How would you feel about having a male midwide

[Lardlizard]

Just interested in the points of view

Midwifery is a totally different job to nursing. It isn’t restricting what male nurses can do.

HalfBloodPrincess

I don't think that is true. I worked on a male urology ward - I know that many, many patients were acutely embarrassed that they had to have a female nurse catheterise them, or teach them for example how to inject their penis to obtain an erection. Frankly they had no choice. Can you imagine if women were expected to accept a male nurse providing similar treatment?

Secondly, the consequence of restricting male nurses and where they can work will inevitably lead to nursing remaining a female occupation, which maybe people think is an acceptable price to pay. That comes with other consequences too though I guess, namely that "caring" will remain a stereotype attached to women.

I would not want a male midwife. I refused a male gynae recently, and was pissed off to find out that ALL of the senior gynaes at my hospital are male. I think thats fucking weird.

I always choose a female doctor where possible.

Midwives are not nurses.

Midwifery is a totally different job to nursing. It isn’t restricting what male nurses can do.

Do you think then that female patients in other health care settings should have to accept care from a male nurse? So washing, catheterising, toileting, various gynae procedures - it's only in the context of midwifery that you object to male staff doing these things?

People should always be able to choose same sex care.

But that is a separate issue to midwifery. Female midwives do not restrict the roles of nurses because they are not nurses.

Little women shouldn't ever have to accept intimate care from a man. As such, many women won't. You're going to have to just accept that instead of questioning, derailing and what-about-men-ing.

Many midwives are nurses and all midwives are regulated by the NMC.

And the point is that by saying that women can nurse everyone but that male nurses will be restricted in their practice then you are limiting nursing to a female occupation and you are forcing men to accept care from female nurses.

Yes, men will spend years training to have free reign over women's bodies.

Up until fairly recently it [obgyn] has been a very male dominated profession, same as GPs was.

One of my [many] MWs was not a parent herself. She knew so much, she was really good at explaining everything, very supportive. I found it lovely that after she actually revisited a lot that we'd planned in the run up to that birth, it was my first one. Things like was it anything like I'd expected/wanted/planned, and in what ways/how it differed.
She hadn't been able to have DC herself, but it didn't alter the fact that she was another female and I felt she was on the same side as me, if she had been a he,with a male body,that sets us apart on a very fundamental level.

...and anyway,being with a man can stop labour...but hey,those promoting male over female,probably an insignificant and minor irrelevant detail.

What does stand out is how often women are stating their fait accompli as opposed to any choice.

The line being that
Because baby and I survived, boundaries didn't come into it.

The man who worked to become a fertility consult, who then proceeded to use his own sperm to impregnate women illegally,and now has 49 DC.

Sagradafamiliar

I am not what abouting.

I am asking are you happy to maintain nursing as a female occupation, with all of the associated knock on effects to women?

Maybe the answer is yes and that you are prepared to accept those knock on effects.

Mine was v handsome and in between gas and air I kept telling him I’d had a pedicure !!!!

Midwives as a group are not nurses. Some midwives are also nurses just as some substance misuse workers are also nurses. Think of it like a vent diagram.

Nursing is not a female only profession and both men and women should be able to have same sex care.

Venn - autocorrect

Nursing is not a female only profession and both men and women should be able to have same sex care.

Yes they should but that will not happen while you allow female nurses to care for everyone but male nurses to only care for men.

If you had to staff a ward, and most wards are mixed now, would you pick staff who could care for all patients or staff who could only care for half of the patients?

I never said male nurses should only be able to care for men.

I had a male midwife for the delivery of DD. He was lovely.

If at any time I felt uncomfortable with the care being provide by, or even the attitude of, any HCP who's care I was under I would refuse their care and ask for an alternative. In fact I did just that with a horrendous (female) anaesthetist when in labour with DS. No way was I letting that vile woman anywhere near my delicate spine after the dismissive and superior way she spoke to me, refusing to answer my questions and address my concerns about a procedure I would rather have avoided.

Male or female shouldn't come into it. Nor should the reason healthcare is being provided.

It's about having quality care provided in an appropriate way, and that should include HCPs being polite and taking on board their patients views, comments and concerns about their own bodies.

The issue there is most wards are mixed now

That is exposing ill and vulnerable women to risk, and unacceptable, when the only thing protecting you is a curtcurtain, or not even that!

I remember my community midwife visiting after the birth. She came into my bedroom and inspected my episiotomy stitches while I lay on my bed because they were causing me a lot of pain. She also helped me with latching my baby and feeding. I cannot imagine doing that with a male. No matter how kind/competent/good at their job they were, it would make me feel distressed and deeply uncomfortable, no matter how much I tried to not feel that way.

Male or female shouldn't come into it

...but rather ironically and lalaughably, also...

taking on board their patients views, comments and concerns about their own bodies

Plus you also without a second thought dismissed someone who was soo very dismissive of your concerns, yet you advocate yourself dismissing the concerns of women here, who have been saying very clearly they don't want male intimate care!

What a paradox you have expressed.

I never said male nurses should only be able to care for men

I know that you didn't expicitly say that but there is no way of staffing wards and allowing all patients to choose the sex of the staff that care for them. Unless you can entirely segregate wards into male and female, plus all depts such as A and E and ITU too and somehow reorganise the NHS and staffing levels over night. Currently many more female nurses are employed to provide the overlap and fill the gaps.

None of that has any impact on midwifery!

Nhs is v short of nurses and struggles to get patients in same sex bays. I believe in some areas there is shortage of midwives and O&G drs too

Logistically it is hard to guarantee choice in sex of HCP (though that would be the ideal situation). There would also probably be additional knock on effects on sex balance in ‘caring’ professions.

Smotheroffive

You misunderstand the term "ward". Most wards are no longer the old nightingale style ie 30 beds in 1 long room (which would be single sex) but are now collections of 4 bed bays ( single sex) organised into 1 administrative area (a ward) staffed by 1 team.

I was in a "ward" recently that consisted of 20 individual rooms with private bathrooms en suite. Male and female patients on 1 "ward" but all had our own rooms. Only 1 team of nurses so no guarantee which nurse answered your buzzer and therefore attended to you.

“Nursing” and “Midwifery” are two completely different categories.

Not quite the same thing but I had a terrible smear a few years ago. Was cut and left quite traumatised. This year it was done by a male nurse and he honestly was the best. So patient and much more gentle than any females I'd had before.
I don't think I'd mind a male midwife at all.