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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Spotlight.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm Gillian Woodward and I'm Roger Bassic. Spotlight uses a

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<v Speaker 2>special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people

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<v Speaker 2>to understand no matter where in the world they live.

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<v Speaker 1>You are a young woman living in the mountains of Kaokoland, Namibia.

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<v Speaker 1>You are poor and pregnant. The nearest hospital is over

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<v Speaker 1>an hour away. You cannot afford the hospital anyway. You

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<v Speaker 1>are scared. You have never been pregnant. You do not

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<v Speaker 1>know what to do. You are afraid you will lose

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<v Speaker 1>your baby. You are scared you might die in childbirth.

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<v Speaker 1>You have so many questions with no one to ask.

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<v Speaker 1>What do you do? Who will help you? There is

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<v Speaker 1>probably only one person who can help. She is called

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<v Speaker 1>a midwife.

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<v Speaker 2>Today's Spotlight is about midwives. We look at the different

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<v Speaker 2>services they provide to pregnant women. We examine the debate

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<v Speaker 2>surrounding midwifery. We talk about why some pregnant women prefer

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<v Speaker 2>working with a midwife rather than a hospital. We discuss

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<v Speaker 2>the rise in popularity of midwives.

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<v Speaker 1>The word midwife means with woman. Until about two hundred

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<v Speaker 1>years ago, the person that was with a pregnant woman

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<v Speaker 1>during birth was a midwife. Midwives are even mentioned in

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<v Speaker 1>the Book of Exodus in the Bible. They go to

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<v Speaker 1>women's homes and check on them during pregnancy, they deliver

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<v Speaker 1>their babies. Midwives gained their knowledge through experience. They also

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<v Speaker 1>learned from other midwives. They had limited formal training. They

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<v Speaker 1>did not receive much, if any pay.

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<v Speaker 2>When the professional medical community realized they could make money

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<v Speaker 2>from childbirth, they took control. They said midwives did not

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<v Speaker 2>know enough to deliver babies safely. All over the world,

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<v Speaker 2>male doctors took over the practice of childbirth.

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<v Speaker 1>Male doctors replaced female midwives in the United States in

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<v Speaker 1>the nineteenth century. By the nineteen sixties, ninety seven percent

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<v Speaker 1>of births in the United States occurred in hospitals.

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<v Speaker 2>But things began to change. The women's liberation movement became

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<v Speaker 2>popular around the world. From the nineteen sixties to the

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen eighties. Women pushed for equal treatment and opportunities in

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<v Speaker 2>areas like employment and family. Midwives started receiving formal training,

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<v Speaker 2>midwifery schools opened, midwives started gaining more respect and trust.

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<v Speaker 1>Today, midwives in the United States and undel over four

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and thirty thousand berths each year In Germany, midwives

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<v Speaker 1>attend seven hundred thousand berths a year. In England, midwives

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<v Speaker 1>attend over two hundred and thirty thousand berths a year.

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<v Speaker 2>There are many reasons why women are now choosing to

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<v Speaker 2>use a midwife. One of the biggest reasons is control.

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<v Speaker 2>K Line Weaver's first baby was breech. Her baby's buttocks

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<v Speaker 2>or feet would come out first rather than the head.

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<v Speaker 2>Line Weaver's doctor would not allow her to give birth naturally.

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<v Speaker 2>He made her have a cesarean section. He cut through

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<v Speaker 2>line Weaver's stomach to deliver the baby.

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<v Speaker 3>Line Weaver said the doctor would not even give me

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<v Speaker 3>the option.

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<v Speaker 1>Line Weaver said the birth process was like a bad dream.

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<v Speaker 1>She did not feel like she was in control. For

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<v Speaker 1>her second baby, she was determined to have a natural birth,

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<v Speaker 1>but the doctor told her that the scar from her

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<v Speaker 1>surgery could tear. A natural birth could damage her uterus.

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<v Speaker 1>This could threaten her life or her baby's life. No

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<v Speaker 1>doctor at any hospital in her area would allow her

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<v Speaker 1>to have a natural birth, so she chose a midwife

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<v Speaker 1>to deliver her baby. The midwife allowed Line Weaver to

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<v Speaker 1>have a natural birth. Her child's birth was easy and successful.

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<v Speaker 1>In fact, line Weaver said the environment was calmer than

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<v Speaker 1>when she had her first child at the hospital. Line

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<v Speaker 1>Weaver said, I.

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<v Speaker 3>Am a big believer that how you are brought into

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<v Speaker 3>this world helps shape the person that you become.

