Does the Midwife 'Birth' the Babies?

[MegBoz]

It seems the mainstream terminology is that doctors "deliver" babies. Whereas those who advocate the midwifery model of care talk about the health care provider "catching" the baby, while Mama births baby.

Well, the only free standing birth center in our area has a male CNM. (A discussion on male MWs on the BP forum got me curious to read his bio.)

“I've birthed close to 1,000 babies,” David said. “Miracles happen when babies are born.”
...He was the first midwife to birth babies at the Naval Hospital in Bethesda.

Uh, how is that?

Just thought it was a rather odd choice of words - for any MW, but particularly odd for a male MW.

[littlebb]

That's a good question. I'm guessing he's just mincing words maybe? In hospital births, even with midwives, there is a lot more hands-on with the OB or midwife. It's my understanding in homebirths that midwives are a lot less invasive. For instance, my midwife is basically there to make sure baby and I are safe. She'll catch the baby if we choose for her to, but also gives the option to the mother to catch the baby herself or have her husband/partner/SO catch the baby provided everything is going the way it's supposed to.

I'm curious to see what responses you get on this. I guess I never thought about it that way...

[stik]

I think that's an odd choice of words too. If a male midwife has given birth to thousands of babies, that certainly is a miracle.

If a care provider has accidentally allowed themselves to think that they are at the center of someone else's birth process, that's not so much of a miracle.

[texaspeach]

That's a strange thing to say. He's attended 1000 births would be a better way of saying it. It rubs me the wrong way just as much as delivered does. He's not the one birthing, the mom is.

[MidwifeErika]

I prefer "attended" or "caught".

[battymama]

I prefer attended, i birthed/ delivered/ whatever you wanna call it, my baby. My midwife supported and attended me, and i think she would see it the same way, in fact i know she does. My midwife has birthed 3 babies though

That rubs me the wrong way too.

[laohaire]

I don't like his phrasing, but honestly I like it better than "delivered." At least he emphasized the process - "delivered" seems to completely ignore the birth process altogether. But yes, I would much prefer to hear a midwife say "attended," "assisted" or "caught."

[mwherbs]

probably just poor word choice and I think that his is trying to make a distinction between "delivery" and what he does in attending- but maybe it is more emotional for him than just attending or catching- I wish there were better words for it because even the wording catch- puts it on me where I would prefer that mom or dad caught the baby- and I am more than a monitor although I probably do much more of that than catching- and I feel much more a participant in the sense of flow than someone from the outside observing -- and truly other than when he was born , this is as close to birthing a baby as he is going to get-- maybe it is in that Gone With the Wind venacular - you know that quote "I don't know nothin bout birthin babies Miss Scarlet"so he does know something about birthin

[Drummer's Wife]

That is odd, the way he worded it.

My mom is a CNM and has always said to my kids, "I'm going to work to catch babies" or soemthing similar. Never birthed, delivered, or anything that would take any of the hard work and effort away from the mama

[dancindoula]

Better choice of words would be: "I have attended/supported the births of 1000 babies" or "I have caught 1000 babies." Any man claiming to have "birthed" 1000 babies better be willing to have the Ripley's company back him up with the legendary notarized letter of witness.

[laohaire]

Originally Posted by dancindoula

Any man claiming to have "birthed" 1000 babies better be willing to have the Ripley's company back him up with the legendary notarized letter of witness.

To be fair, any woman who claims to have birthed 1000 babies would also be a head-scratcher. I don't see it as an issue with his sex.

[mama in the forest]

I think it's disgusting.

I wrote to them via their contact page and voiced my concerns.

[MegBoz]

Originally Posted by laohaire

At least he emphasized the process - "delivered" seems to completely ignore the birth process altogether.

yes, true. That occurred to me as well that perhaps he thought "birthed" was the better verb choice since "delivered" seems to be more cold & clinical.

However, in the English language, for a health care provider to say, "I've delivered over 1,000 babies" we KNOW that to mean "attended the birth as the HCP." But to say "I BIRTHED" is not a common usage. "I birthed" usually only means "I gave birth... baby came out of me..." So it really is just weird for a MW of any gender to use that phrasing.

I felt a little bad posting this. I've heard really great feedback about this birth center. So I honestly doubt that this guy views himself as the center of the process & thinks HE is responsible & it's HIS accomplishment & HIS birth. I really doubt that's the case. It's just an issue of poor word choice. But it was just SO odd to me that I did post.

mama in the forest-
Thanks, I think it's good to let them know. Let us know if they reply, I'm curious! Now it WOULD be fascinating if he stood behind that wording & thought it was the appropriate way to phrase his job. :

[micah_mae_]

He was one of my midwives! Lol, he is such a sweet man, I doubt he meant it that way. He also talks about getting teary eyed when helping a mom pull her baby out of the water to her chest.
I'm sure it was just a weird phrasing, not that he meant it like that.

[wombatclay]

Hmmmm... a number of the local care providers here (male and female) use "birthed" as their action verb. So while "delivered" has a fair showing in the handouts, it gets swapped around with "birthed". I do think it's a bit unclear in terms of common English usage in the US though, but it doesn't actually bother me on anything but a linguistic level.

However, is this individual a native English speaker? How do the female midwives at this birth center word their own descriptions/bios? (ie: do they all use "birthed"? Do some use "birthed" while others use "attend" or "deliver" or "catch"? If he the only one with a bio?) And it looks like in the quote you provided that his statement about "birthing X babies" was followed by a general media blurb that also uses "birth" as the decription of what the midwife does...

[AngelBee]

I think the proper way to say it is "I have assisted in the births of ____ babies" Or "I have attended ____ births."

That is my preference.

[AngelBee]

Originally Posted by mama in the forest

I think it's disgusting.

I wrote to them via their contact page and voiced my concerns.

Disgusting?

Why that upset by the wording?

I have heard female midwives say the same thing.

[Comtessa]

I actually hate the phrase "delivered" no matter who uses it. Flowers and pizzas and mail are "delivered" - babies are born.

The second meaning of "delivery" is even worse, as in "deliver us from evil." I'm not hiring a birth attendant in order to be passively "delivered from" my pregnancy, thank you very much!

Perhaps it would be better for birth attendants (male OR female) to use the Spanish: "Dar a luz" is the usual expression for giving birth, and it means "to give to light"... perhaps a birth attendant could say "I helped bring ___ babies to light"?

[nashvillemidwife]

It's not common or proper, but it's certainly not unheard of to use the term "birthed" in that way. As mwherbs pointed out, it's actually a rather famous use of the word. Maybe it's a regional thing? People ask me all the time if I've been busy "birthin' babies". I've never thought anything of it.

[mama in the forest]

Why that upset by the wording?

I have heard female midwives say the same thing.

I'm not upset angelbee.

I would find it just as disgusting if female midwives used that type of phrasing. It is semantics, but words communicate ideas in our world and I feel those words do put the midwife in a position in which they do not belong.