Midwives
The question of whether to have a doctor or a midwife attending when you give birth has much to do with your personal preference and what you expect from the birthing experience. Experts say both doctors and nurse-midwives have excellent overall results at deliveries. If you have a high-risk pregnancy, a certified doctor will need to be involved. If yours is a low-risk pregnancy and you're interested in keeping medical interventions during childbirth to a minimum, a midwife may be the way to go.
Midwives tend to take a more holistic approach to pregnancy and childbirth, and emphasize the mother's ability to deliver a baby without medical intervention. One study of low-risk births revealed that women who choose nurse-midwives for their deliveries have much lower rates of C-sections and episiotomies and receive less anesthesia during labor than women who choose doctors. Those who'd like a midwife to attend their birth but want the added security of medical backup might want to follow the example of one blogger, who chose to have her baby at home with a midwife, but also visited an ob/gyn throughout her pregnancy.
RELATED LINKS:
