Alternative obstetrics: bed, chair or tub? Have alternative birthing methods become established?

Abstract

As a reaction to the technology craze that occurred in obstetrics, the pendulum swung toward alternative obstetrics with alternative birthing methods. Instead of the classical bed birth on a narrow bed, birth on a wide bed and births using the Maya birthing stool and waterbirths became established as alternative birthing methods. Using the example of the Women's Clinic of the Cantonal Hospital of Frauenfeld, this study shows how alternative obstetrical medicine was introduced and could be integrated into traditional obstetrics. The goal of the Frauenfeld obstetrics is to combine the parturient's personal wishes and desires with classical obstetrics. Using a quality analysis and prospective observational study that has been on-going since 1991, it could be shown that alternative birthing methods are just as safe for the mother and child as is the classical bed birth on the narrow bed. In addition to ensuring the safety for the mother and child, alternative obstetrics is responsible for the attitude that the birth be considered an unforgettable and beautiful experience for the parturient, which is a definite advantage for women. Alternative birthing methods have become established because they have been able, using a high technical standard, to combine safety for the mother and the child with a humane side of obstetrics that evokes a nurturing and warm atmosphere.