Young midwives come with basic knowledge from school and can learn practice from the experience of older colleagues. That’s why it’s important to pass knowledge on to new generations. Over time, small things become anchored in us and we no longer think about them. And when we introduce routines into systems, these routines must be based on three things, knowledge, experience, and research studies.
Midwives work from experience, doctors from studies, and we all forget about basic knowledge. And so we can work on scientifically supported evidence. If something is not normal, it is NOT abnormal! The normal range can vary.
For example, from the first contraction to birth can take 3 hours or 23 hours, and it’s all still normal. Even below this time or above this time, something can still be normal, but there is greater variation within normal. The range therefore increases.
We must understand, when conducting studies, that our baseline is large, so the question is how our study can address our wide range. This is important for understanding studies. We must always consider that the norm can be large and diverse.
MIDIRS – Midwifery Journals, Article Database
Wise Woman Way of Birth – Gloria Lemay birth blog
Midwives Alliance – North America
Local Supervising Authority Midwifery Officers Forum UK
European Court of Human Rights
Nurturing Hearts Birth Services
World Health Organization – WHO
NCBI – The National Center for Biotechnology Information
National Institute of Public Health
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
La Leche League International – LLLI
