Fact or Fiction: Midwives

Fact or Fiction: Midwives » ProProfs


'Who Will Attend Your Birth' on the Journey of Life?








Get the scoop without the quiz:

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1. Fact: Midwives attend births at home. Home births are primarily attended by CPM's or LM's. In some states a CNM may attend home births.
2. Fiction: Midwives only attend home births. CNM's have 2 years of medical training prior to becoming a midwife.  These midwives work directly with a physician and frequently attend births at hospitals. Midwives also attend births at birth centers.
3. Fiction: Midwives only attend natural births. While midwives do prepare you for childbirth, they don't require you to birth a certain way. You can still have a midwife if you are planning on an epidural. There may be unforeseen circumstances that prevent you from having an epidural or getting it when you'd like and the preparation provided by your midwife will help you cope in these instances, resulting in a more positive outlook of birth.
4. Fact: Midwives are typically present for the majority of a woman's labor. Depending on how many clients a midwife takes per month, she may be with you for your entire labor and birth; more commonly at home but sometimes even in the hospital. Discuss prenatally when your midwife will join you.
5. Fact: Midwives provide holistic, family-oriented care. They don't just provide prenatal care and attend births, they also offer gynecological care and assist with family planning. A midwife can also prescribe medications such as birth control.
6. Fact: Midwives typically provide childbirth preparation in your prenatal visits. Typically, a prenatal appointment with a midwife lasts longer than with an obstetrician. Midwives provide nutritional education, will explain tests and procedures to you prior to their administration- what they're for and how they're done, and prepare you for childbirth. Some midwives offer their own complete childbirth curriculum.
7. Fiction: Midwives are not usually covered by health insurance plans. Midwives who work with a physician are covered by any health plan that doctor accepts. Some health insurance providers will even reimburse all or part of midwives at a birth center. If you are opting for a home birth the midwife's fee is far less than that of a hospital birth and obstetrician, and most will be open for payment plans.
8. Fiction: Midwives are labor coaches without formal training. A midwife's certification is based off of her training and/or experience. Ask your potential midwife about her training and experience.
9. Fiction: Midwives and doulas are the same profession. A midwife's primary focus is the medical care she provides to the mother and baby.  A doula provides non-clinical, emotional and physical support for the mother.
10. Fiction: Midwives aren't as safe as doctors. A midwife can provide more comprehensive care than a physician given the few clients they generally take per month. According to extensive research done by the University of Arizona, women who birth at home with a midwife are more likely to have spontaneous vaginal deliveries, less likely to tear and less likely to have postpartum hemorrhage complications. Midwives abide by the midwifery model of care as well as have the ability to order prenatal diagnostic testing, making them a very safe choice.
11. Fact: Midwives and physicians work together. These two birth professionals compliment one another- an obstetrician specializes in high-risk, medical complications and surgery; midwives work with a physician to ensure care should a high-risk complication arise.
    
    

    Here is a great link on Midwife Credentials and what they mean.