My Midwifery Philosophy

When entering a career such as midwifery, where understanding other’s situations is key to providing safe care, it is paramount that I must first understand and be self-aware of myself. In doing this I can then ensure that I provide the unbiased and respectful care that the women and babies I will work with deserve. In this essay I will convey some of the sources of knowledge that have impacted what I know about midwifery from my own cultural, social and philosophical background. I will discuss my developing midwifery philosophy and also reflect upon some of my own values and beliefs which could impact on others on my midwifery journey.

One large source of knowledge which stems into my midwifery knowledge comes from my Mum and Nana. My mum
Since beginning my midwifery degree, I have had a huge increase in understanding of midwifery. Not only from the actual content of the course so far, but also the discussions which have happened to beautifully unfold in the safe and honest space upkept by the lecturers. The tangents that the class has often gone off on have been enlightening. The personal, philosophical, empowering and unique topics which have been delved into have led my mind to wander down many paths that I believe have given my midwifery knowledge so much more depth than simple text book knowledge. All of these sources of knowledge intertwine within me to then contribute my midwifery
I believe it is the biggest underpinning factor that I take with me into my philosophy. To be a midwife, in my opinion, is to give care “with women”, to each individual woman, not “to women” with the same tickbox care for all women. Midwifery is woman-centred and is flexible to fit the individual needs of the women and their families in every setting (Deery, Denny, & Letherby, 2015). I believe that this aspect of my philosophy was kick-started by the strong women who raised me, giving me values which celebrate women and their empowerment instead of the patriarchal care which can be seen in the medical model. My midwifery philosophy also incorporates my beliefs that birth should be as natural and physiological as possible. This aspect of my philosophy is something which has developed from the values I was raised with and further deepened by the learning I have done at WINTEC, as I have had concreted the benefits and beauty of unmedicalised birth that my Mum also