Midwifery Series! {Day 2}

Today’s featured Midwife is Carie Means. To read her bio, please refer back to yesterday’s post. I’ve been blessed to know Carie for several years and her family is very dear to ours.

To learn more about what her family is doing, you can visit her blog at All That Wander Are Not Lost. I also list her blog under my recommended sites tab for Family Life/Homemaking.

1.) Are midwives trained to handle breech or multiple births?

Yes, there are some midwives who are trained and skilled in handling breech and/or twin births. The availability of vaginal birth under these circumstances depends on a variety of factors. Some of these factors might include if this is your first birth or not and the position of the individual twins. However, one of the biggest factors is the midwifery regulations of the state in which you would be receiving care.

2.) How much time does a woman spend with her midwife during a typical prenatal visit?

Typically prenatal visits average about one hour in length. Besides the normal physical findings relating to pregnancy, many things are accomplished during these visits. One of the important reasons for these visits is to get to know your midwife and to establish trust and a bond. Other things include discussing any concerns the mother or her family may have, evaluating nutritional status, emotional well-being, the family’s care preferences, and any deviations from normal. For example, if the mother’s hemoglobin levels are low, options and a plan of action would be discussed and followed up at an appropriate time interval. These visits are part of the midwifery philosophy of treating the mother and her family holistically.

3.) How long does a midwife stay with the mother and baby during labor and after the birth?

Midwives will come as soon as you want them to come and evaluate the labor, as well as the mother and baby’s well-being. Then a decision can be made as to whether or not the midwife is needed at this point, much like hospital staff tries not to admit patients who are not in active labor, as studies show early admission increases incidences of interventions. The decision of whether a midwife is needed at a given point is based on a woman’s contractions, dilation, and other physical findings as well as the wishes of the mother and her family. Midwives and their assistants remain with the mother throughout her labor and birth to monitor, chart and support. Generally, midwives remain at least 2 hours after the birth to ensure the mother and baby are doing well and return at the 24 hours for a checkup. When determining when and how long to spend with the mother and baby, some things the midwife takes into consideration are providing quality care and the comfort level of the mother and her family.

4.) Does a Midwife check typical things as a doctor would at a typical prenatal doctor’s office visit?

Yes, midwives practice all the normal standard of care practices for maternity care, as well as follow the typical prenatal schedule followed in the U.S. In addition, midwives do a lot of nutritional and physical well-being counseling, use hand maneuvers, called palpation, to determine the position and estimated size of the baby, and share information to help the mothers and their families prepare for birth and make informed choices. Midwives also use tools such as blood sugar reading, blood work and hemoglobin readings to help them provide good quality of care.

5.) Is a midwife required to pass an exam? Is there a required process they must do in order to receive certification?

There are several different types of midwives in the U.S. A lay midwife may be very experienced, but has not gone through any formal process to get any state or nationally recognized certifications. There may be a number of reasons she has chosen not to go through a certification process, all of which are more than the scope of this question. If you are considering a lay midwife, you will need to do a little extra research, so you are prepared to ask questions concerning her training and experience. Certified Nurse Midwives have first become a nurse and then continued to receive their master in midwifery. Because of their training they have a broader scope of care, including well woman care, and they are able to practice both within and outside the hospital. I will direct my question to what the vast majority of out- of- hospital midwives are using for certification, or the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). Every state has different requirements for becoming a midwife. However 26 states have adopted all or part of the National Certified Professional Midwife Certification as part of their licensing process. Many midwives even outside these states have taken the initiative to adhere to the Certified Professional Midwife Certification process. This process requires the student midwife to master a set of specific clinical skills and knowledge relating to midwifery care, and a minimal amount of clinical experience are required before the written exam can be taken. During this time the student midwife is working with a teacher midwife, learning from both a guided experience and usually one of the available midwifery courses of study, although a student may choose to self-study with the teacher midwife’s guidance and approval. For more information refer to https://narm.org/state-agencies/

Be sure to check back in tomorrow to learn from the next Midwife.

Linking up with The Time-Warp Wife, Growing Home, and Far Above Rubies.

Free Guide For the Natural Living Mom

Want to know how to use essential oils and herbs in your home? In this guide, I share my top 10 favorites.

Plus get our latest content and news, including giveaways and freebies for the natural living and homeschooling mom.

Success!

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

First Name

Email Address

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

I'd like to receive the free email course. Send Me The Guide Powered by Kit

Sara Elizabeth Dunn

Sara Elizabeth is a Christian homeschooling mom to 7, a birth and postpartum doula, and a special needs advocate. Having both typically-developing and special needs children, ranging from preschool through adult, she not only understands the unique challenges of teaching several children with different learning styles and abilities, she has experience balancing therapy schedules with family life. Her passions include sharing home remedies, homeschooling tips, encouraging mothers and most importantly, making it all less intimidating.

More Posts - Website