What kind of schooling do mid-wives have to go through? What can doctors do that they can't do? Also, does anyone know what a doula is?
2006-08-17 06:46:50 · 16 answers · asked by kate92979 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
Well... mid wives are known in a term similar to 'family health officers' in my country - Sri Lanka. That gives you the idea.
Mid wives are meant to look into health conditions in family basis and to guide the patient to get proper medical attention when necessary. And also they take care of certain medical aspects / conditions which you can't call an illness, but need special attention.Examples are family mal-nutrition, infant health, nutrition and vaccination and most importantly, pregnancy. Mid wives make regular visits to house holds to provide these services.
One can become a mid wife by successfully completing a 3 year course, which consists of common training with nurses for 2 years. This I think is a diploma level course and not a degree (well... in Sri Lanka).
In contrast, doctors are trained generally to be capable of handling any illness. (I don't think doctors have any thing important to do with a healthy person.)
A doula is a non-medical assistant in prenatal care, childbirth and during the postpartum period.
-Wikipedia
2006-08-17 07:28:15 · answer #1 · answered by amiladm 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Mid-wives do have medical training and a degree, and my midwife was able to prescribe medications to me. They are trained to take care of you all the way through your pregnancy and labor & delivery, so long as it's not a high-risk pregnancy. Mid-wifes have lower percentages of using instruments such as forceps, vacuum suction, and episiotomies during labor.
Doctors would need to be the ones to handle it if you have a high-risk pregnancy, or if you need to have a Cesarean section. My sister-in-law saw a Dr. because she simply felt more comfortable with someone who had all of the training, in case something went wrong.
A doula is someone that either does home-birth for low-risk deliveries, or can come to the hospital with you and help with your breathing exercises and rub you back and hold you hand, and basically do the things that a competent husband or boyfriend could do for free. As you can tell, I think doula's are unnecesary.
I saw a midwife during my pregnancy, but at the end, the baby turned face up and frank-breech, so we had a doctor from the same group come in and we all decided a c-section was best. I will definately see the same midwife for my next pregnancy, and here's hoping for a regular vaginal birth next time!
It sounds as if maybe you're trying to gather information because you're pregnant, and if you are, Congratulations and Good Luck!
2006-08-17 16:02:21 · answer #2 · answered by Queen Queso 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Doctor: Strictly stays in the doctor's office.
Mid-wife: Goes between the office and the hospital, and they go to the same amount of schooling as a doctor.
The only difference between Doctor and Mid-wife is what I stated above, but Mid-wives expertise is child-birth, and the Doctor has a more broadened learning in the physical body.
Doula: Helps coach and deliver the baby at home.
2006-08-17 13:54:06 · answer #3 · answered by yoohoosusie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok, midwives assist in low risks pregnancy and they have some techniques (that are natural) that doctors don't use or don't know about for labor. Midwives don't have the authority to do c-sections or anything major. If they see that you're a high risk pregnancy, they will refer you to their doctor which they work for.
Doctors have more authority over things but they are more medical wise about stuff.
Now doula are just supporters. Lets say you're going thru labor without pain medication, and you're in alot of pain, what doulas do, is support you and they try to help get your mind off the pain. They rub your back and stuff like that.
2006-08-17 14:08:43 · answer #4 · answered by bajinnoly 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The degree of education. Doctors have far more experience than a mid-wife and have more education in other fields outside of birthing babies. Mid-wives are more focused on the wealfare of the baby than the welfare of the mother. Doctors are concerned with both and can handle both situations if something goes wrong, mid-wives can not.
2006-08-17 13:53:05 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Doctors are like the saying jack of all trades master of none. were as a mid wife is trained in one area only midwifery, So whilst a doctor would no the basics and have a lot of genaral advise on the matter of pregancey a Midwife is a specialest on the subject.
2006-08-17 13:52:35 · answer #6 · answered by X2 epsilon 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the doctor is always better then the mid-wife she normally help pregnant women give birth out the hospital but some times problems appear during birth and she can not deal with them as effiecient as a doctor any way giving birth at hospital is always better and safer
2006-08-17 13:56:48 · answer #7 · answered by tam d 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A mid-wife can't do a c-section. If you ended up having to have a c-section they would have to call a doctor for it.
2006-08-17 14:08:22 · answer #8 · answered by cldb730 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a mid wife is usually for people that dont belive in the doctor way it is all natural for birth. They just seem to be more concerned
2006-08-17 13:51:50 · answer #9 · answered by helpif i can 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Doctor Can DO C-section but,mid-wife cant...
2006-08-17 19:49:27 · answer #10 · answered by ❀Mother Of 2❀ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