Spiritual midwifery is a holistic approach to midwifery that focuses on the spiritual and physical well-being of the mother during labor and delivery. It was developed by Ina May Gaskin and aims to keep childbirth as natural as possible while ensuring the safety of mother and baby. The approach encourages a positive birthing experience that integrates all desired elements and is particularly beneficial for women interested in spirituality and natural childbirth.
Spiritual midwifery is an approach to midwifery that focuses on labor and delivery holistically, integrating care for the spirit of the laboring mother in addition to her physical body. There are many angles from which spiritual midwifery can be approached, with some midwives calling themselves “spiritual midwives,” while others integrate this approach into their practices.
The development of the concept is usually attributed to Ina May Gaskin, a pioneer in the field of obstetrics in the United States. In 1971, Gaskin founded The Farm, a cooperative in Tennessee, and began attending home parties at The Farm, training midwives, and developing a holistic approach to caring for women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Her 1975 book has become a classic and has been revised and updated on numerous occasions to incorporate new information and ideas, along with new birth stories of women who gave birth on the Farm or worked with a trained midwife on the Farm. The Company continues to offer prenatal and midwifery services.
The goal of spiritual midwifery is to keep childbirth as natural as possible, limiting interventions and protecting the safety of mother and baby. Many spiritual midwives offer home birthing services to their clients, although it is also possible to get care in a birthing center or hospital. Spiritual midwives work with their patients during pregnancy to monitor the development of the pregnancy and prepare the mother for childbirth, assist the mother during labor, and usually have several follow-up visits to check the newborn’s health and emotional and physical health of the mother.
Spiritual midwifery practitioners view birth as a sacrament and work with their clients to develop a positive birthing experience that integrates all desired elements. The Natural Childbirth focus encourages women to allow labor to develop naturally and encourages women to do what feels natural during labor and delivery. Support from family, friends, and community is also an important aspect of spiritual midwifery. Rather than “managing” the pain, the focus is on processing the pain associated with labor and meditating on the spiritual nature of pain and the process of bringing forth new life.
With the assistance of a spiritual midwifery practitioner, a pregnant mother can develop a birth plan that works for her. Women interested in spirituality tend to benefit most from this form of midwifery, as do women interested in natural childbirth. However, a competent spiritual midwife will never risk the lives of mother and child to achieve a natural birth; if the mother or baby is in distress, the midwife will recommend a transfer to the hospital.
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