"There is an ideological problem in midwifery that needs sorting – how many more deaths before it is finally acknowledged?"

Within recent years there has been a plethora of high profile cases where midwifery based care has come under close scrutiny. The result has been that women and their families have undergone traumatic birth outcomes, midwives... [ view full abstract ]

Within recent years there has been a plethora of high profile cases where midwifery based care has come under close scrutiny. The result has been that women and their families have undergone traumatic birth outcomes, midwives and midwifery led care have (in some instances) come into disrepute and the public and other professionals have lost confidence in the care that midwives provide.

One of the ideologies which underpin midwifery led care is the tenet of normal birth. The World Health Organisation (1997) defined normal birth “…as spontaneous in onset, low-risk at the start of labour and remaining so throughout labour and delivery. The infant is born spontaneously in the vertex position between 37 and 42 completed weeks of pregnancy. After birth mother and infant are in good condition.”

A definition of normal birth is important as it dictates three things

1. Whether the woman is assigned care with a midwives or MDT,
2. Where it is recommended that women should birth
3. The conduct of the birth experience

However the concept of normal birth is constantly under debate within maternity services and it can be argued that amongst health care professional and women the term can engender some misconception and misinterpretation. It has also been argues that the pursuit of normal birth has led to poor outcomes.

As a profession it is important to analyse and debate what the key concepts of midwifery are and how they should be defined and practiced, by doing this midwifery as a group can regulate itself by ensuring its core ideological principles are adhered to. This should then engender safe practice