If you just found out that you are pregnant, you may want to consider using a midwife to help you. A midwife does not only help you through your labor and delivery, but also offers help in many other ways throughout your pregnancy. Below is some information about using a midwife to give you some help in deciding if midwifery is something right for you.

Natural Childbirth

A natural childbirth is going through labor and delivery with no medications to help you with pain. If you would like to be more active during your labor and delivery, a natural childbirth may be right for you. Also, some women do not like to put medications into their body. During a natural childbirth, you will have minimal interventions, such as fetal monitoring.

The midwife will likely teach you some breathing techniques to help you through the pain. They will tell you to listen to soothing music, change positions, relax, or move around. They will suggest using water to help with the pain. For example, if you are having back pain, they may have you stand in the shower with the water running on your back. They may ask you to sit in a bathtub filled with warm water, and put hot compresses on your painful areas.

Hospital

Even though you are using a midwife, you can still have the baby in the hospital. Some women prefer to have their babies at home, however. Because a midwife is not a doctor, and would not be able to provide your newborn baby with medical care, if needed, you should consider a hospital. This way, there are always doctors on hand to handle any emergencies with you or your baby.

Services Offered

A midwife can offer you other services, such as giving you your annual gynecological exam, and helping you plan your family. The midwife can also help you with prenatal care and newborn care, which is very helpful if this is your first baby, as well as how to care for yourself after the baby is born. They will teach you the right foods to eat, the best exercise you should do, and teach you how to breastfeed your baby.

Research shows that women who choose a midwife are less likely to have a pre-term baby, and need fewer obstetric interventions during labor and delivery. The research also shows that there were fewer epidurals and assisted births. If this is something that you are interested in, your obstetrician may be able to give you the names of midwives in your area that you can talk to.