Recently, NC CPM Emily "Amy" Medwin was arrested for practicing medicine without a license. This is NOT her first run in with NC authorities. NC Friends of Midwives are rallying behind this midwife in droves. According to them, she is a wonderful midwife.
In the state of NC, it is illegal to practice midwifery unless you are a Certified Nurse Midwife or a CNM. The state of North Carolina is NOT limiting your choices. They are giving you safe options. CPM's have a perinatal mortality rate that is 3X higher than in the hospital. I will go so far as to say that CPM's are a threat to public safety, NOT an asset. When a product causes a few deaths, recalls are performed and products are taken off of shelves. So, why are non-CNM's still practicing??
Having shared my story, many people have said that they cannot believe my midwife is still practicing. Faith Beltz, who caused the death of Aquila, is still practicing. A North Carolina mother lost her baby due to Amy Medwin amnd another has a baby clinging to life. Why don't these friend of midwife organizations stand up and say "We want mothers and babies safe"? If you are supporting a midwife that has caused an infant loss, you are showing people that the health of women and their babies is unimportant, the importance lies in just having midwives. Incompetence should be discouraged. What if it is your baby next?? Don't think it can't happen to you, because it can. Not a single homebirth mother is invincible. This midwife you support could end up being the very person who destroys your world by taking your child's life. Why can't homebirth supporters tell incompetent midwives that they will not support them??
I know people are clamoring about choice. One incompetent midwife does not take away your choice. If anything, you have been given safER choices. If homebirth means more to you than your child's life, hey, find another subpar CPM- they're all over the place. If you want SAFE choices, go to a DR or a CNM. I have to say, CNM's do have better rates than even doctors. However, I think it also shows that CNM's do take on only real low risk mothers. If CPM's were so educated and knew all about "normal birth", their numbers would reflect those of CNM's. CPM numbers don't even reflect those of DR's! Forget choice. Let's think about SAFETY! There is nothing stopping CPM's from becoming CNM's. Oh wait, they don't want to go to school, don't want to learn about the entire body, don't want to spend the money, AND women don't find educated care providers desirable!
Would you support a person performing back alley abortions?? They know all about the reproductive system and how abortions are performed. You might lose a few mothers. Interestingly enough, childbirth is riskier than abortion!
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23 comments:
Slander?? You mean when I say something people don't like??
After much reading, I am confident that this is NOT slander. If you think about it, nobody is going to go after an illegal midwife unless she does something wrong. Do you really think the police would arrest her just because?? C'mon. You should know better than that!
Umm, Marlene - this is written, so if anything it would be libel, if it were untrue, and caused damages.
She would not have been arrested if there were "no" regulations. If there were NO regulations, there wouldn't be a law to be broken. From what I've gathered on the interwebz, in NC, she is practicing medicine without a license.
Edit - I mean practicing midwifery illegally. CPMs are not allowed to practice in NC. Enough said.
Could you share what studies you are referencing when you say, "CPM's have a perinatal mortality rate that is 3X higher than in the hospital" and "CPM numbers don't even reflect those of DR's"? Also, being new to NC, I don't know anything about particular midwives here. You sound as though you have access and knowledge regarding the overall statistics of Ms. Medwin. Could you share where this information can be found? I am, in general, a proponent of homebirth--but do not want to jump blindly onto this political bandwagon. Your opinion here is clear. Now, if you would be so kind, can you share the documentation that lead to your position? Thanks much!
The CDC Wonder website tracks all deaths, cause of death, birthplace, attendant, mother's age, multiples, etc. If you do a search for ALL out of hospital births, go through causes, mothers who are 20 to 34 and full term babies, You will get the rates and they do show CPM's have the highest perinatal mortality rate. Ms. Medwin's history and story can be found all over the internet using the power of google.
i'm grateful to live in a state (CO) where lay midwives are allowed to provide their services without the threat of prosecution. you act as if doctors and cnm's practicing in hospitals are never involved in the death of a baby. if this were true, then why is america ranked #29 in the world for infant mortality? did you notice ms. medwin was charged for a crime that in my state she would not have been charged with? she was NOT charged in the death of the baby. birth can be a fine line between life and death and yes sometimes babies die, in hospitals, in birth centers, and yes even at home.
