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What Is A Midwife?
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a midwife is: A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth. The actual word "midwife" means with woman. She is the person who assists in labor and delivery, and is very similar to a doctor, but usually has more of a hands on, more natural approach, dating back to Biblical times. She cannot perform surgery, which means if something were to go wrong, and you would need an emergency cesarean section, a doctor would have to intervene. She believes in a natural delivery, and will try other methods to get you through a labor contraction other than heading right for the epidural. The Benefits of A MidwifeOnce labor contractions begin, and you are in the hospital, you will probably see the doctor once every so often until you are ready to deliver, and most women take several hours to push their babies out, which means the doctor comes at the end, once you are ready to actually deliver your baby! A midwife on the otherhand will be with you for most of your time in the hospital (similar to a doula ), before your baby is born, and then come and talk with you the rest of your time in the hospital. Your midwife will check in on you during labor and delivery, as will your nurse.What Type of Schooling Does A Midwife Have?A midwife is not a doctor, or a nurse. She has extensive training in labor and delivery, and women's health.
*They have a minimum of a bachelor's degree though some have a master's or doctoral degree
*They have completed both nursing and midwifery training
*They are licensed in every state
*They have passed national and state licensing exams to become certified
*They usually work in conjunction with doctors
***Keep in mind, the advice we are giving here is instructional only, we are not medical professionals, and this is for healthy women with normal pregnancies. If you are a high risk pregnancy, or have medical problems, this would not apply to you.
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