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<v Speaker 2>By using a midwife, the mother can have her baby

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<v Speaker 2>in the comfort of her own home. She gets more

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<v Speaker 2>time with a midwife during her pregnancy. She may only

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<v Speaker 2>get fifteen minutes with a doctor during a hospital visit,

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<v Speaker 2>but she could get an hour with a midwife during

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<v Speaker 2>a midwife assisted birth. She can have her entire family

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<v Speaker 2>nearby if she chooses. She can have a poor birth.

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<v Speaker 2>This is when she stays in water during the delivery.

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<v Speaker 2>This process can make birthing easier, calmer, and even less painful.

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<v Speaker 1>Some groups, like the Amish, prefer using midwives to deliver

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<v Speaker 1>their babies. This special group of Christians tries to live

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<v Speaker 1>simply and plainly. They farm for a living. They build

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<v Speaker 1>their own houses and barns. They dress in traditional dark clothes.

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<v Speaker 1>The Amish do not use cars, electricity, or phones. They

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<v Speaker 1>travel by horse and wagon. They work and marry within

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<v Speaker 1>their communities.

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<v Speaker 2>The Amish believe that childbirth is a natural process. They

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<v Speaker 2>think that labor should happen with as little medical care

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<v Speaker 2>as possible. A midwife offers a woman more private personal

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<v Speaker 2>care than a hospital setting. The midwife can visit them

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<v Speaker 2>on their farm. It is difficult for the Amish to

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<v Speaker 2>travel back and forth to a hospital since they do

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<v Speaker 2>not use cars.

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<v Speaker 1>The Amish do not have much money. Often hospitals charge

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<v Speaker 1>more than midwives. The Amish usually have large families with

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<v Speaker 1>eight to twelve children, Using a hospital for each berth

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<v Speaker 1>would be expensive.

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<v Speaker 2>Tracy Moore has worked as a midwife in Kentucky for

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<v Speaker 2>over twenty years. She serves several Amish communities. She has

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<v Speaker 2>attended twelve hundred berths. The Amish communities completely trust more.

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<v Speaker 2>Some see her as part of their families. She gives

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<v Speaker 2>them extra attention that a doctor would not have time

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<v Speaker 2>to offer. She once cared for a woman named Laura,

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<v Speaker 2>who might have seemed rude to others because of how

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<v Speaker 2>she answered questions, but Moore spent extra time with her.

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<v Speaker 2>She got to know her. She noticed that Laura suffered

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<v Speaker 2>from hearing difficulties. Moore helped Laura get hearing aids that

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<v Speaker 2>changed her life.

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<v Speaker 1>Because Moore knows the Amish communities so well, she can

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<v Speaker 1>suggest specific diet plans for each expectant mother. She knows

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<v Speaker 1>what and how they farm, she can change her advice

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<v Speaker 1>to make sure the mother gets enough vitamens during her pregnancy.

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<v Speaker 2>Moore went to see another Amish woman named Edith. While

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<v Speaker 2>visiting her, Moore discovered that Edith's daughter was severely anemic.

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<v Speaker 2>She had a low number of red blood cells, which

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<v Speaker 2>challenged her oxygen supply. Moore recognized that the daughter needed

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<v Speaker 2>extra care.

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<v Speaker 4>Moore said, by bringing healthcare into the home and understanding

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<v Speaker 4>their culture, I was able to fit my care to

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<v Speaker 4>their actual needs. Mid wafery carry the care to the client.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you know someone who used a midwife to deliver

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<v Speaker 1>their baby? Would you consider using a midwife rather than

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<v Speaker 1>a hospital. You can leave a comment on our website

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<v Speaker 1>at www dot Spotlight English dot com. You can also

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<v Speaker 1>find us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and x You

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<v Speaker 1>can also get our programs delivered directly to your Android

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<v Speaker 1>or Apple device through our free official Spotlight English app.

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<v Speaker 2>The writer of this program was Peter Anderson. The producer

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<v Speaker 2>was Michyo Ozaki. The voice is you you heard were

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<v Speaker 2>from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes

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<v Speaker 2>were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. No

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<v Speaker 2>AI or artificial intelligence was used in this program. Spotlight

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<v Speaker 2>programs are written, voiced, and produced by real people for

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<v Speaker 2>real people, no matter where in the world they live.

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<v Speaker 2>This program is called Call the Midwife.

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<v Speaker 1>We hope you can join us again for the next

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<v Speaker 1>Spotlight program. Goodbye,