Excerpts from a recently published book written by an
obstetrician.
Dr Strong is critical of the obstetrical tradition of
having a surgical “specialist” routinely treat healthy women with normal
pregnancies. He recommends that professional midwives care for all healthy women
with obstetricians available for consultations, referral, complications and if
the pregnant woman desires or requires treatments beyond the scope of midwifery
practice. .
Dr Strong’s professional background:
:“I am a third generation doctor and a second generation obstetrician. My entire professional career has centered around prenatal care. …. I’m a Clinical Assistant Profession in Obstetrics and Gynecology at universities in two states, a reviewer for five different medical journal and a published researcher (1)
Dr Strong comments and critique of the profession of obstetrics:
… In most cases, the outcome of a given pregnancy – however good or bad – is unrelated to the care provided by doctors. Frequently, they are hapless bystanders’, heroes if all goes well or malpractice defendants if it doesn’t” (3)
“The perception that contemporary American prenatal care is an essential, unequivocal valuable commodity for our mothers persists because too few of us are capable of discerning good intentions from geniture medical knowledge.”
“The notion that a natural, ages-old process needs our “guidance” reflects an attitude less well evolved than the process we are claiming to help; the perceived need for ritualized medical care during pregnancy is more cultural than medical
… in American, pregnancy is considered a disabilty despite the fact that it is a self-limited, non-communicable, and frequently gratifying condition .. . pregnancy has become a predicament from which the “patient” must be delivered … (3)
“Most doctors are trained to treat disease, not to maintain health; and pregnancy isn’t a disease. Medicalization of pregnancy creates the illusion that prenatal care can provide a simple remedy for potential problems and diverts our attention from the more difficult issues which surround prematurity, low birthweight, and infant formality
“… By placing more gadgets and ancillary personnel between [the doctor] and the mother, the obstetrician has become the overseer rather than the provider of care”. (8)
