How to Choose a Midwife

Finding a midwife is very different today than it was when I had my babies 16 and 14 years ago! I was in California finishing my last year of chiropractic school, it was 2004 and midwifery was “alegal” in Cali. Small private practices didn’t always have websites back then nor were many listed in the phone book or at least easy to find. Thankfully, being a student in chiropractic school, I could find holistic providers through the grapevine.

The internet wasn’t filled with birth stories, videos, or blogs where you could find information and opinions with a few keystrokes and it definitely didn’t have social media where you see someone’s face and personality but have no idea how that actually translates to the care they provide.

I had to learn the hard way. I read A LOT. Actually, this was even before the sensational movie The Business of Being Born was released, so even considering home birth and midwifery care meant you had already done a lot of reading and investigating just to know it was an option.

The process of choosing midwifery care went like this. ..

1. You were a natural-minded, alternative-style person who wasn’t afraid to look at non-mainstream ways of doing things, or…

2. You had a really horrible previous experience with modern obstetrics and were determined to find a different way.

Generally, you read a lot of books by Dr. Sears, Ina May Gaskin and publications like Mothering Magazine. You searched through all the possible community resources like LLL leaders, childbirth educators, chiropractors, etc to find who the midwives were in the area (if you were lucky to have some at all) and then you interviewed Every.Single.One!

All of those written resources I mentioned offered example midwife interview questions, some helpful and some I can now see as a midwife myself, probably not, but you went looking for a specific type of experience and wanted to know if THIS midwife provided it.

I interviewed three midwives, each one with a little different way of doing things and the third one I interviewed I knew was the one. Her answer to my first question gave me that peace and calm and excitement that comes with KNOWING that this was the person that was MY midwife.

Choosing a Midwife for my Second Baby

Though my second baby was born in Washington where there were more midwives and doulas and an easier process to find them, I still went through the same process. It was still an unusual choice and most people in the area didn’t know someone who had a homebirth. It wasn’t “the thing to do” quite yet. It was still a very small community that supported home birth and each and every one was devoted to help those seeking it to have a good experience. When I asked around for resources there was only one midwife in practicing in Kitsap county at the time and it was common for Kitsap residents to use Tacoma midwives.

I gathered all of the names and I received little tidbits of information about the differences seen among their practices, something you no longer get in today’s “social media and networking” way of referrals. I interviewed every single one. Midwives in Wa were quite different than my experience in CA and I was not entirely pleased to discover some of the differences in practice styles. Again, it was my fourth and final interview when I knew without a doubt that I had found MY midwife.

Why it is important to choose the Right Midwife for your home birth

A midwife becomes a close confidante, family extension, and personal advocate, as well as a trusted health care provider that will walk next to you through one of the most vulnerable, difficult and life-changing stages of your life. Differences in personality, values, and goals can change the feel of your experience just as much as clinical skills and practices.

Finding a midwife in the era of Google…

Times have changed and midwives are really easy to find today, in the world of Google searches, websites and social media, not to mention a growing body of community members who can offer their personal referrals. The thing is, interviewing is still the best way to know if this midwife with great referrals and testimonials is actually the best fit for you and your desired pregnancy and birth experience! After all, your journey may look very different from your friend’s and make a different perspective or skill set more important to your process.

Using my personal experience as a mother-to-be and midwife client, a Chiropractor hearing over a thousand mothers’ experiences and feelings about their experience, and as a midwife myself, I have come up with my six top questions you should consider asking as you interview potential midwives – and my answers!

Congratulations on the journey you are embarking and best wishes for you and your family!

~ Dr. Joella, DC, LM, CACCP