When I was a midwife ........

https://freedom-demokrasi-and-civilised-humanity.com ^ | 26th February 2010 | Ozguy1945

[Ozguy1945]

When I was a registered midwife in Australia (for just over 3 decades, interspersed with time in Indonesia), I learnt many interesting things.

Attitudes to the presence of a male in the profession were open and warmer in Catholic hospitals than in public hospitals. Generally speaking Catholic hospitals had a touch of warmth in most things compared to the secular places.

Vietnamese people were also very open to a male presence in midwifery compared with any other ethnic group. The Vietnamese men were the ones least likely to be uncomfortable if the midwife was a male.

It was probably a little more common for men to be uncomfortable with a male midwife for their wives than it was for the woman to be uncomfortable. It was harder for the husband to object.

Some women responded much better to me simply because I was male than they would have responded to a female.

Does anyone else have any experience of or opinions about crossing traditional gender barriers in birthing situations?

[Svartalfiar]

Does anyone else have any...opinions about crossing traditional gender barriers in birthing situations?

I don't really see why any guy would be interested in that. It's a very maternal position, which goes beyond just a usual 'feminine' job. Not so much a 'gender' barrier.

Side note, I ended up helping with my wife's, Since the nurses/doc were coming and going as labor went on (induced a week early, several hour process). I even brought our rolling pin, but no one allowed me too use it...

[Svartalfiar]

I work in a hospital in NJ. I've worked in two others. Not a care giver, a maintenance guy. I have never heard of midwives being employed in L&D. (labor& delivery).

My wife worked in LnD (postpartum) at Parkland in Dallas for a couple years. They had some midwives as on-call providers for many of the more routine deliveries.

[Ozguy1945]

some men need to be at the births and others dont

the traditions of old fashioned guys dont survive because they is any bullshit in them; they survive because they are right for many, many people

[Popman]

the traditions of old fashioned guys dont survive because they is any bullshit in them; they survive because they are right for many, many people

Could you translate into English ?