Midwife Thoughts

When you hire a midwife you get many things. Yes, home birth is a piece of the puzzle, but midwifery care is so much more than home birth. So what do you get when you hire a midwife?

1. A consistent source of knowledge, support, and advice, tailored to your needs. In other settings, multiple people are responsible for your care and you may see different providers each time, and any one of them at your birth. Midwives work in small teams or independently, which ensures you will know who will be at your birth.

2. Prenatal care which consists of 45-90 minute appointments, which gives plenty of time to tackle your emotional needs as well as you physical needs. Also, appointments are scheduled to minimize wait times. Ever been to see an OB and you have to wait 45 min to see them for all of 10 minutes? Right. That’s not the case with a midwife.

3. A pressure free experience. From conception, through birth, and postpartum, midwifery care focuses on providing you with enough knowledge to make informed decisions that sit well with your world view and values. Midwives are experts at following nature’s path and being ready when YOU are ready, not the other way around.

4. Opportunities to think outside the typical maternity care box. Midwifery care focuses on prevention instead of emergency response. Don’t get me wrong, midwives are trained to handle emergencies when they arise, but the focus of prenatal care is to pinpoint common sources of complications and use natural, non-invasive methods to reduce those risks from arising.

5. A boost in confidence and self assurance. By educating families and allowing them to make informed decisions, showing them the power and control they have over their health and well being, families approach birth and new parenthood with positivity and confidence.

6. Home birth. Midwives are specialists in birthing outside of hospitals. Some use birth centers, some use RV’s, some find a body of water, others use the family’s home. The home is the heart of a families life, provides a layer of comfort and protection that may be impossible to achieve in a hospital setting.

7. A lifelong bond. When you hire a midwife, you often develop a deep connection that lasts through many pregnancies, and possibly generations. Your midwife may become like an extension of your family.

While everyone loves the pretty pictures of water birth and babies being weighed, midwifery care is so much more than that. If you are interested in home birth or have questions feel free to contact me.