We found this great video about the benefits of choosing to birth with a midwife. Just in case the video does not load, we have provided the transcript below for ease of use.
Speaker 1: I wanted a chance to do what my body was made to do.
Speaker 2: I was really focused on both my baby’s health and my health.
Speaker 3: I didn’t want my birth to be dominated by wires, tubes, needles. I just wanted a chance for a low stress, drama-free, and healthy birth for my baby.
Azuka Okafo: I would describe the state of childbirth in the US today as concerning. It is not necessary for one in three women in this country to have a baby surgically. The cesarean rate is on the rise in the US because we have forgotten that childbirth is a normal process, and we tend to have more interventions during labor. Some of the consequences of interventions during labor and delivery for low-risk women are harder labor, a longer labor, more painful labor, and a sense of loss of control of the situation. We have now come to schedule births, and we have now come to try to hurry births, and put them on time clocks. Nature doesn’t necessarily work that way. The reality is that most of the births in this country are low-risk births that require very little intervention. Midwives are well-suited to help women achieve the births that they want because we want you to be successful. We want you to have a normal birth.
Ruth Zielinski: Always asking yourself, “Is this intervention necessary?”
Cynthia J.: She’s trusting her own body, and let the natural process go on its own.
Sharon Rising: We just keep our hands off and let birth happen. For most women it will be normal.
Azuka Okafo: Some of the benefits of a normal birth are more bonding with your baby, the ability to recover faster, and then there is the fact that you will not have to recover from major abdominal surgery and take care of a newborn. Midwives can help women have naturally progressing, normal births by first protecting the mother, and trying to make her feel safe and supported in the environment.
Bridget Howard: I think some women think, “Oh, they’ve got the midwife. Oh my goodness. That cuts me off from everything else.”
Azuka Okafo: Working with a midwife does not mean you can not get an epidural. A midwife can help a woman choose her options about pain management and labor by starting the discussion prenatally. Once a woman knows what is available to her to help her get through and cope through the labor process, she is already ahead of the game, because she’s already part of the process.
Peter Johnson: I think a lot of times women leave birth feeling like they’re not sure what happened to them. Every woman deserves to have a birth that leaves her and her family feeling stronger than when they started.
Azuka Okafo: A woman, when she’s looking for a provider needs to ask herself these questions: Is this person listening to me? Do I feel respected? Do I feel like an individual, or do I feel like just another patient? A woman needs to make sure that she picks a place where the whole healthcare team is on board, so that she can have what she needs to feel supported, and have her baby safely. Midwives are particularly suited to helping women be active participants in their care, and in their birth, because we recognize that this process takes time, takes support, and takes encouragement. Midwives are absolutely there to do that.
If you are interested in learning more about midwifery services, call us today at
(719) 249-6008! We will gladly discuss your birthing options.