What You Need To Know About A Midwife
A Midwife is one who specializes in pregnancy and giving birth. Midwives are part of a pregnant woman and her baby during pregnancy stage, while on labour and up to 28 days or more after the birth of the baby although this will depend on the need. Midwives can be based in a community or they can also be found in a community hospital, birthing centre or a midwife led facility. There are also midwives who work in an independent or self-employed capacity.
Main Functions of A Midwife
Before, midwives were focussed on providing care and support to pregnant women during labour and immediately after delivery. However, midwives nowadays provide other care and services to pregnant women such as providing gynaecological care and examinations, provision of antenatal care, preconception or birth spacing planning, provide breastfeeding guide and other vital information about new born care.
Benefits of Having A Midwife
The good thing about having a midwife is that you get hands on quality care from the time you are pregnant up to the point of labour and delivery. The services of a midwife could even extend up to child caring. Midwives can also help in planning your family so a midwife seems more like a friend in your neighbourhood more than a helper for your child delivery.
A Midwife also has more time to offer than a medical practitioner. You can also experience natural childbirth with a midwife especially if the delivery is done at home. You can also spend more time talking with the midwife and discuss how to tend to the new born and this is beneficial for first time mothers who may still be challenged how to care for a new baby. Also, the services of a midwife are less expensive than normal deliveries conducted in hospitals.
Limitations of a Midwife
However, just like any other trade or services, A Midwife has her share of limitations too when it comes to providing services. Although midwives are trained to deliver babies, they are not allowed to deliver babies with complicated situations such as those who need to be delivered through Caesarean section or deliveries used with forceps.