How Can a Midwife Help My Pregnancy Experience?

If you’re pregnant or hoping to conceive, you may have lots of questions about your health, your baby’s well-being and development, and your upcoming labor and delivery. Modern midwives can improve your pregnancy experience with holistic, collaborative care. 

At Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare, our certified nurse midwives (CNMs) offer top-of-the-line care to expecting women in Fayetteville, Newnan, and Stockbridge, Georgia. Our CNMs work closely with our physicians to provide safe and comprehensive pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care for you and your baby.   

Here’s a closer look at how a midwife can improve your pregnancy experience.

1. Empowered support

Did you know the term “midwife” means “with woman?” At Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare, our CNMs believe pregnancy, labor, and delivery are natural life processes that require support and empowerment. Midwives know women have an inherent strength and instinctive ability to manage their labor and delivery, especially with the right support and guidance from a skilled midwife partner.

This is in direct contrast to much of Western culture, where these processes are viewed as medical events where providers aim to control the birthing process. If you’d rather experience empowered support, consider working with a CNM.

2. A true partnership

Instead of directing your pregnancy, midwives believe in holistic, collaborative care, where they serve as your partner. Midwives understand that the best way to support and guide you through pregnancy and childbirth is by giving you the information you need to understand the process and by helping you gain confidence in your ability to play an active role. 

3. Hands-on help during pregnancy and delivery

Midwives provide support and guidance throughout your entire pregnancy, including your labor and delivery. With a midwife, you can expect personalized, hands-on help as well as access to a variety of resources to optimize your pregnancy experience, including:

• Nutritional counseling
• Exercise planning
• Emotional support
• Mental health assessments

Your midwife also conducts routine prenatal checks to ensure your baby is developing properly throughout your pregnancy. And as your due date approaches, your midwife helps you prepare your body and mind for labor.

4. Your birth plan matters

Your midwife works to ensure that your team follows your birth plan as closely as possible while looking after the health and well-being of you and your baby. No matter what kind of birth plan you have, from natural childbirth, with techniques like focused breathing, massage, and music, to more conventional help, with drugs or an epidural, your midwife makes sure your team knows your priorities.

Midwives respect your bodily autonomy and your personal birthing preferences. While they recognize when medical intervention is needed, midwife-attended births are less likely to use medically induced labor, an epidural for pain control, or an episiotomy during delivery.

5. Comprehensive care 

Pregnancy is a time of immense change, and you may face many concerns, questions, and anxieties. You can rely on your midwife to offer comprehensive care, including compassionate emotional support. Midwives help provide the support and expertise needed for a healthy pregnancy, a safe birthing experience, and the best start in life for your baby.    

By providing comprehensive, medical-based care that focuses on your needs and emphasizes your capabilities as a woman, midwives create a secure, empowering pregnancy experience, so you feel cared for and confident going into childbirth.     

How can I learn more about midwives?

Here at Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare, we’re pleased to offer the highest quality obstetric care for moms-to-be. Whether you prefer conventional, trusted care with a board-certified OB/GYN or more holistic care with an experienced nurse midwife, our team can help. 

To learn more about the benefits of having a midwife, book an appointment online or over the phone with Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare today.