4 research outputs found
Dependent Autonomy : Towards a Contestualised and Dialogic Aim for Moral Education
This article presents two approaches to moral education: the autonomy approach and the heteronomy approach. Generally the two approaches are considered to be mutually exclusive. The study described here, conducted among Dutch teachers at Catholic primary schools, reflects a positive relation between the two approaches. This leads to the assumption that teachers regard moral education as a dialogical, embodied and contextual process (Vygotski). In order to achieve autonomy, notions of the good life need to be transmitted to children.
Women’s positions during the second stage of labour: views of primary care midwives
Aim. This paper is a report of a study to explore the views of midwives on women’s
positions during the second stage of labour.
Background. Many authors recommend encouraging women to use positions that
are most comfortable to them. Others advocate encouragement of non-supine
positions, because offering ‘choice’ is not enough to reverse the strong cultural norm
of giving birth in the supine position. Midwives’ views on women’s positions have
rarely been explored.
Method. Six focus groups were conducted in 2006–2007 with a purposive sample of
31 midwives. The data were interpreted using Thachuk’s models of informed consent
and informed choice.
Findings. The models were useful in distinguishing between two different
approaches of midwives to women’s positions during labour. When giving informed
consent, midwives implicitly or explicitly ask a woman’s consent for what they
themselves prefer. When offering informed choice, a woman’s preference is the
starting point, but midwives will suggest other options if this is in the woman’s
interest. Obstetric factors and working conditions are reasons to deviate from
women’s preferences.
Conclusions. To give women an informed choice about birthing positions, midwives
need to give them information during pregnancy and discuss their position preferences.
Women should be prepared for the unpredictability of their feelings in labour
and for obstetric factors that may interfere with their choice of position. Equipment
for non-supine births should be more midwife-friendly. In addition, midwives and
students need to be able to gain experience in assisting births in non-supine positions.