Traditional midwifery in the Andes of Peru: lived experiences

Abstract

Introduction. Traditional midwifery has made an important contribution to maternal care since ancient times, with favorable results for the mother and the newborn in most cases. Objective. To understand the experiences lived by traditional midwives in the Andes of northern Peru, to promote their inclusion in the maternal health care team and their safe, responsible and adequate participation. Materials and methods. This qualitative, exploratory study, with a phenomenological-empirical design, was conducted with six traditional midwives from the community of Pampa La Laguna, Chota province. They were recruited using chain sampling and provided open-ended responses to a previously validated interview guide. The inductive coding process allowed for the organization of the results into categories and subcategories. Results. The midwives have been doing this work for 17 to 58 years, they learned from their predecessors or from their own experiences. The favorable experiences with their subcategories were obtained as categories: first experiences in midwifery, techniques used in labor, use of plants in midwifery, feeling of well-being after childbirth and the category fortuitous events in labor. Conclusion. The midwives showed great security and confidence with the work they do, they attend to all the labors that occur through ancestral techniques and traditional medicine based on plants, they are fully satisfied when the results are favorable, by chance they arise incidents, which are valued according to their seriousness, to be resolved by them or seek professional help.