Chosing Your Prenatal Care Provider
One of the most important decisions you must decide is who will provide your prenatal care and deliver your baby.
In the United States it is most common for a woman to choose a doctor who is certified to care for pregnancies and deliver babies, an obstetrician, for their healthcare provider.
Ultimately, this means that you will deliver your child in a hospital or freestanding birth center.
Many hospitals now have very beautiful labor and delivery areas that accommodate the patient and the family members in a subdued and less barren atmosphere than the past.
This option also avails the baby to immediate neonatal care specialists if there are any problems.
Other women chose to have a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) deliver their baby.
A Nurse-Midwife is someone who is a highly trained nurse who specializes in midwifery.
There are 43 accredited educational programs in the United States.
Nurse-Midwifery practice is legal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
According to the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the majority of CNM-attended births occur in hospitals.
In 2002 97 percent of CNM deliveries occurred in hospitals, 1.
8 percent in freestanding birthing centers and 1.
1 percent at home.
Some women ask that a doula be present during the birth.
According to DONA International ("the largest doula association in the world") a "birth doula is a person trained and experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth.
"The word doula comes from ancient Greek and means "woman's servant".
Doulas provide support by giving back rubs and providing continuous emotional support.
The use of a doula may reduce the need for pain medicine during labor.
Doulas however, do not replace nurses or other medical staff.
They are not trained to perform any clinical tasks such as taking a blood pressure, monitoring a baby's heart rate or doing vaginal exams.
Your choice of healthcare provider will depend on your preferences, past experiences with friends and family and possibly your insurance.
The most important thing is to chose and start your prenatal care early.
In the United States it is most common for a woman to choose a doctor who is certified to care for pregnancies and deliver babies, an obstetrician, for their healthcare provider.
Ultimately, this means that you will deliver your child in a hospital or freestanding birth center.
Many hospitals now have very beautiful labor and delivery areas that accommodate the patient and the family members in a subdued and less barren atmosphere than the past.
This option also avails the baby to immediate neonatal care specialists if there are any problems.
Other women chose to have a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) deliver their baby.
A Nurse-Midwife is someone who is a highly trained nurse who specializes in midwifery.
There are 43 accredited educational programs in the United States.
Nurse-Midwifery practice is legal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
According to the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the majority of CNM-attended births occur in hospitals.
In 2002 97 percent of CNM deliveries occurred in hospitals, 1.
8 percent in freestanding birthing centers and 1.
1 percent at home.
Some women ask that a doula be present during the birth.
According to DONA International ("the largest doula association in the world") a "birth doula is a person trained and experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth.
"The word doula comes from ancient Greek and means "woman's servant".
Doulas provide support by giving back rubs and providing continuous emotional support.
The use of a doula may reduce the need for pain medicine during labor.
Doulas however, do not replace nurses or other medical staff.
They are not trained to perform any clinical tasks such as taking a blood pressure, monitoring a baby's heart rate or doing vaginal exams.
Your choice of healthcare provider will depend on your preferences, past experiences with friends and family and possibly your insurance.
The most important thing is to chose and start your prenatal care early.
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