Updated January 30, 2015.
Using a midwife is growing in popularity as increasing numbers of women choose midwifery care in some form or another for their pregnancy and birth. Here are some of the top reasons given for choosing a midwife:
- You’re a low risk woman.
Midwives generally only take care of low risk women. This means that your midwife has been trained to ensure that you do your best to stay healthy and low risk through out your pregnancy by guiding you in your choices towards healthy options. It also means that she is constantly watching to ensure you are within these healthy parameters, like a life guard, only stepping in when needed. Occasionally you will have a midwife in a high risk practice, she provides patient education in these settings.
- You want a normal birth.
Midwives tend to have much lower intervention rates, like a lower cesarean and induction of labor rates. This eases the minds of many women who are hoping to avoid unneeded interventions. It also means that your midwife has plenty of ways to help you cope with pregnancy and labor that don’t involve medications when they aren’t needed. Some midwives do use medications in labor, depending on the location of your birth. Your midwife is also more likely to spend time with you, helping your through labor.
- You enjoy longer prenatal care visits.
On average you will have more time with your midwife. This is great not only to get to know her and vice versa, but for her to answer your questions thoroughly and explain what is going on. This can have a very calming influence on pregnant women.
- You like midwifery style of pregnancy care better.
A midwife is more likely to be your partner in your care, rather than the director. You are more likely to have her ask you to take part in your care. Some practices have the women weigh and measure themselves to see for themselves how to care of their bodies. By trusting a woman’s body and instilling that faith, the midwife is helping support you in the natural sense of pregnancy and birth.
- You have more options of where to give birth.
Many midwives do work in hospital settings, but you are also more likely to find midwives who work in birth centers or perform home births. This can offer you more options for where to have your baby depending on your preference of birth place.
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