Contraction V: Self-care

On international day of the midwife we focus during our fifth contraction on caring for ourselves with student midwife Madyasa Vijber

Madyasa Vijber is doing her final internship in midwifery,She speaks out about our lack of resistance to the system in the form of self-care and raises awareness about mental health of midwives and midwifery students.  is a doula, and is regularly involved in feminist and anti-racist activism in the Netherlands.  

Madyasa Vijber is doing her final internship in midwifery, is a doula, and is regularly involved in feminist and anti-racist activism in the Netherlands.  

She speaks out about our lack of resistance to the system in the form of self-care and raises awareness about mental health of midwives and midwifery students. 

Further reading: 

Websites

Books

  •  Lorde, A. (2007). Sister Outsider. Crossing Press.- Beaumont, E., Durkin, M., 
  • Kirkham, M. (2000). The Midwife-mother Relationship. Macmillan Publishers.
  • Nagoski, E., & Nagoski, A. D. (2020). Burnout. Penguin Random House.
  • Brown, B. (2012). The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings on Authenticity, Connection and Courage (1ste ed.). Sounds True, Inc.

Articles:

  • Hollins Martin, C. J., & Carson, J. (2016). Compassion for others, self-compassion, quality of life and mental well-being measures and their association with compassion fatigue and burnout in student midwives: A quantitative survey. Midwifery, 34, 239–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2015.11.002
  • Durkin, M., Beaumont, E., Hollins Martin, C. J., & Carson, J. (2016). A pilot study exploring the relationship between self-compassion, self-judgement, self-kindness, compassion, professional quality of life and wellbeing among UK community nurses. Nurse Education Today, 46, 109–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.08.030
  • Warmelink, J. C., Hoijtink, K., Noppers, M., Wiegers, T. A., de Cock, T. P., Klomp, T., & Hutton, E. K. (2015). An explorative study of factors contributing to the job satisfaction of primary care midwives. Midwifery, 31(4), 482–488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2014.12.003
  • Fenwick, J., Sidebotham, M., Gamble, J., & Creedy, D. K. (2018). The emotional and professional wellbeing of Australian midwives: A comparison between those providing continuity of midwifery care and those not providing continuity. Women and Birth, 31(1), 38–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2017.06.013

Contractions is produced by Rodante van der Waal and Vinny Taylor. Contact: Rodantevanderwaal@gmail.com

Contraction IV: Inequity with Bahareh Goodarzi

In our forth contraction, we talk with Bahareh Goodarzi about inequity in midwifery care.

Bahareh Goodarzi is a midwife, teacher and researcher at the Midwifery Science department of Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands. The Netherlands. She has started two working groups on diversity, inclusivity and anti-discrimination, one at the AVAG Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, and one at the Royal Dutch organization of midwives (KNOV). Goodarzi’s research focusses on risk selection in maternal and newborn care, particularly on the risk of inequity in care outcomes. 

Bahareh Goodarzi is a midwife, teacher and researcher at the Midwifery Science department of Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands. The Netherlands. She has started two working groups on diversity, inclusivity and anti-discrimination, one at the AVAG Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, and one at the Royal Dutch organization of midwives (KNOV). Goodarzi’s research focusses on risk selection in maternal and newborn care, particularly on the risk of inequity in care outcomes. 

Further reading: 

  • Burnett (2020) Dismantling racism in education: In 2020, the year of the nurse & midwife, “it’s time.”
  • Zanting (2020) The ‘exotic other’ in medical curricula: Rethinking cultural diversity in course manuals.
  • Zaidi (2021) From the “top-down” and the “bottom-up”: Centering Foucault’s notion of biopower and individual accountability within systemic racism
  • Lim (2021) Students’ perceptions on race in medical education and healthcare.
  • Vyas (2020) Hidden in Plain Sight — Reconsidering the Use
    of Race Correction in Clinical Algorithms.

Contraction III: Obstetric Violence with Michelle Sadler

In our third contraction Michelle Sadler argues for the importance of recognizing obstetric violence and calling it out as such.

Dr. Michelle Sadler is an anthropologist and one of the forefront academics and activists, globally fighting obstetric violence. Sadler fights for the recognition of obstetric violence as violence against women and for the importance to call it out as such. She is an associate researcher at the Adolfo University in Chile, and director of the Chilean Observatory of Obstetric Violence.

Dr. Michelle Sadler is an anthropologist and one of the forefront academics and activists, globally fighting obstetric violence. Sadler fights for the recognition of obstetric violence as violence against women and for the importance to call it out as such. She is an associate researcher at the Adolfo University in Chile, and director of the Chilean Observatory of Obstetric Violence.

We spoke at a philosophy of childbirth conference in Alcalá, Spain



    Contraction II: Crisis with Rebecca Ashley

    In our second contraction, midwife and researcher Rebecca Ashley labours through the connection between neoliberal financial crises and the crisis of midwifery work

    Rebecca Ashley is a midwife and researcher studying the connection between neoliberal financial crises and the crisis of midwifery work. She imagines what a socialist model of midwifery care could be. 

    Rebecca Ashley is a midwife and researcher studying the connection between neoliberal financial crises and the crisis of midwifery work. She imagines what a socialist model of midwifery care could be. 

     

    Further reading 

    Contraction I: Power/Knowledge with Elizabeth Newnham

    During our first contraction dr. Elizabeth Newnham focusses on the constellation of power and knowledge in midwifery and obstetrics.

    Dr. Elizabeth Newnham is a midwife, researcher and teacher at Griffith University, Australia. She studies the way in which power and knowledge function in obstetrics within a Foucauldian framework. She is the author of the book Towards the Huminisation of Birth: a Study of Epidural Analgesia and Hospital Birth Culture.

    Dr. Elizabeth Newnham is a midwife, researcher and teacher at Griffith University, Australia. She studies the way in which power and knowledge function in obstetrics within a Foucauldian framework. She is the author of the book Towards the Huminisation of Birth: a Study of Epidural Analgesia and Hospital Birth Culture.

     

    Further reading: 

    • Newnham (2015) Birth control: Power/knowledge in the politics of birth.
    • Newnham (2017) Paradox of the institution: findings from a hospital labour ward ethnography. 
    • Newnham (2017) ‘It’s your body, but…’ Mixed messages in childbirth education: Findings from a hospital ethnography. 

    EDIT: In the episode we’ve stated incorrectly that dr. Newnham works at Queensland University. This is not the case. She works at Griffith University, which is in Queensland, Australia.