5 Amazing Benefits Of A Midwife And Why You Should Care
Should you consider using a midwife? Yes, and here’s why.
If you’re anything like me, once the initial excitement of pregnancy wears off, the panic sets in.
Many things can go wrong, and especially when it’s your first pregnancy, you often don’t know whether the changes your body is going through are normal or not.
Why Consider A Midwife?
There are 5 main benefits to using a midwife for your pregnancy:
- The prenatal care is extensive and loving.
- It is less expensive.
- The delivery care is warm and comforting, not clinical and sterile. And they don’t do medical interventions unless absolutely necessary.
- Their care extends beyond the birth to your newborn.
- And they still take care of you during your postpartum period.
My Pregnancy
Like most women in South Africa, I found myself an OBGYN when I fell pregnant.
Every month I diligently went for my check-up and repeatedly felt like I was just a number to him.
He saw me for maybe 10 minutes, barely deigned to answer my many questions but was all too happy to accept my payment.
I’m a researcher by nature, so I started reading up on the different ways of giving birth. And so I decided I wanted to try for a natural birth, but without pain medication.
This research also made me decide I wanted to move from my OBGYN to a midwife. I read and listened to so many birth stories that I realised I deserved better than how the doctor treated me.
The difference was stark.
The midwife met with me for an hour or more every consultation, and I could message her at any time if I had questions. And she cared for me and my well-being, emotionally and physically.
I felt cared for, loved and reassured after every meeting with her.
Ultimately, my baby was lying in the breach position, so I had a c-section. But my midwife was still there to assist and to hold my hand.
This experience taught me first-hand that you need to advocate for your baby and yourself from the start.
But Isn’t A C-Section Easier And Less Painful?
From my research and interactions with my midwife, I realised that what is portrayed on TV and in movies is false.
Your water doesn’t just suddenly break, and an hour later, you have a baby. And you don’t go from feeling any pain to being in screaming labour within a few minutes.
When a woman is in a safe environment, she relaxes. And when she relaxes, the birthing process should go smoothly, easily and with bearable pain.
But these days, women are expected to give birth in clinical, uncomfortable hospital rooms, with a doctor and nurses in charge that doesn’t really know them or care for them.
That makes the labour process more difficult, stressful and painful.
Which then often leads to emergency c-sections.
It’s important to remember that a c-section is major invasive surgery. While it may make the birthing process more manageable, you are only delaying the pain until after the baby is born.
Recovering from a c-section is not easy, especially when you need to care for a newborn.
Be Informed
To have a c-section or not should be your choice, not the choice of the medical professional.
There are absolutely times when a c-section makes more sense, and in high-risk pregnancies, it’s often the best way to mitigate the risks.
But most pregnancies are low-risk, and natural childbirth should be possible when mom and baby are doing well.
- Read up on and understand the risks of both a c-section and natural birth.
- Understand the impact of pain medication on the birthing process, on you, your baby and the bonding time you have after the birth.
- Be informed about possible interventions during the birthing process and what your rights are.
- Listen to birth stories (there’s a fantastic podcast called The Birth Hour — go check it out), and then make an informed decision.
Don’t let medical professionals bully or frighten you into doing what isn’t suitable for you, and make sure they disclose all the risks and impacts of the route they are proposing.
Your Birth Options
Home Birth
With a midwife, you can choose to have a vaginal birth at your home.
That means you will be in a safe and comfortable setting, setting you up for success. This is often a good choice for low-risk pregnancies. You can choose to use pain medication or not.
But if you need urgent medical care, they must transport you to the nearest hospital.
Water Birth
You can give birth to your baby in water — this is often cited as a very comfortable and easy transition for your baby.
You can have a water birth at your home, at a birth center or in a hospital setting (depending on the facilities, of course).
Birthing Center
A birth centre is run by a team of midwives and generally has facilities available in case an emergency c-section is needed.
So you have the best of both worlds — the comfort and loving care of the midwives, alongside the medical facilities, should the need arise.
At birth centers, with vaginal birth, it’s your choice to have pain medication or not.
Cesarean Section (C-Section)
These are done in the hospital by an OBGYN.
C-section is major invasive surgery to remove your baby by hand. Depending on the circumstances, you can get away with only an epidural, but sometimes you must go under a general anaesthetic.
Different Types Of Midwives
There are different types of midwives. Knowing which is which will help you choose the best midwife suited to your needs.
Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
Certified nurse midwives are registered nurses who study further to receive a master’s degree in nurse-midwifery.
As a registered nurse, they practise in the hospital and assist OBGYNs.
Certified Midwife (CM)
They are like the CNM, but their undergraduate degree wasn’t in nursing.
Certified Professional Midwives (CPM)
These midwives provide prenatal care and attend births at home or in birthing centers.
They work independently from the hospital and doctors and must be certified by your country’s certification board.
Benefits Of A Midwife
1. Prenatal Care
By far, the most significant advantage of a midwife is the loving pregnancy care they provide to pregnant women, especially to new moms.
They spend time with you during your prenatal visits, reassure you, answer all your questions and, most importantly, keep you calm.
You should NOT underestimate that type of support.
They will take the time to help you with your birth plan and explain all the different options and pros and cons of each.
2. Lower Costs
Midwife care is significantly cheaper than an OBGYN.
It’s insane to me the value midwives provide at such a low price point. And then doing the vaginal birth with the midwife is also much cheaper than going for a c-section.
3. Delivery Care
Midwives generally take a holistic approach to the natural birth process:
- They ensure that you are calm and relaxed.
- They keep the environment quiet, comfortable and welcoming.
- They allow you to do what you feel is needed to give birth — walk around, use a pilates ball etc.
- They allow you to eat and drink as necessary.
- They can provide pain medications for pain relief.
- They don’t perform unnecessary interventions and will let the normal birth process take as long as needed.
4. Newborn Care
They will take gentle care of your new baby and ensure you get all the bonding time you need.
They are staunch advocates of skin-to-skin and won’t interfere unless it’s essential.
They can also provide lactation support and help you with breastfeeding.
5. Postpartum Care
Midwives don’t just drop you as soon as the baby is born. They provide postnatal care.
They will continue their care for you by visiting your home a few times to ensure you are doing okay.
They will answer your questions, screen for postpartum depression or anxiety, and help you with your baby.
Final Thoughts
We covered a lot, but at the end of the day, I want to leave you with these questions:
- Are you making an informed decision about the route you want to take with your baby’s birth?
- Is it your choice, or are you being bullied or frightened into a choice?
At the end of the day, mama, you must do what’s best for you and your baby.
Whether you go for a c-section or normal birth doesn’t matter. What matters is that it was your choice.
At the end of the day, you will have a beautiful baby to love and care for.
List Of Recommended Resources
Mama, the best way to make your own choices is to be informed. I highly recommend the below resources. Go check them out:
- Book: Ina May’s Guide To Childbirth
- Website: Evidence-Based Birth
- Podcast: The Birth Hour
