Are you pregnant? Here’s why health experts suggest opting for a midwife support

According to the World Health Organization, midwifery is a skilled, knowledgeable and compassionate care for childbearing women, newborn infants and families across the continuum from pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, birth, postpartum and the early weeks of life. It plays a “vital” role in shaping and delivering effective interventions to meet the needs of patients, families and communities with their quality of their initial assessment, care and treatment.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Evita Fernandez, Chairperson of Fernandez Foundation pointed out how research indicates that a woman’s experience during childbirth has a significant impact on her mental and physical health but the current healthcare system has medicalised pregnancy and birthing. She shared, “What was supposed to be a natural, joyful experience for a woman has become a dreadful medical event.”

Importance of midwife support:

Dr Evita Fernandez highlighted, “Midwifery-led care aims to provide constant emotional and psychological support to women during and even after childbirth. Midwives create an environment of empowerment and knowledge for women to labour and birth with confidence. Midwifery care supports women with their birth choices, thus ensuring the experience is joyous and positive. Even if a woman needs a C-section, she still feels positive about her birth because she was heard and supported.”

Adding to the list of pros, Indie Kaur, Director of Midwifery Services at Fernandez Foundation, revealed, “Midwives are much more aware that a woman’s mental and emotional health is as important as her physical health. It’s natural for women to feel like they’re not themselves during pregnancy or after birth due to fluctuating hormones, changes in their bodies and transition to motherhood. In such a case, a midwife supports women by guiding them on how to take care of their health, nutrition, and mental wellbeing throughout the pregnancy. A midwife acts as a guide, advocate and companion to pregnant women, resulting in improved maternal-newborn outcomes.”

Asserting that the Midwifery Model of Care empowers women to be a significant part of the decision making process in how she wants her pregnancy to unfold and how she wants to give birth, Dr Vijaya Krishnan, Director of The Sanctum Natural Birth Center, gushed, “Midwives look at pregnancy and birth as an extraordinary, yet normal life event. Hence, apart from the physical care they provide, it is their emotional, psychological and social support in the mother’s entire childbearing year, which sees the birth of a strong confident mother who receives her baby with love and care. High quality evidence indicates that women who receive care in these models are more likely to have effective care, improved clinical outcomes and a safe and satisfying birth experience.”