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Tech Troth Team
A Midwife: What Is it?

A midwife is a medical practitioner with training who provides support to healthy women during their labor, delivery, and postpartum period. While most midwives are capable of giving birth in a hospital, they may also do it at birthing centers or at home.

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Most women who select midwives have had a trouble-free pregnancy and desire minimal medical intervention. Many doctors advise against hiring a midwife unless they are directly supervised by a doctor since giving birth to twins is more challenging than giving birth to a single baby.

There are many training levels for midwives:

Registered nurses who have completed a nationally recognized program in nurse-midwifery education and passed an exam are certified nurse-midwives, or CNMs. In addition to the District of Columbia, all 50 states allow them to practice.

Non-nursing midwives with a bachelor’s degree or above in a health-related discipline, completion of an approved midwifery education program, and passing a national test are known as certified midwives, or CMs. CMs are only allowed to practice in a few states.

Non-nursing midwives with training and practical experience in childbirth, including delivery outside of a hospital, who have cleared a national test are known as certified professional midwives, or CPMs. Not every state allows CPMs to operate.

Lay midwives have obtained informal training or apprenticeship but lack a certification or licensure.

How Does the Midwife Help You?

You can receive care from your midwife before to, throughout, or following your pregnancy. The midwife attending to you will:

Provide preconception and family planning services.

Get testing and do prenatal examinations.

Pay attention to your mental and physical well-being.

assist you in planning your birth

advise you on medication, food, exercise, and maintaining your health.

instruct and advise you about delivery, pregnancy, and taking care of a newborn

assist you both practically and emotionally when you’re in labor.

admit you to the hospital and then release you

Give birth to your children.

Provide medical recommendations as necessary

How Your Pregnancy Team and Your Midwife Collaborate

An OB-GYN with whom midwives have a connection offers consultation as necessary. If an issue arises during your pregnancy, your midwife could suggest that you see an obstetrician for treatment. To assist with your labor and delivery, your midwife could collaborate with another midwife or doula. Verify that your midwife is working alongside a physician.

The Reasons You May Want to Select a Midwife

You ought to think about collaborating with a midwife if:

You desire the least amount of medical intervention—such as fetal monitoring, labor induction, episiotomy, etc.—and the most natural birthing experience possible.

You are looking for the social, practical, and emotional support that midwives offer.

Selecting a Midwife

Ask your OB or doctor if they may recommend someone before making your decision. In order to find out more about the experience and potential midwife candidates, you could also wish to speak with any friends who have previously worked with one.

Regardless of the person managing your care, it’s critical to select a provider with whom you are at ease and confident. You may select the best midwife for you by using the questions below to guide you.

What kind of certification is held by the midwife?

Does the state issue a license to the midwife?

Is the midwife connected to a hospital, birthing facility, or doctor’s office?

Does the reputation of this midwife look good?

In what kinds of settings—hospitals, birthing centers, or homes—does the midwife have experience giving birth?

How does a midwife generally handle prenatal care and delivery?

How does the midwife handle discomfort after a baby is born?

What proportion of the midwife’s patients undergo episiotomies, and how are they carried out?

In what situations would the midwife advise against certain medical procedures, such as starting labor on her own or scheduling a C-section or epidural?

What emergency plan does the midwife have in place in case of an out-of-hospital birth?

Does the midwife give me a clear explanation and listen to me?

Does my partner or spouse feel at ease with the midwife?

When the midwife is unavailable, who steps in?

Can I meet the other midwife or doula in advance if they will be attending my birth as well?

Can I meet the OB and does the midwife consult with them?

Does the physician offer support in the event of an emergency or complications?

Is the location of the office convenient?

How are calls made after hours and emergencies handled?

Are the services of the midwife covered by my insurance?

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Tech Troth Team ,
A Midwife: What Is She? When and How to Expect to See One

A midwife: what is she?

Healthcare professionals that specialize in pregnancy, delivery, infant care, and postpartum health are known as midwives. Certain midwives offer standard reproductive services, such as Pap testing, pelvic examinations, and birth control advice. Midwives are typically more naturalistic in their approach to pregnancy and childbirth, as well as more holistic. When a person knows they intend to give birth at home or without the use of medication, they frequently select a midwife.

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Most midwives are not doctors. They frequently collaborate with gynecologists and obstetricians (Ob/Gyns) at hospitals to make sure you have access to the care you require. If you have just minor difficulties or a low-risk pregnancy, a midwife is advised.

Labor and pregnancy are deeply personal experiences. You can choose the level of care that suits you most. Therefore, understanding the distinctions between OB/Gyns and midwives may be beneficial.

What is the role of a midwife?

It is contingent upon their qualifications, licensure, education, and place of practice. The most services may be provided by trained nurse midwives and certified midwives. Uncertified midwives provide less services.

A midwife may offer the following medical services:

regular pregnancy monitoring and prenatal visits.

Sonography and fetal blood tests.

taking care of babies and giving birth.

postpartum medical attention.

Inform people about conception, breastfeeding, nutrition, and other areas of reproductive health.

Family planning and birth control.

Breast examinations and Pap testing.

exams to check for illnesses and infections of the vagina, including STIs.

A qualified nurse midwife might work in clinics, homes, hospitals, or birthing facilities. The settings in which uncertified midwives can practice are restricted. It is crucial to find out from your midwife’s qualifications what standards are in place for midwife services at your hospital or birth facility.

What varieties of midwives are there?

Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs): CNMs possess a graduate degree in midwifery and have successfully completed nursing school. They can do general reproductive care, administer medicine, arrange lab work, and diagnose diseases in addition to handling pregnancy and childbirth. They are eligible to work in birthing facilities, residences, and hospitals. The American Midwifery Certification Board certifies CNMs. They operate in the District of Columbia as well as all 50 states.

Certified midwives (CMs): CMs are midwives with a master’s degree who haven’t finished nursing school. CMs hold a degree from an undergraduate program other than nursing. The American Midwifery Certification Board has qualified them, and they are authorized to prescribe drugs. There are just nine states where CMs are authorized to practice.

CPMs, or certified professional midwives, are employed by homes or birth centers. They are certified by the North American Registry of Midwives and have finished their curriculum. Not all states allow CPMs to practice, and they are not authorized to prescribe drugs.

Unlicensed or lay midwives: These professionals lack a license to practice midwifery and are not certified. They have either learned on their own or through some other kind of instruction, such as an apprenticeship. Nearly all of the work that unlicensed midwives do is in homes.

What makes an OB/Gyn different from a midwife?

The education and methods of care that OB/Gyns and midwives employ are not the same.

Midwives approach pregnancy and delivery more naturally and are very helpful. Instead than seeing pregnancy and childbirth as illnesses that need to be treated, they see them as natural processes. They are typically more receptive to unconventional methods of childbirth and labor. A midwife could be what people seek for a more comfortable childbirth.

Because they did not attend medical school, midwives are not able to perform all of the same functions as an OB/Gyn. High-risk pregnancies and delivery difficulties are beyond their scope of practice. Midwives cannot use some medicinal or surgical procedures that obstetricians can use to treat problems.

That is not to suggest that Ob/Gyns won’t provide individualized, supportive treatment or be receptive to other methods to your care. If you’re not sure, schedule meetings with both healthcare professionals to see which one best suits your style and your goals for the pregnancy and birth.