The Midwife Effect?

From the moment you decide to have a baby, it is important to start considering the kind of care you would need throughout the pregnancy and during the birth. While the majority of expectant mothers rely on doctors, there is a growing minority who opt for midwives to be their primary care provider as can be the option in a Spartanburg birth center.

In a scientific review published December of last year, The Cochrane Library links positive outcomes to pregnancies with midwife-led care. The review identified 13 studies involving over 16,000 women who saw midwives all throughout their pregnancy.

Several benefits were identified for the women who favored midwives to care for them during their pregnancy. There were fewer instances that required epidurals, episiotomies and instruments such as forceps during delivery. The review also showed the reduced risk of the mothers going into preterm labor or losing the baby before 24 weeks.

An important discovery in the review is the marked similarity of outcomes between low-risk and higher-risk pregnancies. This is a notable development because it means that something about having continuous midwife care helped the more high risk pregnancies have more positive outcomes.

All over the country including Spartanburg, midwifery is seeing increased interest. This is all good news for women everywhere. As more information is being brought forward, the more choices are given to mothers-to-be. With continued research, more and more women could benefit from a more personal and natural approach to childbirth with the assistance of a midwife resulting in greater benefits and fewer interventions.