The Ancient Art of the Midwifery Model of Care

Birth in hospitals is quite new to us as a species. Up until it became the norm (which was really only about 100 years ago), almost every birth was attended by midwives or by other women. In other words, for all of time - until about 100-150 years ago, the wisdom of women, our bodies, and the wonderful midwives who helped along the way are how each and every one of us got here. 

Midwives are childbirth specialists. When you have a specific issue, you would see a specialist. You wouldn't go to a foot doctor if you had issues with your bladder...and If you don't want birth through surgery, you generally wouldn't need to get your prenatal care from a surgeon.

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This is not to say that every woman is a candidate for midwifery care. High-risk pregnancy requires it's own specialist - an OB usually. Most women, however, should fall into the low-risk category, and yet, most women are seeing OB's for their primary prenatal care. With 1 out of 3 women in the US ending up with Cesareans it's easy to see that who we choose to get our care from in the first place is one of the greatest contributors to the type of birth story you will most likely end up telling.

Now, there are not some truly amazing OB's out there who know how to treat normal birth as the normal physiological process that it is and care for and support women who wish to deliver naturally. We have had the privilege of working with some of them. It's also not to discount the woman who feels like she should have an OB or hospital birth. This is about knowing and understanding all options and demystifying what they could mean for you and your birth. That does mean being upfront and forward with the information regarding the truths behind the statistics between these models of care and their outcomes. It's a sad fact that care for women and babies is getting worse rather than better, but it is our reality and it's a reality that WE CAN {and should} CHANGE.

It starts by taking away the blame, the guilt and the fear...it doesn't matter what choices we made in the past, or why - what matters is what we do with what we know NOW. Strip everything down to just the facts and statistics and it is easy to see that midwives should be highly valued - and that it would be a good idea for our current medical system to take some notes. Midwives are not witches or hippies in a drum circle boiling towels (though, what they do on their own time is their business;). They are highly skilled, highly equipped and trained individuals who pour their entire beings into what they do. They harbor safety for these women and know when to get a mother more help and they take this responsibility very seriously. There is a reason that midwives have such low percentage of intervention, Cesarean and especially death in mother and baby (which is very poorly recorded in the US). You would work very carefully if your entire professions reputation counted on it,  too.

Regardless of who you choose to manage your care, you have to claim responsibility for that choice, for yourself AND your baby. This is easier to do from an informed standpoint, which is the purpose of this post. You can certainly have a natural birth in the hospital and find an OB who supports this Mother-Baby centered care, but you must be proactive in finding that care provider. Also, understand that there is a chance you will not getting that care provider during the time of your birth (much of the time the chosen care provider is NOT the one on call during birth), therefore it is important to take in and inquire about information regarding the entire office. No matter what, the important thing is that YOU to feel safe and well supported. Home or Hospital, OB or Midwife ....that choice is yours and yours alone and we support that choice - because it is an informed one. 

Questions to ask in an interview with a midwife

Questions to ask in an interview with an OB