Male midwife

[WifeOfAGemini]

Hi I just wondered how many of you experienced care from a male midwife, and what did you think about it?

I had a sweep done by a male midwife, they did check that I was happy for him to do it instead of a female midwife and I agreed because I didn’t want to make a fuss. My logic at the time was that he won’t be able to do his job properly if everyone says no to letting him do procedures.

It wouldn’t have bothered me. 3 male doctors delivered DS1 (each had a turn at getting him out). It didn’t even cross my mind at that point that they were male, I just cared about safe delivery of my son.

This could go for many demographics a midwife might fit into. For instance, Black people have a documented history of oppression from white people in a comparable way to women having a documented history of oppression by men. There are Black people who have experienced personal, traumatic events with white people as the perpetrators on top of the systemic prejudice that exists. Not unlike systemic sexism.

To ensure that nobody was put into a position where their clinician was of the demographic that are most harmful to their own, we would have to have lots of staff on every day to ensure each woman got to pick a staff member that is most preferable to them.

Generally speaking, I don't think fewer midwives would solve any of the issue currently in maternity. A lack of experienced staff is the main issue.

Men make up 0.4% of midwives so I don’t really see the issue.

I think it's going up rather than down. At least, locally to me, it is.

Whether or not you see a problem is irrelevant - if any women in labour object to those 0.4% of male midwives delivering their babies then it's a problem. Women have the right to request a different midwife for any reason and the midwife in charge must do whatever they can to support that request.

My point is that they can do less and less due ti staffing issues.

I don't understand your point.

Well bingo!

And for anybody needing a word
Red-head

As there are fewer staff, senior midwives are less able to accommodate such requests safely.

Women still have the right to refuse a particular midwife if they don't feel comfortable with them.

Sure. But in the throes of labour, if there is no other qualified staff member to safely swap, are you going to reject a birth attendant? So the reality might be that while you theoretically have the right to ask for a new midwife, you can't get one without compromising the safety and quality of care of yourself and/or others. So it might not happen. It increasingly might not happen.

Women should understand that so they arent surprised if it isn't actually a feasible option in labour. They can't magic up staff or make someone come in to look after you.

And yet you support the assault of women and/or reduction in service for women who do not want males midwives.

What the fuck are you talking about? I am talking about what can be realistically achieved if you went into labour today. No the sister cannot take the experienced midwife away from the women with pre-eclampsia and in labour with 28 weeker twins to swap with your newly qualified midwife who is most suitable to care for you during your low risk water birth. It would be irresponsible.

That is the reality of the staffing situation today. Not the ideal. The reality. Telling women that they have the right to a new midwife and that the hospital have to accommodate it is just not accurate and your hopes and dreams in this respect are irrelevant.

You do you

Keep beating the drum to have male midwives.
Dont think to ask how to keep staff or how to attract staff.

As I have said its a NHS, management, staff.

Not the woman who would like to not be put into a position of having to say no to a male midwife only to be told thats all they have.

According to a quick Google, there are fewer than 200 male midwives in the UK.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-60143928

Male midwife, 39, caught with stash of 400 indecent images of children https://share.google/gR2OjKFvO31ByZ9yq

St George's Hospital midwife spared jail over child porn | News Shopper https://share.google/INEkACnqJ7rvHiAgK

Call me a bigot, but I don't like those odds.

Nurse midwife struck-off for ‘making and distributing’ indecent images of children – NursingNotes https://share.google/K83Wpa5f6cVbkIBnb

There's another one.

I had a male gynaecologist in pregnancy (abroad) for the simple reason that he was available as most women want women dealing with intimate areas. Men‘s interests in this area are distinctly unusual and naturally concerning given the male sex’s record regarding women’s rights and treatment. I was so relieved when baby decided to appear during the woman’s night shift.

It doesn’t matter how much you try to spin it, men have shown themselves untrustworthy again and again and again. Not just the violence, although obviously that. Women’s rights are going down the plug hole again around the world after moves towards equality - men who we thought were in favour of equality are showing women they are as sexist as ever, just better liars and manipulators. Look at the drop in funding for women’s health and maternity here. Let’s hope the birth rate continues to drop, because deaths are up.

Of course - but that's the reality of centering the wishes of men, isn't it. Regardless, any woman who doesn't want a male midwife for any reason absolutely has the right to speak out and it's up to the midwife in charge to do their utmost to accommodate her wishes. Given there are women who don't mind male midwives, and given the (thankfully) very small numbers of male widwives it should be possible - even if it means moving midwives about during a labour.

ps for what it's worth and to counteract the 'but a male midwife saved my life', that woman gynae on night shift saved my life too. She had the expertise needed to spot a problem (I'm a bit vague because I was bleeding to death at the time). Health professions saving lives happens all the time, it's what they are there for, but for some reason as soon as men turn up the day-to-day efforts of women get forgotten. How often have we heard that train drivers deserve their extortionate pay because they have responsibility for life? Yet we force predominantly female health workers to pay huge amounts for training to get jobs in shit conditions with low pay.

I am always intrigued by “but the male midwife saved my life” line. It was a midwife who saved your life. In that context, the sex is irrelevant. But there always seems to be a background implication that men are better. The same with nursery workers or primary teachers. The men are always the best, or the most popular…..

While I do actually think it’s a good idea for more men to be in early years education because it’s good for children, I think pregnancy care and childbirth and post partum care should be as far as possible a woman only environment. Not because I think men are going to be abusive, but because I think it has been the preserve of women learning from and supporting women down the ages.

While I do actually think it’s a good idea for more men to be in early years education because it’s good for children

Surely that depends on the man/men in early years education? Simply being in possession of XY chromosomes does not a good early years practitioner or teacher make.

Of course it does-I’m not suggesting just recruiting random men!

Haven’t met a male midwife after 3 births. But lots of male gynae doctors who had a good look at my vagina when needed

Not to derail by talking about male primary school teachers but my DP was one before I met him. I can tell by the way he talked about it being 'boring' etc and how he is with our dc, that he clearly does not have an idea how to teach children, so it does depend on the male in question. He however thinks he was the best teacher ever and sometimes a mum would think this just coz he was male.