After reading Jordans article titled “Authoritative knowledge”, I now understand of how having both a professional authoritarian and someone of personal preference could be beneficial in an environment. This article talks about the medical field and how there are all different kinds of practitioners to midwives in the field. Jordan writes about labor and how “the people present in the labor room are the woman are, initially, her husband and a nurse technician who has been taking care of her throughout labor (Jordan 1992). She gives her opinions, whom people may disagree upon, about the birth of a child in America. Birth everywhere around the world is different such as the country I have been studying which is Haiti. Jordan talks about how the “authoritative knowledge” is persuasive because it seems natural, reasonably and consensually constructive. She writes that the authoritative knowledge can be applied to social groups and their physical coerciveness, which could make them feel at power. Authoritative knowledge can be both misleading and beneficial in the medical field. I will be comparing how culture affects birth in Haiti compared to the American culture.
Birth in Haiti is a very long process. First of all, the maternal mortality rate is very high due to them not being able to have the advanced technology and care for the mothers and newborn during and after birth like we have here in America. Although, in the past ten years, the rate of maternal mortality had decreased by 47%. Once the child is born, a doula cares for the woman and her child. Doulas are maternity support workers for women in Haiti. They do not have any medical training but they offer and important but underused type of expertise. Since doulas do not have any medical training, many believe strongly that they should not care for a newborn or a woman after labor, but this is whom most women prefer in Haiti after childbirth. A nurse generally will perform care during the child birth, but after it is all up to the doula.
Since most women prefer doulas over anyone for care after birth, there are only “201 nurse-midwives for a population of 10 million. NGO midwives for Haiti provides skilled birth attendants and helps to improve mother and child survival” (Truscoot 2016). Here, in America, most women prefer the care of nurses or doctors during and after child birth. Three are clinics all over Haiti that educate the mothers on “nutrition, breastfeeding, cholera prevention, immunizations and guidance when to seek medical help” (Babalola 2013). In my opinion, I believe that the safest way to raise a healthy newborn and help the women recover from child birth is to let a trained medical expert such as a doctor or nurse take care of the woman. Although, culturally, mist mothers in Haiti believe a doula is the most nurturing and natural as to a mother which will help the newborn feel comfortable.
After studying the preferences of whom performs the childbirth in Haiti and how their culture effects child birth, I now understand and can see a whole new perspective to birth. I now understand the authoritative knowledge idea and can see how it plays a big role into things such as childbirth and death. The authoritarian knowledge is all up to the woman during the birth of her child and who performs it and cares for her and her newborn after. It is truly amazing to see what the preferences of different cultures are all over the world compared to here in America.
Babalola, and Stella O. “Factors Associated with Use of Maternal Health Services in Haiti: a Multilevel Analysis.” Revista Panamericana De Salud Pública, Organización Panamericana De La Salud, 1 July 2014, www.scielosp.org/article/rpsp/2014.v36n1/1-09/
“Pregnancy and Birth in Haiti – in Pictures.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 29 Mar. 2016, www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/gallery/2016/mar/29/pregnancy-and-birth-in-haiti-in-pictures
Jordan, B. (1992). Authoritative-Knowledge. Institute for Research on Learning.