Scripts
My midwifery is ever growing and changing, and the language I use and revise is absolutely part of that evolution. The smallest words can have the harshest impact, and providers must challenge themselves to think critically about our scripts, especially with intimate exams. There must (*must*) also be space for patients to ask questions, request modifications, and decline care outright.
Positive Pregnancy Test
Visits for pregnancy testing can be wrought with anticipation, cautious celebration, impending fear, exploding joy, unwavering negativity, confirmation of fertility, and generalized uncertainty. In my (almost) four years of midwifery practice, I have seen people's positive pregnancy tests mean so, so much more than just the two lines.
Empowering Gynecologic Care: Speculum Care Without Stirrups
Painful Cervical Exams During Labor
In my still-feeling-like-new almost-four years of midwife practice, there are innumerable times when I have received report, or over-heard discussion, about someone having "difficult exams," or someone who is "unable to tolerate exams," or someone having "painful exams" during labor.
Giving STI Results (Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and Trichomoniasis)
Contraception Options
As you consider the list of options and how you currently counsel people, I encourage you to consider your own values clarification exercise as part of this work. Are there certain methods you personally believe only certain "types" of people should use? Or are there certain "types" of people who you think might not use a method well, and thus you counsel about that method differently to them than you would others?