Choosing a Home Birth Midwife is one of the most
important decisions you will make during you
pregnancy so it’s important that your midwife is
someone you feel comfortable, confident, and
compatible with.
When choosing
a midwife you have the right to meet with more than
one midwife on a no obligation basis before making a
choice.
If
you are not happy with your midwife (or the services
they are prepared to provide) you can change to
another at any time.
Here are some suggested
questions you may like to consider / ask when
choosing a home birth midwife:
-
General:
-
What is
your educational background?
-
How long
have you been in practice?
-
What are
your beliefs about pregnancy and birth?
-
What
birthing options / locations do you offer?
-
How many
births have you attended?
-
How many
home births have you attended?
-
How many
of your clients have home births?
-
How many
women do you book each month? (the NZ
College of Midwives recommends no more than
4 – 6 per month)
-
Who is
your midwifery partner(s)? How do you work
together? When will she provide back up?
When will I have the opportunity to get to
know her as well?
-
What
percentage of your client’s births do you
attend?
-
Do you
know of anything now that may cause you to
be unavailable around the time of my birth?
-
Are you a
member of the New Zealand College of
Midwives?
-
Are you a
member of your local Home Birth Association?
-
When was
your last Midwifery Standards Review?
-
Do you
have a current practicing certificate?
Does this have any restrictions imposed on
it?
-
Pregnancy
Care:
-
Where do
you provide antenatal visits? What kind of
antenatal care can I expect? How often will
I see you?
-
Do you
encourage family / whanau participation?
-
If my
pregnancy becomes complicated what are my
options? Will you remain involved in my
care?
-
Labour &
Birth:
-
What
equipment do you carry?
-
Will there
be a second midwife at the birth?
-
What is
your transfer / intervention rate?
-
When might
I need to birth in a hospital? If this
happens what role will you play in my care?
-
If my
labour is long who will relieve you?
-
After the
birth:
-
How often
do you visit after the birth?
-
How many
weeks do you visit after the birth?
-
Between
visits are you available for me to phone for
advice?
-
Will you
help me to establish breastfeeding?
-
Do you work with or refer to other health
professionals or support groups?
