Desert Storks

ACM Philosophy Statement for Midwifery

Midwife means ‘with woman’. This meaning shapes midwifery’s philosophy, work and relationships.

Midwifery is founded on respect for women and on a strong belief in the value of women’s work of bearing and rearing each generation.

Midwifery considers women in pregnancy, during childbirth and early parenting to be undertaking healthy processes that are profound and precious events in each woman’s life. These events are also seen as inherently important to society as a whole.

Midwifery is emancipatory because it protects and enhances the health and social status of women, which in turn protects and enhances the health and wellbeing of society.

Midwifery is a woman centred, political, primary health care discipline founded on the relationships between women and their midwives.

Midwifery:

focuses on a woman’s health needs, her expectations and aspirations

encompasses the needs of the woman’s baby, and includes the woman’s family, her other important relationships and community, as identified and negotiated by the woman herself

is holistic in its approach and recognises each woman’s social, emotional, physical, spiritual and cultural needs, expectations and context as defined by the woman herself

recognises every woman’s right to self-determination in attaining choice, control and continuity of care from one or more known caregivers

recognises every woman’s responsibility to make informed decisions for herself, her baby and her family with assistance, when requested, from health professionals

is informed by scientific evidence, by collective and individual experience and by intuition

aims to follow each woman across the interface between institutions and the community, through pregnancy, labour and birth and the postnatal period so all women remain connected to their social support systems; the focus is on the woman, not on the institutions or the professionals involved

includes collaboration and consultation between health professionals.