Student midwife turned away..

[babyjan]

because his male

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ife-turned-away-breastfeed-class--s-male.html

Thoughts?

 

[Siuan]

Ridiculous. The best midwife I had during labour was male.

 

[Jaylynne]

I think it is understandable if some women were shy about feeding in front of a man. I didn't try to nurse in front of any of my male drs and I would have felt uncomfortable. I don't care if it is natural, it is also natural for some women to feel a little uneasy with a man they didn't choose as their healthcare professional to watch. Also, the situation was that there wasn't any other rooms for privacy in case there were women who felt uncomfortable. It was stated women only. I don't think it should be forced and I don't think he has a "right" to watch.

P.s., my obgyn was male and awesome.

 

[My_First]

I think it's important to point out that this was a women only breastfeeding class, the NCT also have men and women breastfeeding classes. I don't think it actually has anything to do with him being a midwife here, but more a man. I have no problem with a male midwife at all and I urge more men to take up the profession, I see it no difference to a male gynacolist or dr. This class, however was for women only and that should have been able to be respected.

 

[pinklightbulb]

Nothing wrong with him being turned away if it was women-only. People are too quick to scream "sexist" or any other "-ist" these days.

 

[babyjan]

I totally understand why these woman would be uncomfortable, I had a male midwife who came in to see me when I first got into the hospital after my waters broke, he asked to feel my tummy and I allowed him then he asked if he could do the internal examination which I refused and said I would like a female to do that, he became so defensive rather than respect my decision which was awkward

I don't mind male doctors, I had a male consultant during my antenatal visits x

 

[EstelSeren]

It's utterly ridiculous! It's not like he's just some pervert from off the street! He has seen it all before and there's no way that he would judge a mother at a class or look on just for the sake of it! That said I'm very much of the opinion that medical professionals and trainee medical professionals become sort of asexual when they're on the job because they have to be! So for me in this situation he wouldn't be seen as a man simply because he is a midwifery student looking for information, which transcends gender! Whilst I feel in part that women who feel uncomfortable feeding in the presence of men then actually having a man there who is observing/ taking part in a professional capacity and therefore is 'safe' would be beneficial to them in a way as if they can't feed with men around then what are they going to do when out and about with a hungry baby and no breastfeeding facilities nearby, I do understand why he was asked to leave a female only session. However, if it was me leading the class I probably would have asked him to wait around outside/ come back at the end of the session so he could speak to some of the women about their anxieties and how they would expect or want him to help them as a midwife as that would surely be something that would be very beneficial to him as a midwife who will certainly at some point during his training and professional life be involved in post-natal care and have to deal with new or expectant mums who are experiencing exactly those anxieties. Part of being a midwife is giving breastfeeding advice and support so he needs to learn how to deal with women who are anxious of feeding in front of men otherwise how is he supposed to give the support they need, perhaps with adjusting their latch, etc? There were other ways that they could have dealt with it that wouldn't have meant actively preventing him from a learning experience simply based on his gender. I am sure that he would have acted no differently from a female midwife in the same class.

Beca :wave:

 

[Jennifurball]

Ridiculous.

Everyone has to learn their job, I never turn students away for anything. When Scarlett was in hospital the other day, I had a male nurse giving her a full physical examination, and in some ways that could be seen as worse than someone seeing my bits etc. How on earth could they ever qualify if everyone said no? They are our children's future care givers.

 

[sequeena]

I didn't think I would want a male midwife during labour as I had been abused in the past. People may label that silly but I did not like the idea of having a strange male when I was at my most vulnerable.

As it turned out my hospital did not have male midwives but I did have a student deliver my baby

Since then I have been able to have a smear from my male doctor so I feel I have overcome a massive hurdle. I do still feel very nervous but I'm getting better.

I believe a woman has the right to choose so if someone doesn't feel comfortable with it they shouldn't be judged. I will definitely allow a male midwife at the birth the next time I have a baby if there is one about.

 

[robinator]

I understand because it was a women-only group. Butt is an unfortunate last name, lol.

 

[jenfirstbaby]

When I was in labour I was asked if it would be ok for some group of people to come in and observe, but i said no. Looking back i wish id said yes, im not really sure why i said no. My midwife was lovely and she had a student with her already, and my mum and oh so i think i felt like there were too many already.

