74. How to Find the Best Midwife for a Safe Home Birth

Have you ever wondered how choosing the right midwife can ensure a safe and empowering home birth experience?

In this episode, we will cover:

• The key traits to look for in a compassionate midwifery provider who prioritizes home birth safety...
• Why finding an evidence-based midwife can give you confidence in your birth choices...
• How personalized midwifery care creates a trusting partnership to support your natural childbirth preparation...
• … and a whole lot more!

If you’re ready to find the right midwife and prepare for a safe and empowering home birth, then this episode is for you!

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👋 WHO AM I?

Welcome, friends! I am Beth, a certified nurse midwife, doula, and childbirth educator. My philosophy is rooted in autonomy, informed decision making, and positive mindset to help expecting parents plan for a beautiful, stress-free birth. I am here to provide value to YOU through tips and practical advice, either to guide you through pregnancy or to help you prepare for childbirth, postpartum and beyond. There’s no fluff here - only info that adds to your positive experience and saves you stress and uncertainty.

Transcript

Hello and welcome back to episode 74 of Your Birth Bestie podcast. Today’s topic is one that many expecting moms find overwhelming: How do you choose the right midwife for your home birth? Finding the right provider isn’t just about qualifications; it’s about finding someone whose philosophy aligns with your values, who prioritizes personalized care and safety, and who makes you feel truly supported. By the end of this episode, I am confident you’ll feel ready to make a confident choice for one of the most important decisions of your birth journey.

It is reasonable to think that choosing a midwife can feel like a huge task. And to validate your feelings if this is somethign you're going through right now, let’s talk about some common struggles in this process you might be experiencing.

First of all, you might be feeling overwhelmed by options. Or maybe underwhelmed by options in your area, which also equally makes finding someone difficult. You're thinking where do you even start and how do you know which midwife is right for you?

You also probably already have in your mind that you want a personalized experience, but want to balance safety as well and prioritize a healthy mom and baby. So basically, you want someone who supports your choices but also knows how to handle emergencies and can be open and honest with you, having difficult conversations when needed to keep you and your baby safe.

You also might have heard that all midwives are the same or that home birth midwives lack medical training, or have an incomplete idea of the possibilites that are available to you in the home setting. These myths can create unnecessary fear, and you don't need any of that while you're making this big decision!

So here is why this matters... The right midwife will not only provide expert care that is individualized to you and your family, but also emotional support and education, making a huge difference in your birth experience. This is why choosing the right midwife or provider is one of the most important decisions in your pregnancy, if not the MOST important thing. Pregnancy and birth is a vulnerable time and you want someone you can feel comfortable around and trust to care for you. So let's break down how you can actually choose the best midwife for your specific needs.

First, let’s break down the different types of midwives and what they do. Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) are advanced practice nurses with medical training and hospital privileges in many states. They often provide a balance of holistic and clinical care. This is the category I fall under. So I went to college and got my bachelors degree in human development and family studies while also taking pre-med classes. I decided to persue my masters of nursing degree after working for a few years as a nursing assistant, which was another 2 years and then the last part of my formal education was 2 additional years in academic and clinical studies in midwifery school. I was working as a labor and delivery nurse while I was in midwifery school too for experience, so this is what the main difference is between CNMs and the next type of midwife, CPMs, is that nurse midwives have hospital experience and are licensed to care for women in the hospital if desired. I chose the out of hospital route which is a little more rare for a CNM.

Next are Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs). These are specialists in out-of-hospital births and CPMs are trained in home and birth center settings. There are several ways CPMs gain licensure whether it's through an academic program with supplemental clinical hours or purely apprentiship based where a preceptor is responsible for all of a student's training. 

There are also other birth attendants and in some states, they might be lay midwives or traditional midwives with varied training. This would usually mean a midwife does not have a license and is practicing off of learned skill without any regulation or certifying body.

I just think that knowing the differences helps you understand what level of care and expertise you can expect. For example, many clients are interested in experience and medical training as well as how emergencies are managed. When you are interviewing midwives, it's important to know that not everyone practices the same which also means not everyone carries the same equipment with them either. 

I believe there is a good midwife for everyone, it's about finding who you feel comfortable with and who's practice style matches your own personal values and plans for your birth.

The next piece in deciding who to choose as a midwife, I think safety should be at the top of your list.

A great midwife will do a thorough risk assessment throughout your pregnancy to prioritize safety of mom and baby, use informed consent to guide your care, and have clear emergency plans in place for rare but possible scenarios.

