anyone else had a male mw?

[lazycat]

...and it it any different from having a female mw?

Yes I had one and he was lovely, after 16 hours he could have been Shrek for all I cared, he did his job and did it well.

not for delivery but once before when I had a worry, and one post-labour. Both were lovely, professional and the one who I saw on the post-labour ward was the most helpful and gave the best support with my breastfeeding!

I did (well, he was a student midwife). Didn't notice any difference myself. He had to leave to get home on the bus before my ds was born but he came back the next day to see us. How lovely.

yes, a gorgeous muscly hunk of a man. whom i fancied the pants off.
first time i saw him he did blood pressure checks etc, i was in with pre eclampsia.

however, when i asked for help with breastfeeding, having already been trqaaumatised by previous help grabbing my boob and stuffin to ds1's mouth, and he turned up, i told him i was unashamedly sexist, and he had to go away.
male midwife is no different to male doctor imo in the labour ward. just with breastfeeding

So it was okay for him to examine your fanjo, but not see your boobs?

Yes, for the delivery of DS1.
He asked me whether I minded him looking after me! No probs at all - he was great.

yep
id id mention i fancied him

I had one and he was the best one that I saw (different ones at the hospital and some different afterwards). He was funny, practical and genuinely cared. I was distraught when I was pregnant 2nd time round and found that he had moved surgery!

lol at Sherlock's Shrek comment.

I had a male trainee come to me at home after ds2. e didn't get to do anything of a personal nature just the baby weighing stuff. Loads of gynaes are male (all the ones I've met) so can't see a difference really.

didn't occur to me to question it at all until i was telling people about my mw appointment and said 'he', causing surprise.

wonder how male midwives feel about being called 'wives'.

I had one called HUGH. He was lovely and really calming, he used to make us turn out the lights on an afternoon, turn off the TV and relax!

I went in to be induced on the Friday - ended with six lots of prostaglandin (sp?) so had the pleasure of his hands up my fanjo 12 times . Not that it worked as I ended up with a section the following Wednesday.

He was successful in gaining a role in the post natal ward - which I imagine he would be fabulous in calming down crazy first time mums like me!

It wouldn't bother me at all.

I find men very calming influence during that time, for some reason.

I had a male trainee consultant w/DD1 (as well as two females) 'observing' - with my full permission.

He was FAB! The poor girls looked horrified (it was a forceps delivery), but he was calm and together.

Came round every day to check on us.

He was S. African and wanted to go work in deprived areas of Africa, so I was more than willing to let him learn as much as possible from the state of my poor fanjo!

Yes , he was lovely. He was also keen to practise his English, which took the pressure off.

I had a fabulous midwife called George - he was the middle shift of 3 I had. He was calming, funny and very practical - he didn't molly-coddle me, just told me the facts and how I was to deal with it - he was the one who gave me the prostin gel (not that it worked, but that's a story for another day), He also made the best tea...

He also came up to the post natal ward the next day to see me and DS.

I loved him

Surely he should be a midhusband?
not had a male MW but had lots of other males poking around down there, stitching etc. Doesn't make any difference what sex they are imo.

When I say poking around down there, i meant during the births (obviously)

midwife, means with woman, so he is still a midwife!!

think my sister had a male MW

i am inclined to think a male midwife would be more committed and focused because of their rarity and because they are bound to get viewed suspiciously by some, you must really want to do it, if you are a male mw, IMO!

Ooh, how interesting about the derivation of "midwife", lulumama. I've often wondered about the "midhusband" thing.

etymology of midwife

during delivery for dd3, i had a male student midwie. he was lovely. and very reassuring. but i did fart in his face.

mine failed to realise i was in advanced labour with twins - so i ended up having my epidural at 10 cm - so no not positive, but doubt sex was important

I've read the etymology link. Slightly surpised at the alternative "granny woman" for midwife though! Not one I've ever heard. I clearly don't live in the right place.

well, there never used to be trained midwives, in the modern sense that we know them

babies were delivered by the matriarchs of the community, and the women supported each other through labour and delivery

so the granny would be the one that delivered the babies, having had more experience of childbirth

Yes - my great-grandmother was a midwife, but I guess she didn't become one through any kind of "training" - more through being the oldest of 13 children!