Why You Should Consider a Midwife for Your Delivery

Did you know? While midwives are typically only associated with pregnancy and delivery processes, a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) is also able to provide a host of other services for female gynecological health. These services include, but are not limited to, contraception, preconception planning, annual exams, infections and laboratory testing.

The use of midwives has dramatically increased since 1975, more than doubling the percentage of births that were delivered by midwives. Below, we here at Zeid Women’s Health Center will provide you with a few things to consider in your decision whether to opt for an OB/GYN or midwife for your pregnancy.

High Risk Pregnancies

If you are a patient with high blood pressure, diabetes or other serious medical conditions, your pregnancy may be considered high risk. In many cases, this means that an expectant mother must forego working with a midwife in favor of working with an obstetrician, to ensure that unexpected circumstances will be handled safely.

Luckily, here at Zeid Women’s Health Center, our midwives always work hand in hand with our physicians, so if problems in pregnancy or delivery do arise, there is always an obstetrician on hand to help. Our patients never have to sacrifice the experience of working with a midwife in order to have a completely safe pregnancy and delivery.

Low risk pregnancies, on the other hand, may never require any kind of intervention. Even in these situations, our patients always have the expertise and experience of both our OB/GYNs and our CNMs available, to ensure that all goes smoothly.

Birthing Locations

Certified Nurse Midwives can be considered experts in normal pregnancy and delivery, so a midwife is a great option to coach you through the entire process. Whether our patients choose our CNMs or solely our OBs, all deliveries are done in Longview at Good Shepherd or Longview Regional Medical Center, providing you with the uniquely personal, holistic birth experience of having a midwife, along with the peace of mind of being in a hospital setting, just in case you decide you want an epidural, or complications do arise.

A Holistic Approach

Midwives take a more holistic approach to pregnancy, labor and delivery, letting the process proceed naturally; however, they also follow all requirements of the hospital where they are delivering, in order to ensure the safety of both mother and child.

During pregnancy, midwives typically spend a good deal of time with each patient, answering questions, educating patients about the limitations of pregnancy and helping each woman through the physical and emotional changes that come during each stage of pregnancy. A CNM will also support you in following the birth plan you map out.

Pregnancy is a life changing experience, whether it is your first, second, or fifth child. While obstetricians are still the most common choice for the overwhelming majority of deliveries, more and more women are opting to include a midwife in their pregnancy and delivery. The personal, holistic experience they provide, coupled with the safety and security of delivering in a hospital setting with the assistance of an obstetrician, mean that our patients receive the best of both worlds when they choose to work with our midwives.

If you are looking for someone to act as a true partner throughout your pregnancy and during labor and delivery, you may want to consider meeting with a midwife. If you are located in East Texas, contact us at Zeid Women’s Health Center to make an appointment to talk with one of our four Certified Nurse Midwives, at one of our locations in Longview, Tyler or Henderson. They would be happy to explain in more depth how exactly they can make this most exciting time in your life even more special.

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