Take a list of questions to ask a potential midwife during the initial interview to find out about her experience, policies during labor, prenatal expectations and postpartum care. While there aren’t always “right or wrong” answers it is helpful to have a list of questions for the initial interview.
A pregnant couple could work through some of the questions on their own to have an idea of their birth philosophy before meeting with the midwife. This would give a pregnant mother and her partner a better idea of what type of midwife they were looking for. Two midwives might be equally qualified but one midwife will be a better fit for your birth desires than the other.
5 Questions to ask a midwife about her experience and education.
1 – What is your background, training and experience?
2 – How many births have you attended total? How many births as the primary midwife?
3 – Have you delivered breech babies? Would you deliver a known breech baby at home?
4 – Are you certified or registered as a midwife with the state? Tell me about your backup physician or midwife and their qualifications.
5- What labor emergency situations are you qualified to deal with?
5 Questions to ask a midwife about prenatal care.
6 – How long does the average prenatal visit last during my pregnancy?
7 – How often will you want to see me during each trimester of pregnancy?
8 – What are your recommendations for pregnancy and childbirth preparation classes?
9 – Are you able to provide any necessary prenatal lab work? What prenatal tests do you require? Recommend?
10 – What does a typical prenatal checkup consist of? Will I see you each at each prenatal visit or another midwife?
5 Questions to ask a midwife about labor and delivery procedures.
11 – What circumstances could arise during my pregnancy that would cause you to transfer care to a hospital? What would cause you to transfer during labor?
12 – What equipment do you usually use during labor and delivery? What medications and emergency equipment do you have? (You want your midwife to have oxygen available and be certified in CPR.)
13 – How active a role do you take during my labor process? If I want privacy and space will you be more hands-off? If I need more support can you help coach me through contractions?
14 – What types of monitoring do you do during labor? How often?
15 – Do you maintain pregnancy and birth statistics for your practice? May I see them?
5 Questions to ask a midwife regarding postpartum routines.
16 – Can my husband or birth partner catch the baby is everything is progressing smoothly?
17 – How long do you wait to cut the cord? How long do you wait to allow the placenta to deliver naturally?
18 – Can we delay weighing and first baby check up if there is no emergency? I prefer to nurse right away; what circumstances would cause you to remove the baby from my arms?
19 – Do you help with the clean up process? How long do you stay after the birth?
20 -How many postpartum checkups do we get in the following weeks? Will you come to my house for them or do I need to come to you?
This list is only to get you started. As you read more about pregnancy and childbirth don’t be afraid to ask more questions. I suggest taking a written list with you to your appointments, and especially to your initial interview, so you don’t forget important questions you wanted to ask. If a midwife is bothered by your questions she probably isn’t a health care professional you want to work with.
