Frequently Asked Questions
The power and intensity of your contractions cannot be stronger than
you, because it is you. - Unknown
•What is
a Midwife?
•What is a "Lay" midwife?
•What is a "Registered" or "Direct-Entry" Midwife?
•Is Registration the same as licensure?
•What is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)?
•What is a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)?
•Is Direct-Entry Midwifery Legal?
•Is Direct-Entry Midwifery Safe?
•I don't live in your area, where can I find a midwife
close to me?
•How can I help promote midwifery?
•What are your fees?
•Why do mothers get transported?
•How many emergency transports have you had?
•Do you offer Well-woman Gyn?
•Can you prescribe birth control?
•Do you offer waterbirth?
•Why would I choose a waterbirth?
•How do I get a birthing tub?
•Do I have to see a physician during my pregnancy?
•Do you take private insurance or Medicaid?
•Can you attend my birth in a hospital or birth-center?
•Do I hire just one of you or do you do everything together?
•Do you offer your services to everyone?
•What if I have another question?
Official international definition: "A midwife is a person who, having
been regularly admitted to a midwifery educational programme, duly recognised
in the country in which it is located, has successfully completed the
prescribed course of studies in midwifery and has acquired the requisite
qualifications to be registered and/or legally licensed to practise midwifery.
She must be able to give the necessary supervision, care and advice to
women during pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period, to conduct
deliveries on her own responsibility and to care for the newborn and
the infant. This care includes preventative measures, the detection of
abnormal conditions in mother and child, the procurement of medical assistance
and the execution of emergency measures in the absence of medical help.
She has an important task in health counseling and education, not only
for the women, but also within the family and the community. The work
should involve antenatal education and preparation for parenthood and
extends to certain areas of gynaecology, family planning and child care.
She may practise in hospitals, clinics, health units, domiciliary conditions
or in any other service." Jointly developed by the International Confederation
of Midwives and the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.
Adopted by the International Confederation of Midwives Council 1972.
Adopted by the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics
1973. Later adopted by the World Health Organization. Amended by the
International Confederation of Midwives Council, Kobe October 1990. Amendment
ratified by the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics
1991 and the World Health Organization 1992.
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The term "Lay Midwife" has been used to designate an uncertified or
unlicensed midwife who was educated through informal routes such as self-study
or apprenticeship rather than through a formal program. This term does
not necessarily mean a low level of education, just that the midwife
either chose not to become certified or licensed, or there was no certification
available for her type of education (as was the fact before the Certified
Professional Midwife credential was available). Other similar terms to
describe uncertified or unlicensed midwives are traditional midwife,
traditional birth attendant, granny midwife and independent midwife.
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What
is a "Registered" or "Direct-Entry" Midwife?
"Direct-Entry Midwife" is the umbrella term for midwives that are
either "licensed", "registered", "certified", "documented", or "permitted." Midwifery
would be legal or A-legal in her state.
A Direct-Entry Midwife is an independent practitioner educated in the
discipline of midwifery through self-study, apprenticeship, a midwifery
school, or a college- or university-based program distinct from the discipline
of nursing. A direct-entry midwife is trained to provide the Midwives
Model of Care to healthy women and newborns throughout the childbearing
cycle primarily in out-of-hospital settings. They provide complete prenatal,
birth, and postpartum care until 6 weeks after delivery for low risk
women. They rely on natural methods of healing and support throughout
the pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.
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Is Registration
the same as licensure?
For the purpose of Direct-Entry midwifery in Colorado, yes. "Direct-Entry
Midwife" is the umbrella term for midwives that are either "licensed", "registered", "certified", "documented",
or "permitted."
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What is a
Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)?
A Certified Professional Midwife is a knowledgeable, skilled and professional
independent midwifery practitioner who has met the standards for certification
set by the North
American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and is qualified to provide
the midwifery model of care. The CPM is
the only international credential that requires knowledge about and experience
in out-of-hospital settings.
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What is a
Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)?
A Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) is an individual educated in the two
disciplines of nursing and midwifery separately, who possesses evidence
of certification according to the requirements of the American College
of Nurse-Midwives. They primarily work in hospitals and some in birth
centers, there are a rare few that offer home-birth. They practice under
the supervision of a physician, though the doctor might only need to
be present at high-risk births, but they must have their protocols approved
by the supervising physician. They can prescribe medications and generally
make usage of the medical model of care. They operate generally like
obstetricians.
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Is Direct-Entry
Midwifery Legal?
In most states, yes. Here
is a chart. It is legal in 34 states and regulated in 23 of those.
It is illegal in 15 states. In these 15, illegal states midwives are
doing their best to get a midwifery law passed. Want to help? Visit http://www.cfmidwifery.org/" and http://www.birthingthefuture.com/GetInvolved.
