There is a growing trend in for women to choose a midwife as their primary care giver during their pregnancy instead of a medical obstetrician. What is a midwife, you ask? Well, a midwife is a person, almost always a woman, who has been trained to help women give birth as well as look after her from the beginning of her pregnancy to six weeks after she has given birth.
Midwife vs. Doctor
Many women choose to use a midwife rather than a doctor because of the difference in practicing philosophy. 'We believe in a primary care model of midwifery that is community-based and collaborative. This model is founded upon principles of woman-centered care, informed choice, continuity of care and choice of birth place. '
Many women choose to use a midwife rather than a doctor because of the difference in practicing philosophy. 'We believe in a primary care model of midwifery that is community-based and collaborative. This model is founded upon principles of woman-centered care, informed choice, continuity of care and choice of birth place. '
Midwives believe in allowing women to make informed decisions regarding their pregnancies. They feel that births do not have to take place in a hospital. They also believe that the whole family should be involved in a pregnancy rather than just the pregnant woman and her health care provider. Midwives look to support you through your pregnancy and provide you with information so that you can decide what you think is best for you and your pregnancy.
Midwives look to incorporate modern medical knowledge with traditional methods of dealing with pregnancies and birth. Having a pregnancy looked after by a midwife means that you are treated as a person experiencing a normal part of life, not as someone who has a medical condition. While all this sounds very nice, there are obviously some differences between a midwife and an obstetrician.
One of the main differences between a midwife and a doctor, aside from philosophy of care, is training. A midwife is trained to deal with women who are having a normal, uncomplicated, low-risk pregnancy. If there are any complications with your pregnancy, or if any develop while you are pregnant and under the care of a midwife, you will be referred to an obstetrician. However, midwives have been trained to deal with all facets of prenatal, antenatal and postpartum care. Just like an obstetrician, your midwife will be with you right from the start of your pregnancy up until six weeks after you give birth. Even if you need to be transferred to an obstetrician during your pregnancy, many midwives will continue to see you in order to provide emotional support.
Another difference with midwives is that women receive much more personalized care. Most midwives work independently with a group of other midwives (usually known as a midwife collective). Some midwives work in birthing centers while others are based out of a hospital. If you go for an appointment at your midwife's collective or birthing center, you will probably notice that it has more of a warm, family-oriented atmosphere than a sterile medical feel. Midwives encourage their clients to come to their appointments with family members and friends and have appointment rooms large enough to accommodate everyone.
In some parts of the world, midwives will even make the trip to your home for your prenatal check-ups. Your postpartum appointments will almost always take place in your home (if you want). Plus, midwives make sure they deal with any concerns you have about your pregnancy, whether it is medical or emotional. They are happy to have a long appointment with you in order to ensure that any issues you are dealing with have been resolved.
A midwife will encourage you to do what feels best for you, whether you want to walk around, get into the shower or use some heat compresses to deal with the pain. Midwives also do not set you to a time limit when you are in labour. Many doctors will let you try to give birth vaginally for a set amount of time before they decide to perform a cesarean. Since midwives encourage vaginal births, no time limits are enforced which means fewer unnecessary cesareans are performed.
In fact, women who give birth with a midwife often have less medical interventions. Other benefits to giving birth with a midwife include fewer complications with both you and your baby. Midwives will also attend to births in hospitals and birthing centers (most birthing centers are staffed primarily by midwives but have obstetrical backing). Even if you give birth in a hospital or birthing center, a midwife will still encourage you to deal with any pain you experience in a natural way rather than injecting you with drugs. They will also do their best to make your experience as calm and tranquil as possible.
Midwives feel that their role in a birth is to assist the women in labour. As a result, many midwives will not use the term "deliver" since they feel that this refers to them doing all the work, not you. Instead, many midwives prefer the term "catch" meaning that they will catch your baby when it comes out of you or has been delivered by you. Also, some midwives will refrain from announcing the sex of your baby, a common practice in many hospital delivery rooms. Instead, they will let you announce whether you have had a girl or a boy. Because midwives take a more passive role in the birthing process, many women feel empowered by the control they are able to wield.
If you are looking for a midwife, please check the Midwives contacts list in the blog or on the Genesis Clinic website.
