Traditionally, midwives in this country belonged to the community they served. Even though they lacked professional training, they had the experience to make up for it. They were able to provide excellent care to women and their families during pregnancy, delivery, and in the post-partum period and because they were part of the community, they understood our culture.
That was a long time ago. The UAE’s health care sector has developed rapidly over the past decades and the focus has shifted to professional care. In the process, midwifery has lost its status in society and few Emirati women seriously consider it as a profession any more. Those who choose to be midwives face a cultural barrier. As Dr Grace Edwards, assistant director of nursing and clinical programmes manager at Corniche Hospital, told The National yesterday, “Emirati midwives have encountered instances where they are not being accepted easily into the role by their countrywomen”. Why?
There could be several reasons for this disinclination. Giving birth is an intimate experience that needs psychological preparation. Perhaps Emirati women feel awkward going through labour in the presence of someone who is from within their society, someone who will not – as will the expatriate carer – leave one day. Remember that Emirati society is small and most people know, or at least know of, each other’s families. Odd though it might sound, there might be a sense of greater privacy with a stranger than with an Emirati midwife.
Then there is the widespread misunderstanding of the crucial role a midwife plays. That's what Teresa Crowley, a midwife at Corniche Hospital since 1982, says. Though midwives such as Dr Maliha Sabetimehr, who has helped deliver some of this country's most prominent babies since 1955, are well respected, it is important to raise the midwife's profile and social status. Seeing more Emirati women working as midwives could help but how to recruit them? Perhaps the best way is to encourage Emirati women to join the nursing profession. A trained nurse is more likely to be accepted.
