You’re looking for a midwife but are unsure of the questions you need to ask and the checkboxes you need to mark off before making a decision.
We get it. It’s an important decision as this person will be with you leading up and through the delivery of your precious child. They will make crucial decisions that may impact you and your child forever.
You need to be confident in your decision and one way to ensure that is by doing your homework.
This is why we’ve gathered a list of questions that you need to ask when interviewing midwives. Yes, please treat this as an interview. It’s the best mindset to carry into the process. They are interviewing for the job to be your midwife. Don’t forget that you have all of the power here.
Here are the questions that you need to make sure you either ask each of the midwives or research on your own:
- What should you ask during an interview with a potential healthcare provider?
- How often will I be seen during my pregnancy?
- Who normally responds to phoned-in questions and concerns — and is he or she available around the clock?
- Which tests are standard? Which specialized tests might you advise?
- Are you credentialed?
- Will you deliver my baby, or could it be another doctor in your practice?
- Will I have the chance to meet each doctor who might deliver my baby?
- Where will I deliver?
- What sort of maternity or special-care facilities are available at the hospital where I would deliver?
- How do you feel about medication-free childbirth?
- At what stage of labor would you use an epidural?
- When do you feel it is necessary to induce deliveries?
- What is your rate of cesarean (C-section) deliveries?
- What else can you tell me about your preferences and standard practices for labor and birth?
- How do you feel about breastfeeding?
- What is your fee? Does that include lab fees? How and when do you want payment?