Why we chose a midwife

When I used to hear the word midwife I thought of women having babies in the 1800's with no medical help or technology.  The more I've read and talked to new Mom's however my opinion about midwives and current doctors began to change. (Not to mention the logic that plenty of those women and babies from the 1800's came out strong and healthy!)

The more I've learned the more I've realized that God has specially designed women's bodies to bear and care for children, obviously this isn't our only purpose, but we are well equipped to handle this special task with minimal help.  Midwives recognize this whether they acknowledge who designed women this way or not.  They are more inclined to let a woman go into labor on her own rather than getting impatient and inducing her (which can cause a whole cascade of unwanted side effects).  They are more likely to wait for the natural process to take its course rather than hurrying the body along, which is often the reason for things like an episiotomy or forceps assistance.  They are also open to other pain relief options besides drugs and willing to let you get up and move while trying to help labor progress (I really don't want to be stuck in a bed for the whole time!).  All in all midwives are more likely to look at pregnancy and labor as a natural process rather than a temporary disease, which is the view of many OB/GYN's.

Even as I was learning this I was still concerned about the safety of my baby and me.  What if there was a complication?  What if the baby went into distress?  Would the midwife recognize any potential difficulties early in the pregnancy?  So I started checking on the hospitals around here, their protocol and the qualifications of a midwife in Florida.  At the hospital and group we have chosen the midwives are certified through national training and testing that guarantees they are up to speed on all methods and information necessary to safely delivery most all babies.  If they encounter something they don't feel comfortable with during the pregnancy or delivery, each patient is assigned an MD who is qualified to assign and perform a C-section if necessary and handle any emergency situations.

Midwives often have fewer patients than MD's and, consequently, have more time to spend with their patients and are often more willing to answer questions and give information during appointments.  They are also open to options I feel are important to me (turning the baby in-utero for better presentation in a natural labor situation, having Chris in the room and involved in the process as much as practical, not being induced if at all possible, and the possibility of eating just to name a few examples).

Over all we are very confident we have made the right choice for this pregnancy and look forward to working with our midwife in order to meet our new little person!