By Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE, About.com Guide
Using a midwife is growing in popularity as increasing numbers of women choose midwifery care in some form or another for their pregnancy and birth. Here are some of the top reasons given for choosing a midwife:
1. You’re a low risk woman.
Midwives generally only take care of low risk women. This means that your midwife has been trained to ensure that you do your best to stay healthy and low risk through out your pregnancy by guiding you in your choices towards healthy options. It also means that she is constantly watching to ensure you are within these healthy parameters, like a life guard, only stepping in when needed. Occasionally you will have a midwife in a high risk practice, she provides patient education in these settings.
2. You want a normal birth.
Midwives tend to have much lower intervention rates, like a lower cesarean and induction of labor rates. This eases the minds of many women who are hoping to avoid unneeded interventions. It also means that your midwife has plenty of ways to help you cope with pregnancy and labor that don’t involve medications when they aren’t needed. Some midwives do use medications in labor, depending on the location of your birth. Your midwife is also more likely to spend time with you, helping your through labor.
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