Pregnancy is one rollercoaster ride of emotions, right from day one, with it culminating on the delivery day itself. Understandably, there will be a lot of nervous excitement, especially for the expecting mother. That’s why it is important to have a clear delivery plan to help relieve the stress and panic that day.
If you’re leaning more towards working with a midwife for your delivery, it’s important to know what they can do for you.
Nurse-wife as Midwife
Midwifery is an age-old practice that essentially provides assistance to women delivering babies. Today, a registered nurse could also practice as a certified nurse-wife. Having this certification makes them qualified to provide care not only during delivery, but throughout the mother’s pregnancy.
The birthing methods they employ are certainly more traditional and low-tech, but still most certainly safe and natural.
Becoming a nurse-wife requires further studies. That’s why nurses that carry a BSN degree are encouraged to take up further studies, such as an online masters degree in nursing.
The Role of the Nurse-Midwife
Beyond helping in the delivery of the baby, a nurse-midwife can also provide holistic care to women in general, at various points in their life. Because of their medical training, they also have the qualification to diagnose and treat certain conditions by themselves. This includes writing prescriptions too, on top of providing counsel to the expecting mothers.
A Holistic Approach
One of the bigger differences between nurse-midwife and OB-GYN is that the former also uses a more holistic approach in delivering the baby, which essentially means using natural methods as much as possible. This does not mean, however, they are going to avoid using equipment when it becomes necessary. They are also trained to call in an obstetrician should the situation warrant it.
Even during the pregnancy, however, this holistic approach is already being applied. It is crucial for the mother and baby’s health to be closely monitored, so that they may be given the right assistance as they need it.
This close monitoring will also allow the midwife to have a more comprehensive insight into what’s going on with the pregnancy, and so should be able to come up with a more viable plan and strategy. Ultimately, it’s going to be up to you whether you will be comfortable working with a nurse-midwife for your delivery or not. What’s important is that you are taken well care of, as well as your baby.