Trusting God’s Design for Birth: Provider Options

Jun 5
2 min read

Updated: 7 days ago

By: Christine Russell, CPM

Provider Options

No Provider (free birth, unassisted birth) – This option is often chosen because of previous birth trauma, but it provides the least amount of safety. It is true that about 80% of births left to their natural process go smoothly without any complications. However, it is very difficult to predict the 20% that will need some kind of assistance. As a midwife, knowing all of the skills needed to intervene in that 20%, it’s terrifying for me to think of a woman doing it alone without any knowledge or training to be able to intervene when a complication arises. Some women will educate themselves or do some trainings to be able to be better prepared. Some have a doula or birth keeper (untrained person familiar with birth), who would be familiar with birth and could help provide counsel when something isn’t normal but not be trained to handle the emergency situations.

Homebirth Midwife – This is a trained midwife (Traditional, Certified Professional Midwife, or other midwifery certification/training) who has the skills to address the potential problems that can come up in birth or recognize the birth emergencies and respond in the moment and get emergency care for transport to the hospital.

Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) – This midwife is a nurse who has a Master’s Degree in Midwifery. CNMs are able to support women in various settings – home, birth center, and hospital, often being able to transfer with you and continue to care for you across settings, as needed. They are limited by the restrictions placed on them by the medical field and their supporting OBs and are less inclined to use natural/herbal remedies but sometimes more open to positioning in labor. They have a varied and broad spectrum in belief about birth – whether it’s a natural process, medical problem, or somewhere in between.

Obstetrician (OB) – Surgeon – An OB is an expert at surgical birth but not natural birth and is the only provider who can support you in a vaginal birth or surgical birth. OBs are the least likely provider to help you achieve a vaginal birth. They get the job done in a true emergency but also might lead to you a C-section for an anticipated emergency or lack of patience in the birth process, because surgery is their area of expertise.