Giving birth with the assistance of a midwife may seem to be the best option for some but studies reveal that it can actually do more harm than good. It was revealed that women who gave birth with the aid of midwives are more likely to experience a brain injury.
A study from the University of Otago revealed that there is a significant difference in terms of overall health from babies born with the assistance of a midwife and babies born with professional medical assistance. It was revealed that babies who were born with medical carers are less likely to suffer from oxygen deprivation and were 39 per cent less likely to develop a condition called neonatal encephalopathy according to Stuff.
During an interview, Sally Folley opened up about her midwife delivery experience, which ended up with a tragedy. Folley opened up stating that was lead to believe that the midwife knew what she was doing with helping Folley with her labor. Folley then added that she knew there was a problem but the midwife insisted that everything was normal.
Foley also added that during her labor, a specialist was present but she didn't assist her. She also cited that if it was the specialist who facilitated her labor, they could have saved her child as the midwife was not equipped to perform emergency procedures when it comes to child delivery.
"There was a specialist on the ward during my labor," Sally Foley said. "She was available and wasn't busy if she had been called she could have done certain things that could have saved his life. Things the midwife could never have done because she wasn't trained to do them. I feel in my heart that if she had been called he wouldn't have died. I really do believe that."
The study may seem relevant but New Zealand College of Midwives chief executive Karen Guilliland stated that the study was not fair as it did not explain the reason why the babies were unwell. Bronwen Pelvin, Ministry of Health principal advisor maternity stated that the study's result came out as a surprise, thus further investigation needs to be done.
"Essentially the study has compared midwife care with obstetrician care," Gilliland said as reported by The Guardian. "And studies have found midwives are more likely to look after poorer, sicker patients, who may register later, smoke or are Maori or Pacific. If you can afford to have an obstetrician you are not in that demographic."
