|
     
 Consultation Questions
for
a Prospective Midwife
| The following questions won’t be
covered in one interview, but you should know the following about your midwife prior to
giving birth. A good indication of the well-regarded midwife may be her affiliation with
state and national organizations, and a printed offering of an "Informed Choice
Agreement", a statement of her background and statistics. This reduces confusion or
misunderstanding later. |
I. TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
 | What training have you had? Schools, degrees, certificates, CPR? |
| How much of it was hospital experience, home experience? |
| How long have you been attending births as primary midwife? |
| How many births do you attend per month? |
| How many clients required C-sections, episiotomies, suturing? |
| What is the advantage of a home birth? Birth Center birth? Any
disadvantages of each? |
II. COMPLICATIONS AND EMERGENCIES
| What complications and emergencies have you seen and
how were they handled? |
| What circumstances/conditions would rule out your attendance? |
| What complications/emergencies have you or can you handle? |
| Under what circumstances do you transfer to a hospital? |
| What percentage of clients have cesareans in your practice? |
III. MEDICAL BACKUP
| Who is your consult physician in case of hospital transfer? |
| What hospitals are used? |
| Can you accompany the couple through the hospital birth? |
| Do you have a family doctor/pediatrician or recommend one? |
IV. EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES
| Prenatal:
 | What is included in prenatal care? |
| What nutrition counseling do you provide? |
| What are your feelings about birth preparation classes? |
| Do you visit the home at any time before the birth? |
|
| During Labor and Birth:
| When do you want to be called once labor has begun? |
| When do you come to the home once labor has begun? |
| What equipment do you bring and what must we provide? |
| What emergency equipment do you provide? |
| How do you view the father’s role? |
| What is your role during labor? birth? |
| How do you feel about sibling participation in birth? |
| What non-drug measures do you suggest for pain relief? |
| How often do you listen to the baby’s hear in labor? |
| What is fetal distress in your opinion? |
| What do you consider prolonged labor/birth pushing? |
| Do you have preferences for labor/ birth positions? |
| How do you feel about water birth? Have you attended any? |
| What measures do you take to prevent tearing? |
| How often do the fathers actually help "catch the baby"? |
|
| Delivery:
| Do you check for tears? (vaginal, urethral, rectal) |
| Do you have ability to do repairs, without need of going to the hospital? |
| How do you prevent/treat excessive postpartum bleeding? |
| How do you handle the baby immediately after birth? |
| How long do you stay after the birth? What do you check at this time? |
| What is your schedule for follow-up care? |
| Do you do the newborn screening tests? (required by the state) |
| What is your philosophy regarding circumcision? |
| How is the filing of the birth certificate handled? |
| Do you routinely give me a copy of all my records after the birth? |
|
V. FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS
| How much do you charge for your services? |
| What services are not included in this fee? |
| Do insurance plans cover your fee? Do you accept direct payment? |
| When do you want the full fee paid? |
VI. ATTITUDE AND COMMUNICATION
| Determine willingness to be open to communicate now and in labor/birth |
| Explains things well |
| Helps you see the consequences of your choices |
| Lets you make your own decisions. |
|
NUTRITION GUIDELINES FOR A
HEALTHY PREGNANCY |
| This is a guideline for the EASIEST way to get all
the nutrients and calories you need in pregnancy, especially a high level of protein and
the calories you need to use the protein as building blocks rather than for fuel. There
are other ways to do it if you are vegetarian, vegan, eat low fat, or don't like/tolerate
a particular food. Please see the books referenced at the end for more details on
substituting foods! |
| Every Day, you should have: (examples given are one
serving) (Remember, each category is separate and you cannot fill two with one food - if
you eat 3 oz of cheese, it can be a protein or a milk, but not both!) |
| 1 Quart of Milk (4 8-oz Glasses) - in any form: milk, cheese,
yogurt, even ice cream (although try to watch the fat!) |
|
| 2 Eggs (cooked any way, in French toast, added to other foods...)
|
|
| 2 Servings of Protein Foods - 3 oz Meat or Fish, 1-1/2 Cup Beans,
3 oz Cheese, 1-1/2 Cup Tofu, etc. |
|
| 2 Servings Green Vegetables, preferably leafy (1/4-1/2 Cup) |
|
| 4 Servings of Grains, preferably whole (Whole Wheat Bread -1
slice, Tortilla - 1, Brown Rice - 1 Cup, Oatmeal - 1 Cup) |
|
| 1 Vitamin C Source - Citrus Fruit/Juice, Tomato, Cantaloupe, etc.
|
|
| 3 Fat Servings - 1 tsp. oil/butter/sour cream/mayonnaise (some
reduced fat products let you use 1 Tbsp. instead...) |
|
| 1 Serving Other Fruit |
|
| 1 Serving Other Vegetables |
|
| Each Week, try to include: |
| 5 Servings Yellow or Orange Colored Fruit/Vegetables |
|
| 1 Serving of Liver (if you like it - don't force yourself!)
[Note: This is controversial as it is an organ meat with a potential for storing harmful
substances, and because of the high levels of vitamin A it contains...] |
|
| 3 Whole Baked Potatoes |
|
| REMEMBER: Drink
plenty of water/other fluids and salt your food to taste for safe blood volume! |
| If you substitute Proteins for Milk/Eggs, you must
be sure your proteins are complete and that you get 80-100 grams of protein/day! You must
also be sure to include all the elements of a well-balanced diet. While this plan is not
the only way to get everything you need in pregnancy, it is one of the easiest ways! |
| Some recent research (from the Journal of
Nurse-Midwifery) suggests that eating too much protein can lead to low birth weight
babies! The number to stay below for a singleton pregnancy is 150g/day. The recommended
amount of protein for a twin pregnancy is 130g/day, so even moms with twins can eat the
recommended amount without worry that they are getting too much! |
| If you are following a vegetarian or vegan diet,
please see the referenced books below for ways to substitute for meat/dairy/eggs on this
diet. |
| For more information, please
read the following books: |
| "What every pregnant woman should know"
By Gail Brewer with Tom Brewer, MD |
| "The Brewer Medical Diet for Normal and High
Risk Pregnancy" by Gail Brewer with Tom Brewer, MD |
 
|
