You skewed my words regarding «managing» my birth... the whole point of the midwife is to
alert the mother of the possibility of a problem, just like an OB so then a proper course of action can be taken... I was merely saying that they don't think of birth as a medical emergency from the beginning, requiring things that are unnecessary, like
constant monitoring
because it's easier than intermittent monitoring, or restricting maternal intake
because the doctor could get puked on, or have fecal matter excreted during delivery is selfish (and yes, I know, the mother could aspirate, but the rate of that is low too... and I'm not saying they need to eat a steak dinner... but denying a drink of water, or a popsicle during a long labor is just ridiculous, as is rushing a natural process for convenience sake.)