Tuesday, December 16, 2008
- Midwives strive to maintain the normalcy of birth by exercising preventative care. Many common complications of pregnancy can be prevented by proper care and nutrition.
- Midwives minimize interference in the birthing process in order to avoid the chain of intervention that is largely responsible for the 33% c-section rate in the US. Less than 2% of women under midwifery care end up with c-sections.
- Midwifery is safe. Several studies have shown out-of-hospital birth with a trained midwife to be just as safe if not safer than hospital delivery.
- Midwives emphasize comfort during labor. We want you to be in a comfortable environment, with people you know, trust, and want to have at your birth. We encourage eating, drinking, and freedom of movement during labor. We employ a number of comfort techniques such as labor in water, massage, compresses, position changes, and much more.
- Out-of-hospital birth is less traumatic to the baby. We try to ease the transition to extra-uterine life by keeping the baby with mom at all times and delaying as many procedures as possible until after the baby has nursed and bonded with its parents.
- Midwives are affordable. An average midwife birth will cost will cost one-fifth to one-tenth what a hospital birth can run. I accept insurance and Medicaid. Ask about discounts and payment plans.