Case-loading midwifery in New Zealand: bridging the normal/abnormal divide ‘with woman’

Objectivesto explore the way that case-loading midwives in New Zealand construct midwifery (and in so doing, the concepts of woman and childbirth). This paper illuminates the fundamental features of this construction (continuity and woman-centred care) and discusses this with regard to the role of midwives vis-à-vis normal/abnormal birth.Designsemi-structured interviews and official publications constituted the ‘text’ which was analysed using a poststructural approach that was informed by theorists Foucault, Grosz and Braidotti.Participants and setting48 case-loading midwives practising throughout New Zealand participated in this study. These included facility-employed and self-employed midwives and those from rural and urban settings.Findingsmany midwives follow women through their maternity experience providing continuity of care regardless of whether the experience is considered ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’.Key conclusionscontinuity and woman-centred care are fundamental features of the construction of midwifery in New Zealand.Implications for practicea focus on the midwifery concept of ‘with woman’ can bridge the divide between the polarising concepts ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ and enable a more fluid and dynamic reading of midwifery.