Rebecca Williams, the fabulous midwife who attended Lincoln's birth has opened up a new practice and birth center in Murray, UT. Please check out her website to learn a little bit more about her and midwives in general (and see that Lincoln happens to be the coverbaby in her photo gallery section). If you know any expecting mamas in the Salt Lake area, you'd be doing them a favor by passing on her information.
Even if you're not in the area, take a chance to learn more about midwives (here). They provide exceptional care to mothers and babies (the gold standard, in my opinion). In fact, World Health Organization statistics show that births attended by midwives have lower infection rates, lower C-section rates, fewer complications, and healthier outcomes - thus, lower overall medical costs - than physician-attended hospital births. Food for thought...
2 comments:
That data is skewed however because the same women (i.e. those of lower socioeconomic status) who are at a higher risk for poor antepartum care, C-sections and other complications are also less likely to use midwives.
Actually, my anonymous friend, the data isn't skewed at all. There are many excellent studies available comparing the outcomes of low-risk mothers cared for by midwives and low-risk mothers cared for by obstetricians that consistently show better outcomes for women cared for by midwives. One 1991 study compared outcomes for all US women cared for by midwives with outcomes of similar women cared for by doctors and found, among other things, that one third fewer babies died during the first week of life in the midwife group.
And secondly, a woman's lower socioeconomic status does not necessarily make her high risk. I know that most hospital based midwives in my state accept medicaid and provide care for quite a few low income mothers. In my personal opinion, this is a segment of the population who could benefit most from the care of competent and understanding midwives.
I'll be the first to agree that high-risk mothers belong under the care of an obstetrician, but these women (those with clinical diabetes, uncontrollable high blood pressure, heart disease, etc) make up a small minority of the childbearing population.
You may not agree, but well-planned research continues to show that midwifery care is the safest(and, might I add, cost-effective) option for low risk mothers in the US.
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