Felt bad afterwards tho! Don't know if they were male or not as i didn't see them x

 

[sequeena]

When I was in labour I was asked if it would be ok for some group of people to come in and observe, but i said no. Looking back i wish id said yes, im not really sure why i said no. My midwife was lovely and she had a student with her already, and my mum and oh so i think i felt like there were too many already.

Felt bad afterwards tho! Don't know if they were male or not as i didn't see them x

I wouldn't feel bad for not wanting them there during YOUR labour I'm sure for every person who says no there are 2 that say yes

Afterwards whilst I was stitched I had the head midwife and 2 other midwives down there

 

[jenfirstbaby]

When I was in labour I was asked if it would be ok for some group of people to come in and observe, but i said no. Looking back i wish id said yes, im not really sure why i said no. My midwife was lovely and she had a student with her already, and my mum and oh so i think i felt like there were too many already.

Felt bad afterwards tho! Don't know if they were male or not as i didn't see them x

I wouldn't feel bad for not wanting them there during YOUR labour I'm sure for every person who says no there are 2 that say yes

Afterwards whilst I was stitched I had the head midwife and 2 other midwives down there

I do remember asking the midwife 'will you think im a bitch if I say no?' haha! She was so nice, she laughed and said no not at all. I'm sure once she turned them away i said i felt awful too and kept asking if id made them fail their exams Damn that gas and air making me talk crap haha

 

[sequeena]

As bless!! The student midwife who delivered Thomas said she needed to witness 40 births to become a 'proper' midwife and Thomas was her 40th I guess it takes as long as it takes!

 

[summer rain]

I think there's nothing wrong with women being uncomfortable with male caregivers during pregnancy and labour, it's a time you're very vulnerable and you lose so much of your dignity anyway- for some women it would be the final straw. I personally find it a bit strange that so many men go into obstetrics or even midwifery and while there will be women happy with this they have to understand some won't be. I've nothing against students I had a female student when I had my second eldest, she was an older lady who had 5 children before deciding to get into midwifery, the actual midwife seemed very young and less experienced than the student one! Xx

 

[bumpycat]

What I find peculiar is the attitude of some women that a male OB/GYN is ok but a male nurse/midwife is not. Not saying it's wrong, just that I don't see the difference myself. They're all health care professionals.

 

[bumpbear]

When I chose my obstetrician, I chose a women's only practice where all the doctors were female because I was most comfortable being treated by a female doctor.

However, when I was admitted to hospital, the triage doctor supplied by the hospital who was to decide whether I was sufficiently in established labour to be admitted was male. Even when I was dealing with contractions at 6cm dilated, I asked for a female doctor as an alternative, because I was uncomfortable being examined by a male doctor.

I know it's completely irrational, but that's my natural instinct when it comes to these things!

So I kind of agree with them turning the male midwife away from the breastfeeding class because if I was attending it, I would rather he wasn't there too. I wouldnt have a problem whipping out my breastfeeding cover in front of him, but that would defeat the purpose of the class I imagine.

I think as a male midwife, you have to be sensitive and understand that there are patients who will not feel comfortable being treated by you. I apply the same logic to male obstetricians and male doctors.

 

[summer rain]

What I find peculiar is the attitude of some women that a male OB/GYN is ok but a male nurse/midwife is not. Not saying it's wrong, just that I don't see the difference myself. They're all health care professionals.

I wouldn't be happy with either, I find it strange too. If you look into it historically the whole role of ob-gyn was a way for men to take over and essentially obliterate what had traditionally been a woman's role by way of midwifery, portraying women as incompetent and midwifery as a quack profession, and its an unfortunate legacy that to this day most ob-gyns are male. Xx

 

[LittleBoo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpUcKGcpjqI

 

[babyjan]

What I find peculiar is the attitude of some women that a male OB/GYN is ok but a male nurse/midwife is not. Not saying it's wrong, just that I don't see the difference myself. They're all health care professionals.

I don't mind seeing a male doctor for a headache, tummy ache or something similar but to give me internal examination during labour is a big no no