Midwife?!?!!?

[FeatsofClay]

In the PPD thread several folks mention widwifes.

When I was in Eastern Kentucky there was a huge hub-bub about a family using a midwife and NO other medical assistance. There were allegations that this was abusive and the Prosecutor got involved and some folks (friendly, neighborhood potter included) staged a sit-in the families yard to defend their right to birth how they want.

Now, in the past 3 days I am hearing folks reference midwives both on and off the board regularly.

Has midwifery become more standard in the past 20 years? (please realize, not judging. Just as a childless person all this is fringe news to me)

[Lady Fury]

If you have a history of good health then a midwife is a good way to go. I never got that as an option because all of my pregnancies were high risk. I had a friend that had a midwife when she was pregnant with her first child. She ended up nearly dying because she was too far from the hospital. Her placenta didn't detach after the baby was born. So you have to weigh the pros and cons and decide what risks you are willing to take. Some midwives will birth babies in the hospital. It personally think that's the safest place to be just in case something does go wrong.

[Name Lips]

A certified nurse-midwife is a highly trained professional. Hospitals usually employ a good number of these, and they're fully qualified to deliver babies, know how to recognize complications, can fix basic birthing problems (i.e., cord around the neck, breach births, twins), and so on.

If you're planning on a homebirth, you need a certified nurse-midwife there. (There are some kooks who opt for totally unassisted homebirths. They don't have any professionals present. They sometimes don't even get prenatal care. Their argument is that statistically, they'll be fine.) A nurse-midwife with a homebirth client will give her proper prenatal care, analyze whether she is a good candidate for homebirth, that she doesn't have a high-risk pregnancy, etc. She knows when to tell a woman "no, you need to birth in a hospital." She will also make sure the homebirth is close enough to a hospital that if a rare, dangerous complication does arise, she can be transferred before it causes any injury.

Beware of midwives without professional credentials, just as you would beware of "doctors" without professional credentials. There are plenty of both out there, mostly marketing themselves to alternative medicine fanatics.

[Varaj]

Also many midwifes are also nurse practitioners which makes them just one step below a doctor in theory and often better in experience.

[Dawnstar]

A lot of women who do not want to have a medicated delivery will go with a midwife. Because midwives are great with helping a woman deal with labor without always saying 'lets give you this medication". Using a midwife instead of a normal OB office is becoming VERY popular now a days.

[Atropine Mama]

My midwife is also my OB, she practices in a large group of doctors & midwives that specialize in women's healthcare. I've seen her exclusively for all my female-type needs for about 8 years. She can write scrips, etc. like a PA. She did everything for the delivery of my boys, even though her supervising doctor had to come in and make sure everything was groovy around the time of the births. They were both delivered in a hospital, just like a normal, doctor supervised birth.

She did save my life after my first son was born, I hemorrhaged badly and she had the calmness of a doctor and the medical skills to make it stop. She's awesome.

[Tetsubo]

Also many midwifes are also nurse practitioners which makes them just one step below a doctor in theory and often better in experience.

My sister is one such person. She has "caught" over 1000 babies in her career so far. As she is only 38, I imagine she will have many more to come.