#midwifery

#midwifery

For decades, midwives have been stereotyped as fringe birth workers - delivering babies only in candlelit living rooms or rural cabins, far away from modern medicine. (The history behind this is worthy of its own blog post, but that's for another time!) Today, midwives are everywhere: in hospitals, alongside obstetricians, in birth centers, and in homes. And for a growing number of LGBTQ+ families, midwifery care is becoming a new standard for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum support.

As writer Emily Elphinstone considers options for the birth of her second baby, she chats to midwives and a new mum about the benefits of having the technique in your labour 'toolkit'.

Home births are usually carefully planned and involve professional care, typically managed by a licensed midwife, creating a comfortable environment for the mother.

But the overall health system in Chad is fragile and many Chadian women don't have access to a safe and sterile place to deliver.