by the number of children the expecting woman already has. The number of home
births rose as the woman became more experienced in delivering children. This displays how
more women realized that they naturally knew how to give birth and how unnecessary hospital
births were. Women over the age of 35 were also more likely to have home births. Theoretically,
this could be because older women are wiser with more confidence in their bodies. Having a
child is not a medical problem that requires anesthetics or a medical practitioners care.
In 2008, TV host Ricki Lake released a documentary entitled, The Business of Being
Born. Lake had previously delivered her first child in the hospital and expected to have a
midwife deliver the second. In her documentary she expresses that her frustrations with the first
pregnancy were due to the lack of control she had and the deprivation of experience. Doctors
make decisions for the patient whether their plan is different or not and pressure women into
caesarean procedures. Hospitals are businesses, and like any other business money has to be
made. A pregnant woman takes up space and time that could be used for another patient.
Delivery is not a short process and when a woman is in labor for a substantial amount of time
doctors rush to begin the inducing procedure. First, they give the patient Pitocin that is
administered to speed up the labor process. Second, the epidural is given to ease the pain of the
contractions. This process is a never-ending merry-go-round. More Pitocin is given, then more
epidural over and over again. As a result, the large amounts of anesthetics are putting severe
pressure on the child and oxygen flow is restricted. This complex process puts the child in
distress and doctors then have to surgically remove the baby.
The United States has the second worst newborn death rate in the world and the highest
maternal mortality rate. If hospitals are the best method to child delivery then why are the rates

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so great? A doctor within the documentary makes the argument that the risk factor associated
with birthing means that home is not a safe place to deliver. Home births are not designed for all
women. Before a midwife decides to care for a patient they go through several tests to determine
if medical complications can occur. The doctor also makes the claim that technology is here for a
reason, so we should use it to help whoever we can. From a certain standpoint this is reasonable.
Yes, technology is helpful but for low-risk women it is unnecessary to pay thousands of dollars
just to see their heartbeat on the monitor. When using a midwife in the home, the patient receives
the benefits of no drugs, saving money, having more support, and having control of each
decision.
Like any aspect of society, there are cons that are associated with home births.
Emergency situations are a big concern when women are considering home births. This concern
is understandable because of the many complications that can occur during and after a
pregnancy. There are indeed some women who have true high risk conditions and need to be
medically assisted and monitored (Skenadore). Alice Skenadore is a local midwife on the
Oneida Reservation in Wisconsin. She is aware that some womens pregnancies are riskier than
others but insists that a midwife be present to ensure that it is done correctly and morally in any
situation. Complications are also the reason why midwifes mainly care for low-risk women who
have had a healthy pregnancy term. In many cases, women who do have concerns about
emergency situations have their primary doctor on standby so that immediate care can be given.
Another reason why women would be hesitant to deliver at home would be that there would be
no postpartum medical help. Giving birth is an exhausting experience and at a hospital the staff is
available to help the patient with whatever they need. Unless the woman has family or friends
willing to help out, they are alone to take care of themselves after the pregnancy. Some women

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choose hospitals over home birth because it gives them an escape from home and everyday life.
If they choose to use a midwife they continue to stay in that environment to raise additional kids
if they have them. Some women would have no problem with this because they would not have
to worry about finding a babysitter for their existing kids. These fears that are associated with
homebirth can affect a womans decision in a major way depending on what she feels is right for
her. As stated before women consider giving birth in the hospital the norm but if they
researched healthier, cost effective options, they would find that midwifery is trustworthy.
Benefits greatly outweigh the cons when it comes to homebirth. Women who give birth
inside the home often enjoy the experience. They feel empowered and pleased with their decision
because it was their own. There also isnt the temptation of narcotics. As stated before, these
drugs cause complications with pregnancies and without them being available the woman has to
tolerate the pain. The most satisfying aspect of a home birth is the support system the woman
has. In a hospital setting the patient isnt allowed to have too many people inside the delivery
room nor does the same nurse continuously treat her. Inside the home the woman can have
whomever she wants present and is cared for by the same midwife. Cost is always a question
when a woman is considering a midwife. The expenses of a midwife are extremely lower than
that of a hospital even if the woman doesnt have insurance. Typically hospital births can range
from $10,000 to $18,000 whereas the care of a midwife ranges from $1,500 to $3,000
(Goldberg). This price might seem steep, but not when the patient takes into consideration that
this cost includes post care for the child as well.
The majority of people think that a midwife is a random old woman that pops up out of
nowhere to deliver babies. This is most certainly not the case due to the various types of

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midwives that receive diverse schoolings. Alexis Chmell states that, Certified Nurse Midwives
(CNMs) are trained in nursing and midwifery and they receive certification by the American
College of Nurse-Midwives. Most CNMs work in hospitals, and are affiliated with an
obstetrician (Chmell 139). Midwives do work in hospital settings, which allow them to be more
knowledgeable if an emergency situation were to occur. This would also allow the patient to
have better access to the hospital if she or her baby would need medical attention. In addition to
CNMs there are Certified Professional Midwifes (CPM). These categories of midwives pass a
test through the North American Registry of Midwives and have a Certified Professional
Midwife Certificate. By 2007, 24 states had measures in place for the state department to
regulate the practice of CPMs through licensure, registration, and certification requirements
(Chmell 136). These women are knowledgeable and have specific training that enables them to
be skilled at delivering children in a safe manner. They genuinely care about their practice and
value the bond between mother and child. Patients dont receive that in a hospital setting where
lunch breaks, shift changes, and financial incentives exist.
Giving birth comes natural to a woman and it is up to her to decide what is best for her
pregnancy. Midwives like Martha Ballard were exceedingly appreciated because of their
extensive knowledge of birth and should be valued in modern culture as well. History has
showed that hospitals were not always needed to deliver a healthy child. Society has convinced
women that pregnancy is a medical condition that needs the attention of a doctor but all reasons
for this are incorrect and misleading. Naturally, there are worries about delivering in a home
setting but for the majority of women there is nothing safer and more satisfying. It is time for
women to take control of a big aspect of human nature so that there can be an improvement
within society as whole.

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Works Cited

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Borst, Charlotte G., and Kathleen W. Jones. "As Patients And Healers:
The History Of Women And Medicine." OAH Magazine Of History 19.5 (2005):
23-26. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Skenandore, Alice. "Midwives & Native Tradition." Off Our Backs 36.4
(2006): 65-68. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Chmell, Alexis. "Home Sweet Home." Journal Of Legal Medicine 33.1
(2012): 137-148. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
MacDorman, Marian F., Eugene Declercq, and Fay Menacker. "Trends
and Characteristics Of Home Births In The United States By Race And
Ethnicity, 1990-2006." Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care 38.1 (2011): 17-23.
Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Goldberg, Michelle. 2012, June 12. Home Birth: Increasingly Popular,
But Dangerous. Thedailybeast.com. accessed March 24, 2014.
Midwives Alliance North America. What is a Midwife? Accessed March
24, 2014.
The Business of Being Born. Dir. Abby Epstein. Perf. Ricki Lake.
Documentary, 2008. DVD.

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