A midwife is a trained professional who specializes in the care of women from the point of achieving childbearing age to after menopause. Typically known for their assistance in birth, a midwife has been traditionally been used for the wellbeing of women throughout history. The use of obstetricians and gynecologists is a 20th century development that’s losing popularity as women in good health are beginning to see the benefits of a midwife.
Types of Midwives
The philosophy of a typical midwife is that healthy women are designed to give birth without medical intervention unless necessary. There are two basic types of midwives that are certified for childbirth in differing environments:
Homebirth Midwife
A homebirth midwife is one that assists with a planned birth at home for reasons that protect the health of both mother and child. A homebirth midwife will monitor both mother and child the entire labor and delivery to make sure that no health risks arise that’ll require transport to emergency facilities. They’re trained to recognize when complications emerge and to encourage the mother to birth naturally the way her body was designed to.
Hospital Birth Midwife
A hospital birth midwife is professionally trained as well, but differs from a homebirth midwife in that they work in collaboration with physicians in a hospital setting. The philosophy is still the same as the homebirth midwife, in that pregnancy isn’t a medical condition but something a woman's body was designed to do. Also, like the homebirth midwife, the hospital birth midwife provides care and support that’s individualized to them during pregnancy, labor, and delivery.
Regardless of which you choose, a midwife knows that a birth should be planned where the mother feels most comfortable. The midwife will work to safely empower and encourage each mother throughout the pregnancy and delivery of their baby.
Benefits of a Midwife
Benefits of a midwife are found in the statistics. Case studies reveal that the idea that a midwife is more favorable in health condition is because a midwife typically only deals with healthy, low risk women. A midwife is trained to refer higher risk women to specialists. In comparison to physicians, a midwife’s care results in:
- Less admissions into a hospital during the antepartum period
- Lower hypertension for the patient during pregnancy and labor
- More stable heart rate during labor
- Less desire or need for pain medication in labor
- A lower rate of instrumental deliveries
- A lower incidence of retained placenta and postpartum hemorrhages
- Fewer perineal injuries
- Fewer cesareans and more vaginal births after cesarean section (VBACs)
