Healing Our Children Book Excerpt
One essential factor in ensuring a safe birth is a positive, healthy, and communicative relationship with your birth care provider. While midwives usually seem to be the choice for the best care for labor, there are some doctors who also provide excellent care; don’t unnecessarily limit your choices—remember to be open minded.

Safer Births With Midwives

Statistics show that midwives will increase your chance of a safe and natural birth. In one study, neonatal death was on average 26% lower with midwives, and the likelihood of a low birth weight was 31% lower with a midwife providing pregnancy care than with a physician.

These studies indicate how crucial emotional care is for the mother. The mother’s feelings influence her choices and therefore her health. Some midwives are very caring and supportive. They act like mothers to the mother. Many mothers-to-be did not receive the full nutritional or emotional support they needed as children.

This can have effects later in life, and make the birthing process more difficult. A good midwife can fill in this role, and the mother will feel cared for and supported. A mother-to-be who is
cared for will feel that it is safe to give birth, will make good choices for herself, and will love her new baby dearly. Another study showed that women attended by midwives are
30% less likely to undergo cesarean section, and the diagnosis of fetal distress is made 50% less often in babies delivered by midwives, compared to those delivered by physicians.