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ACM Philosophy Statement for Midwifery
July 2004
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.
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