Women Turning To Midwives For Personalized Care

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Women Turning To Midwives For Personalized Care (NAPSA)—Every year, more than 4 million women give birth in the United States. That’s more than 10,000 every day, which leaves many new mothers—and their babies—feeling lost in the crowd. In order to find a more “boutique” approach to prenatal and primary health care, a growing number of women are turning to midwives. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2005, midwives attended more than 300,000 U.S. births—and more women are seeing midwives for family planning, annual exams and for help navigating normallife transitions. “When you decide to visit a midwife, you can expect a special kind of care. Some midwives spend up to an hour withfirsttime patients, and most midwives stay with women through the entire birth process,” says Cathy Collins Fulea, a certified nursemidwife and midwife expert at www.RealSavvyMoms.com. Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) are independent providers who care for women throughall stages of life and are trained through graduate-level education to handle the majority of complications that may arise during pregnancy and birth. Most CNMs and CMsattend deliveries in hospitals, and with low rates of induction, cesarean section and episiotomy, midwives maintain an impressive safety record for both mothers andbabies. As experts in women’s health, midwives focus on early detection of problems and emphasize atten- More and more women are discovering and embracing thefull range of midwifery services—for themselves andtheir babies. tive, individualized care to mini- mize the chances of complications. During birth, midwives watch carefully to ensure mother and baby are doing well and practice judicious use of interventions— including pain control and fetal monitoring—when appropriate. “Midwives approach birth, puberty and menopause as normal life events rather than medical problems,” explains Fulea. Midwives don’t try to “fix” women if there’s not a complication. They’re there to provide the care, support and information women need to ensuregood health. To find a midwife near you, visit www.mymidwife.org.

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