REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE

MEDICALIZATION IN MATERNAL HEALTHCARE

**NOTE**  Medical advancements have saved the lives of women and babies at risk for injury or death during pregnancy and birth.  This site is not about the doctors who properly use interventions to save lives; it is about those who use them unethically for profit or convenience.   Improperly used interventions have led to harm and death of women and babies and obstetrics  is the only field in which mortality rates are rising and non-medically needed interventions such as c-sections are related to 66% of maternal deaths. 

**NOTE**  This site is designed to share valid evidence for those working to change the maternal healthcare system who do not have access to databases of peered research. 

**NOTE** Chronological order allows users to find new data.  It also begs the question of why, when we have known for decades that such practices are harmful, do they not only continue to be used but are increasingly used.

SCHOOLS OF MIDWIFERY: MANY FOLLOWING THE MIDWIFERY MODEL

ACCREDITATION

MEAC:   https://www.meacschools.org/ 

It is important to check accreditation of any school as well as whether your state accepts the school for licensing. 

UNITED STATES.

Bastyr University (Washington and California) https://bastyr.edu/academics/midwifery/masters/ms-midwifery

• INFO  "Bastyr’s three-year Master of Science in Midwifery (MSM) program trains students in all aspects of midwifery care, from preconception through pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period for parent and newborn, and is intended for those who desire to serve childbearing families in the comfort of their home or freestanding birth center settings. It is the only master’s degree in midwifery that is both regionally-accredited and MEAC-accredited and that prepares graduates to be leaders in the profession. Based on the competencies established by the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and the combined expertise of Bastyr University and the renowned Seattle Midwifery School, this rigorous, proven curriculum equips health professionals to address both the art and science of midwifery by integrating theory with clinical experience. Graduates are prepared to enter the field as innovative leaders that provide midwifery care through a social justice lens."

Birthwise Midwifery School  https://birthwisemidwifery.edu/

• INFO: "At Birthwise Midwifery School, we train midwives to provide compassionate prenatal, birth and reproductive health care that’s based on tradition and scientific evidence. Our direct-entry midwifery program is MEAC-accredited. You don’t need a college degree to apply. We prepare you to sit for the North American Registry of Midwives exam to earn the Certified Professional Midwife credential. We lead midwives to a practice that values the diversity of all birthing people -- and honors the spiritual, aesthetic and personal significance of childbirth."

College of Traditional Midwifery (Tennessee).  https://collegeoftraditionalmidwifery.org/  Also see http://thefarmmidwives.org/

• The College of Traditional Midwifery offers training by the Farm Midwives in the tradition of Ina May Gaskin.

Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery  https://commonsensemidwifery.org/

• INFO  "This school was designed to enable students to gain the knowledge and skills needed to become highly competent midwives. We place an emphasis on teaching the art of out-of-hospital birth, differentiating between low-risk and high-risk pregnancies while preparing students to organize and operate as a professional midwife."

Florida School of Traditional Midwifery  In Florida, Licensed Midwives (LM) provide primary maternity care for women with low-risk pregnancies, offering complete prenatal, delivery and postpartum care. Licensed Midwives may work to meet their communities’ needs in a variety of settings, including homebirth practices, birth centers and community health clinics.

• INFO  In Florida, Licensed Midwives (LM) provide primary maternity care for women with low-risk pregnancies, offering complete prenatal, delivery and postpartum care. Licensed Midwives may work to meet their communities’ needs in a variety of settings, including homebirth practices, birth centers and community health clinics.

Mercy in Action College of Midwifery  https://www.mercycollegeofmidwifery.edu/

• INFO "In every midwifery school, students learn about pregnancy, birth and babies. What Mercy In Action College of Midwifery models is how to be a midwife who is also a compassionate and responsible global citizen. Throughout your midwifery degree, you will learn how excellence in midwifery knowledge, skills and attitude can positively impact the ability of mothers and babies to survive and thrive, both in the United States and around the world. Graduates will be prepared for practice in home or birth center settings. A CPM is able to conduct normal deliveries and provide for all aspects of maternity care, including the timely provision of emergency measures and transfer to a higher level of care should it become necessary."

Midwives College of Utah  https://www.midwifery.edu/

• INFO "MCU’s culture is inspired by the Midwives Model of Care, reflecting philosophies, skills and behavior in both the way we model and train our students.   What we teach and how we teach exemplifies what it means to be a midwife of excellence who is self-actualized and values courageous conversations and relationships built upon honesty and trust.  MCU delivers a Midwifery Model of Education; ultimately midwifing midwives through their educational journey and beyond."

National College of Midwifery  https://www.midwiferycollege.edu/

• INFO "When students choose their clinical preceptors, it often allows for more continuity in students’ and their families’ lives by eliminating the need to uproot.  Students who identify with and who understand the nuances of their community’s needs hold the insight and passion to effectively meet those needs.  We believe that culturally competent relationships are one of the keys to bridging health disparities."

National Midwifery Institute  https://www.nationalmidwiferyinstitute.com/

• INFO "We believe that the study of midwifery is a self-motivated and organic process, springing forth from the fertile ground of community and family. Just as there have always been and will always be birthing women/persons, so the midwife is called into practice. It is our experience that the midwifery model of care is best upheld by students who have studied in their own communities and have become an integral part of the local birth network by the time they are ready to work independently.  We further believe that birth is a transformational process for everyone involved, with its own intrinsic value for personal growth and development. We support woman/pregnant person centered birth, and seek to uphold the rights of women/pregnant persons to define their needs and identify their support systems. While midwives set parameters of safety, it is women/birthing persons who, through the process of informed consent, make decisions regarding their care and the care of their babies."

Shenandoah University (ONLINE PROGRAM)   https://www.su.edu/nursing/master-of-science-in-nursing/msn-nurse-midwifery/

• Master of Science in Nurse-Midwifery.  According to website program is accredited in all U.S. states.  Program can be completed full-time in two years (including summers) and prepares students for national certification exam given by the American Midwifery Certification Board

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College  https://www.swtc.edu/academics/programs/health-occupations/midwife

• INFO "This program emphasizes assessment in the low-risk pregnancy. A midwife conducts an initial assessment during pregnancy which includes nutritional assessment, overall health, risk level of the pregnancy, and then contracts and partners with the mother during the pregnancy to monitor fetal growth and development, overall health of the mother, and family support and resources available. The midwife will then assist the mother in labor and birth of the child in home or birthing center settings. The midwife follows the birth of the child with instruction on lactation technique, initial care of newborn and assessment of family support as mother and child transition in the out of hospital setting."

University of California San Francisco:   has a cooperative team approach of midwives, obstetricians, etc. working together.  https://obgyn.ucsf.edu/midwifery/midwifery-supporting-normalcy-ucsf-and-zsfg

• FROM SITE:  Midwives at the Mission Bay and Zuckerberg San Francisco General campuses are significant members of the obstetrical teams. This reflects the department’s commitment to providing women with the best care possible, by drawing on midwifery’s expertise in supporting the normal processes of pregnancy and childbirth.

INTRODUCTION PAGE

Last updated Jan 2024