These are always good things to ask as you're interviewing midwives! You want to know what your midwife's values are and question how certain situations are managed to ensure a good fit.

I think a big mistake some families make is overlooking a midwife’s approach to risk management during the interview process. You want to be sure you feel comfortable with the conversations and the recommendations given, of course seeking additional opinions if ever necessary. You don't want to feel anxious during labor or at a greater risk for complications without having a clear plan.

The next thing to think about is that your midwife’s practice style or philosophy should align with your birth goals. Are you seeking minimal interventions? Holistic care? Religious or cultural practices? A family-centered approach?

This is why choosing your midwife is so personal and a big reason I love supporting out of hospital birth. To care for a client or a family it should mutually be a good fit for everyone because it is so individualized and personal, this is the care that you get when you're out of the system. So keep that in mind, and know that you get to choose exactly who you are inviting into your home and who you feel safe with.

I would advise to think about these things rather than focusing on only logistics like location or cost or even sometimes experience. More experienced or more credentials doesn't ensure you are going to get better care either, it's about compatibility and feeling confident with your birth team. If you instead just choose the first midwife you interview or that has an office closest to you for conveinence, you are more likely to not be compatible and feel less supported or disconnected during your care, than if you took your time to find someone that really matched what you were looking for.

And when you do schedule interviews with local midwives, you want to be sure to ask the right quesitons! I want to give you a list of some of the most common ones here that I think can give you a lot of good insight on who you are meeting with.

1. What is your training and experience?
2. How do you handle emergencies or hospital transfers?
3. What is your approach to pain management and natural techniques?
4. What kind of postpartum care do you provide?
5. How do you involve partners and family in the process?
6. What is something that sets you apart from other midwives? 

I encourage you to take the time to schedule an interview and ask detailed questions. If you go on and hire this person, there will be times of vulnerability, so why not start with the interview and ask what you are truly thinking to help you make your best choice. Don't skip the interview just because your sister or friend liked a certain midwife, becuase your experience could be totally different!  

The last thing I wanted to quick mention is to keep an eye out for red flags. And these can include dismissing your concerns or questions, lack of transparency about training or emergency protocols, or pressure to make decisions that don't align with your values. I think intuition is a powerful thing, so if something feels off, definitely question it to resolve any red flags or switch providers if something is truly off. 

Also, a common complaint I've heard from others is they ignored signs of poor communication or professionalism from their midwife because they really did like them, it was just one thing after another regarding scheduling conflicts or lack of communication, but they always gave their midwife the benefit of the doubt. But that in itself can cause unnecessary stress and dissatisfaction during pregnancy and even hesitation of what birth is going to be like if your midwife isn't responsive or communiciative.

I think for me, especially as a home birth midwife, communication and responsiveness is key! For me, when you are signing into care, you should expect timely communication and responsivness to all concerns. That is a huge value of mine when you're trusting me to be part of your care. There is no messanger or long waiting period, it is is great to be able to directly communicate with clients and reassure them or resolve issues right away. It is a huge benefit of out of hospital birth and me only taking a few clients per month to be able to offer that individualized care, so that's what it looks like for me, but every practice has different styles that you just have to see what works best for you!

So to wrap this up, here's some tangible tips on how to get started on your search for the perfect midwife...

1. Learn about the types of midwives and their legal status in your state and then determine what you are looking for in a provider.

2. Interview several midwives and ask about their training, experience, and approach to care because you will find that everyone is very very different. This is a good thing, and you'll be able to see who you feel most comfortable with.

3. Ask about emergency plans and feel comfortable with their training and equipment they carry.

4. And then most importantly look for someone whose philosophy and personality align with you and what you're looking for in your birth. Trust your intuition and if something feels off, don't be afraid to keep looking!

Thank you so much for joining me today on the podcast. I want you to remember that choosing the right midwife is a deeply personal decision that sets the tone for your entire birth experience. By prioritizing safety, compatibility, and trust, you are setting yourself up for an empowering, joyful journey, so take time finding someone you really like!

If you found this episode helpful, I would love if you could take a few seconds to subscribe to the show and leave a review to help other families find this podcast! If you are in Southeastern Wisconsin and would like more information about homebirth midwifery or birth doula services in person, visit my webiste at familyfocusedmidwifery.com, we would love to assist you! 

Thank you again and I will see you here next Tuesday for another episode! Bye everyone.