US Maternal Mortality Ranking
I find it mildly satisfying to note that the countries with the highest level of midwives in maternal care have the lowest maternal losses. Then I am saddened to see our country on the same plane as South America, parts of Africa and the more “un-modern” countries of eastern Europe.
Tags: country, maternal, maternity, midwife, midwives, mothers, united states, WHO
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May 13, 2008 at 8:28 pm
I agree that midwifes provide safer births, but one of the reasons for a seemingly high infant mortality rate in the U.S. is the way the hospitals save every baby, even at 25 weeks gestation….my daughter is a nurse, preparing to be a midwife, and she came across an article that supports this….I just think insurance companies should stay out of birthing choices….
October 14, 2008 at 3:43 pm
It is absolute nonsense to think that midwifes provide “safer births”. Midwifes have limited training and are thusly limited in what they are and are not allowed to do when it comes to managing pregnancies. Because midwifes are limited they are only allowed to see the most healthy of patients and as a result their morbidity and mortality numbers look quite a bit lower. But should you have any questions about who provides “safer” births just remember that midwifes are what is called “midlevel” providers. They cannot function without a doctor overseeing them and should they run into trouble it is the doctor (with his or her superior training) that the midwife will call. THESE ARE THE FACTS!
October 14, 2008 at 4:03 pm
These “facts” you are proposing have no bearing on the stats I listed from the WHO above. Those numbers do not differentiate between midwife or doctor attended births, only the mortality rankings in the given country in totality. The connection between lower mortality rates and midwifery care are inferred, not stated. And again, your beef with the safety of midwifery care is totally off the subject matter at hand.