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Is Direct-Entry
Midwifery Safe?
Absolutely. For low risk births (which most pregnancies are) a Midwife-assisted
birth is as safe or safer as one attended by a physician. A number of
research studies have consistently confirmed equal or better outcomes
for midwife- versus physician-assisted low risk births. These studies
point out that using a Midwife significantly lowers rates of interventions,
such as induction of labor, artificial rupture of membranes, episiotomies,
and cesareans. Where they top the charts however, is client satisfaction!
Click the links below to see more
CPM
Home Birth Study
Is Midwifery
Safe?
The
Oldest Profession
Evidence
of Safety and Efficacy
British Medical Journal
Homebirth
Safety
Download this for
a list of studies and information.
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I don't
live in your area, where can I find a midwife close to me?
Honestly, the phone book under midwives is a good bet. There
are numerous websites with "midwife-finder" functions, but as they are
paid, only some midwives will be found there. A good idea is to find
ONE midwife in your area and ask her for others so you can begin interviewing.
Another idea, first of all, make sure it is legal in your state, and
if it is, simply go to your states government site, look up Midwives,
and with a bit of clicking you will find it. They are ALL required by
law to have their information here, so though it isn't user friendly,
they are there.
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I
had a great birth with midwives. How can I help promote midwifery?
Join the Citizens
for Midwifery and/or look on their website they have the best suggestions as
well as http://www.birthingthefuture.com/GetInvolved which
is a local Colorado company.
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Please see our "Fees" page.
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3 - 8%
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Why
do mothers get transported?
Typically it is exhaustion, pain relief, or we start to see some signs
we don't like, but not an emergency.
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How
many emergency transports have you had?
In Jeni's 28 years as a midwife she has emergency-transported fewer
than 20 times. Only one baby was stillborn as a result of a cord accident
while the mother was in labor and this was unpreventable. May he be
with God. She has never lost a mother.
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To a limited degree. We can perform physicals including breast exam,
Pap smear, STD screen, and blood work to assess hormone levels. In addition,
we offer complete naturopathic care for any need, but we will refer you
to a physician for any abnormal findings as well. We generally do not
perform these separately from midwifery care.
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Can
you prescribe birth control?
No. Direct-Entry midwives have no prescriptive privileges in Colorado.
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Of course! We do many waterbirths and recommend that you have a tub
available to use for your labor whether you plan to deliver in water
or not. It is difficult (if not impossible) to know how you will feel
when you are in labor. Some women who adore the water find that they
do NOT like it in labor or they might love it. Others who have no particular
attraction to water find it to be a great relief in labor or delivery.
For the majority of women it offers significant comfort and relief which
is why we recommend it.
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Why
would I choose a waterbirth?
Please see waterbirth
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There are rental tubs available from us, as well as other midwives in
the area. Depending on the tub you want, they are around $75 - $300 which
usually includes drop off and liners. Or you can rent one online at Aquadoula or Yourwaterbirth .
Another option is to buy a large "kiddie-pool" as these tend to be much
cheaper. You can buy
a great one online for $30 that is perfect. We have a large
plastic tub that works quite well for $75, but you must transport it
and buy your own plastic lining (which is quite inexpensive).
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Do
I have to see a physician during my pregnancy?
In general, no. About 95% of our clients never need to see a physician.
If you develop a complication out of our scope, we might refer you out
for a visit and once the problem is fixed you might return to our care.
If the complication will not be resolved until after delivery then we
will have to refer you out of our care, but may still be able to offer
you postpartum care.
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Do
you take private insurance or Medicaid?
We take self-pay and will file insurance for you, but it is up to you
to collect the money from the insurance company. Most of our clients
have insurance. We do it this way simply because your insurance company
is FAR more likely to pay YOU and to pay you MORE money and FASTER than
they do us. Direct-Entry midwives in Colorado DO NOT TAKE MEDICAID. We
wish we could, but is not in our law.
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Can
you attend my birth in a hospital or birth-center?
No. There are no birth centers run by Direct-Entry midwives in Colorado
and no Direct-Entry Midwives in Colorado have privileges in hospitals,
mostly because of liability and malpractice.
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Do
you offer your services to everyone?
We offer free consultations to everyone and will determine at that visit
if you are eligible for a homebirth depending on your medical history
and condition. Only "low-risk" women may have a home-delivery. Such things
that would risk you out of our care are such things as heart disease,
diabetes melitis, kidney disease, asthma requiring steroids, HIV infection,
sickle cell anemia, and multiple gestation, to name a few. MOST women
are low risk. Do not automatically rule yourself out if you have a medical
problem, some things can be fixed or worked with like anemia, obesity,
or if you have had many children. The ONLY way to know if a home birth
is possible is to meet with us.
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What
if I have another question?
Contact us by phone (303.772.9003) or email to make an appointment.
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