Two questions ... what's the basis of you saying that the baby's death was Amy's fault? And what in the world do "back alley abortions" have to do with this? I have known Amy for over 30 years. Her knowledge and experience is incredible ...
I wonder if you feel that every OB who has had the misfortune of attending a birth that ended in death should be arrested and/or cease to practice? This is a tragedy, as is every infant death, but it does happen - both at home and in hospitals. I wonder too if the hospitals and doctors of which you are so quick to sing praises should be subject to the same harsh judgment for every mother who dies during an unnecessary, over-prescribed C-section.
Kelly, how many women die from unnecessary c-sections? If you look around, I actually wrote up a blog addressing maternal mortality. You are welcome to read it! I do believe that OB's whose negligence cause a death should most certainly be held accountable for their actions!
Rusty, I brought up back alley abortions because they are the reason people wanted "safe abortions", meaning a safe facility with a real DR. Seeing as to how childbirth is more dangerous than abortion, it makes you wonder.
Rebecca, Colorado should not be envied when it comes to their laws. Do you know their perinatal mortality rate?? I do. It's 14.1. That's double the state average of 6.5.
I guess it's true, ignorance really is bliss. My birth, my choice. I would choose Amy again and again because I know that she is well qualified and isn't the negligent midwife you portray her as.
Ignorance really is, huh?? Just ignore the dead and brain damaged babies, because they really don't matter do they?? A dead baby last month and brain damaged one this month (not to mention the others) speaks volumes about the type of midwife she is!!
I do know Amy's stats because she delivered both my children. As of 2009, she had only one infant death in 30 years! I don't think there are many Drs with those kinds of numbers.
Alilouhoo--- no OBs dont have those stats because they would have no deaths with the same number of births in 30 years she has probably delivered 100 babies if she was really busting her butt. years dont matter number of births matter....
i meant 1000, not 100
Amy has been my midwife in the past and I would not hesitate to ask for her help again, or refer a friend to her. Amy is a superb midwife. Sad things happen sometimes and there is not always someone to blame.
It is obvious that you are passionate about this topic and you have a right to be, considering your own circumstances. However, you are inaccurate in your claims. For example, here is just one quote from compleatmother.com that contradicts your claim that the "professionals" are the safer choice. "The death rate for babies born in the hospital was 5.6 and for those born at home was 11.1, which would seem to indicate that a hospital is a better bet for a baby's survival. However, when the homebirth statistics are further broken down into who attended the birth, the picture changes dramatically. Direct Entry Midwives had the best outcomes with a death rate of 1.9 compared to CNM-attended births (2.9) or physicians -- D.O.'s (15.1) or M.D.'s (24.7). 2"
Danielle, could you post where that quote came from, specifically? I'd love to see where that magazine's sources came from.
Thanks!
Sorry I didn't see this until now. Here is a link to the specific article, which includes references:
http://www.compleatmother.com/homebirth/hb_safety.htm
Another great article on Mercola.com gives more information:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/28/home-birth-is-safer-than-hospital-birth.aspx
It is also interesting to note that Amy was not even present at the birth for which she was arrested. Furthermore, since this was a personal friend, no money was exchanged. She stepped forward because the lady was being accused of not having proper medical care during her pregnancy. Because of this, I am not sure how it's even legal for her to be arrested, since home birth itself is legal.
I understand how this is such a heated issue, but the facts simply don't support the claim that midwives are, in general, less competent than doctors or that home birth, in general, is less safe. There will always be the occasional exception to the rule, of course...just as with hospital births and their general tendency for too much medical intervention.
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