Midwifery
At Wiseman Family Practice, we recognize that an individual’s pregnancy and birthing experience is unique.
One of the most important choices you can make is who will guide you during your pregnancy and delivery and where you’d like to give birth.
A midwife can provide an array of services before, during, and after your pregnancy while also providing integrative women’s care with a focus on holistic and natural approaches to childbirth.
What Is a Midwife?
A midwife is a highly-trained certified healthcare professional who provides care before, during, and after pregnancy and delivery. Midwives typically provide medical care for low-risk pregnancies while an OB-GYN provides care for both low-risk and high-risk pregnancies. Midwives give guidance on family-planning methods including birth control, gynecological exams, birthing choices such as a water birth or the use of pain medications during labor, care during delivery, and post-partem care for low-risk pregnancies. Midwives do not perform Cesarean sections.
The Benefits of a Midwife
- Midwives provide a wealth of knowledge, education, support ,and guidance to you and your family before and after your pregnancy.
- Midwives provide continuity of care, beginning with prenatal care all the way through your infant’s first year after birth.
- Whether you choose a natural birth, home birth, birthing center, or even a hospital birth, midwives are an excellent choice to work with you because of their strong desire to provide personalized and holistic care. Midwives offer comprehensive support throughout your pregnancy (e.g., wellness, nutrition, lifestyle), support during labor, and the postpartum period (e.g., breastfeeding and emotional support after birth).
- Midwives work with you to create a personalized birthing plan and address any concerns including pain management. It is always your choice to use or not use pain intervention and midwives support your decision.
- Midwives and physicians can work together to help provide you with the birthing plan that’s right for you.
- Advantages of choosing a home birth with a midwife include greater privacy in a calm and familiar setting, the option to choose who is present during the delivery, the birthing environment, and preferred labor and birthing positions. Home births can also reduce the risk of exposure to hospital-acquired infections.
While we understand that pregnancy and delivery choices are highly individualized, it’s important to consult with qualified healthcare professionals, such as midwives and obstetricians, to make an informed decision about whether a home birth, birthing center, or hospital birth is right for you and your family.
Your medical provider at Wiseman Family Practice will be happy to work with you to refer you to a recommended midwife, should you choose the care of a midwife for all stages of pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postnatal care.