Empowering women with birth choices and ensuring they have a positive birthing experience, in my opinion, should be our main priority. Pregnancy and birthing are natural but significant life-changing events in a woman’s life and should not be treated as medical events. C-sections are increasingly becoming the norm, even in the case of healthy pregnant women with no medical complications. The current healthcare system needs to change its perspective and childbirth practices radically.
The question is, what do women want? They want to be supported through labour with a birth companion of their choice, given the freedom to birth in the position that feels most natural. This is what trained midwives can enable while ensuring safe birthing practices. Professional midwifery needs to form the backbone of maternity services in India. Research indicates that midwifery can help avert 83% of maternal deaths, stillbirths, and newborn deaths. Most importantly, it provides a positive birthing experience to women. Therefore, #BreakTheBias by creating a world in which women are free to make birth choices and are supported during childbirth.
