Should You Choose a Midwife or OBGYN
Hi, Mama. I have a very important question for you. If you had a choice between having a doctor deliver your baby or having a midwife deliver your baby, which would you choose and why? Kate Middleton delivered twice with a midwife and we know that royalty is going to have the very best care, but what does that mean for you and your pregnancy?

Many families don’t know much about midwifery. Is it safe? Is delivering with a doctor safer than delivering with a midwife? What is the difference in qualifications between doctors and midwives? This article shines a light on the safety of midwifery care and what it means for moms, babies, and labor and delivery.
Here are a few reasons you may choose a Midwife over an OBGYN:
- You have a low-risk pregnancy. Midwives are trained in prenatal care for low-risk pregnancies and deliveries.
- If possible, you want to have a delivery without any interventions (forceps, episiotomies, Pitocin, vacuums, and C-sections).
“Women who saw midwives rather than Ob-Gyns
had 4.8 percent fewer C-section births.”- Parents.com
- Vaginal birth is your goal. Again midwives are a great choice if you want to have a lower chance of interventions (remember, sometimes interventions can’t be helped).
- You want your caregiver with you through most of your labor. Because doctors may have many patients, they may check on you from time to time while you labor with a nurse. A nurse-midwife will be able to offer you more support throughout labor and delivery.
- You still want to deliver at a hospital but want to avoid interventions if possible. If you should need an intervention you’ll already be in the right place.
- You want to deliver at home. A doctor is probably not going to deliver in your home, but some midwives will. How safe is home delivery for low-risk mothers? Here’s what Mana.org says about the safety of home births.
In home births, “Ninety-seven percent of babies were carried to full-term, they weighed an average of eight pounds at birth, and nearly 98% were being breastfed at the six-week postpartum visit with their midwife. Only 1% of babies required transfer to the hospital after birth, most for non-urgent conditions. Babies born to low-risk mothers had no higher risk of death in labor or the first few weeks of life than those in comparable studies of similarly low-risk pregnancies.”- Mana.org

What is Midwifery?
Midwifery is the practice of helping women through childbirth experience and much more. Midwives can provide any of the following services depending on their credentials.
- Family planning
- Breastfeeding
- Prenatal care
- Infant care
- Nutrition
- Labor and delivery
- Newborn care
- Gynecological exams
There are also different types of midwives with various certifications and levels of education.
- Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) -CNMs deliver similar care to OBGYNs. They are midwives licensed in nursing and midwifery. They must have at least a bachelor’s degree and be certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. They can sometimes work hand in hand with doctors. If there is a need for a c-section, they work under the supervision of the doctor.
- Certified Midwife (CM) — CMs are individuals trained in midwifery. They must also have a bachelor’s degree and be certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.
“More than 96 percent of births attended by C.N.M.s and C.M.s happen in hospitals, while a little more than 2 percent are in birthing centers and only about 1.7 percent at home.”
- Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) -CPMs have to have knowledge in delivering babies outside of hospital settings (homes and birth centers). They meet the standards of the North American Registry of Midwives.
- Lay Midwife- A midwife without certification or a license. They have included some type of informal training.

Now that you’re more informed when it comes to midwives, you are now empowered to make your decision. In the cases where your hospital or insurance chooses for you, you can feel at ease working with either a doctor or midwife depending on the risk of your pregnancy.
Have you delivered with a midwife? Let us know about your experience in the comments?
