The obsession of medical science - Essay Example

We have an obsession with scientific methods and we sometimes try to overcomplicate certain issues and pregnancies are one of these issues. This perception is ill founded and in this essay arguments will be given as to why midwives can be more helpful than Obstetricians in the American maternity health care system. What is the difference between Obstetricians and Midwives? An obstetrician is a person who is a medical expert in child births and labor issues. These are people who have taken formal professional education of medical science and have knowledge of surgery.

Midwives on the other hand are only equipped with handling low risk pregnancies. Midwives deals with the process of child birth and aim at natural process of child birth. A midwife is generally expected to complete a few courses on pregnancy and child birth but they cannot treat child illnesses. The specifically deal with child birth and pregnancies. There is a difference in the child birth philosophy of midwives and obstetricians. Midwives consider child birth as a natural process and they have a natural perspective on pregnancies.

Obstetricians have a medical perspective and view child birth as a medical risk. Pros and Cons of Obstetricians The major benefit of obstetricians is that they receive formal professional education with regards to child birth and labor procedure. They are medical expert and are aware of the functions of other body parts. They have in-depth knowledge about the human body therefore they can perform complex child births. Obstetricians can also perform surgical procedures like a cesarean which midwives cannot.

High risk pregnancies can be handled by an obstetrician and not a midwife. Sometimes the mother has heart problem or diabetes so such child births are better taken care of by obstetricians. The most significant disadvantage of obstetricians is that they have a medical science perspective that views child birth as a risk and not a natural process. Therefore they are more inclined to use surgical procedures when there is no need of it. There is also a shortage of obstetricians therefore they are not able to focus on one pregnancy and this can sometimes lead to complications.

Marsden Wagner says “In USA obstetrician plates are full to overflowing” (pp.6). They are so busy that they find it hard to concentrate on a particular case. In this regard a midwife does better as she spends more time with the mother. Pros and Cons of Midwives Midwives provide services that are monetarily affordable by people. They charge far lesser than an obstetrician for their services and this makes them more attractive to gynecologists. The medical philosophy of midwives allows them to view child birth as a natural process and not as a medical risk.

This allows them to think differently from obstetricians and they can rely on natural methods. They also give considerable time to their patients so this allows them to understand the patient in a better way. Midwives can perform child births in homes. This is an added advantage as valuable time is not lost in bringing the patient to the hospital. The lack of medical knowledge serves as a disadvantage for midwives. Any complication during a child birth cannot be solved by midwives. They are also oblivious to the current trend of medicine and in case of an