A Midwife’s Role During Labor

Is having a baby life-changing? You bet it is–both for parents and baby. To ensure you have the best birthing experience possible, you may want to explore the role a certified nurse-midwife can play during and after your pregnancy, especially during that crucial time called labor.

Let’s discuss who a midwife is, what she can do for her patients (mom and baby), what she does during labor, and where you can find the best nurse-midwife in Decatur, Stonecrest, and Stone Mountain, GA.

The Certified Nurse-midwife

This highly qualified professional has advanced nurse’s training in all aspects of women’s healthcare, including:

• Complete wellness assessments, pelvic exams, and ultrasonography
• Preconception planning and counseling
• Pregnancy care, including treating the discomforts of pregnancy (morning sickness, stretch marks, backaches, and more)
• Birth planning (at home, at a hospital, or in a birthing center)
• Anesthesia options
• Pain management during labor
• Postpartum recovery
• Bottle and breastfeeding
• Incision care
• Contraception education and planning
• Infant care

How a Midwife Can Help Your Pregnancy and Recovery

The CNM’s specific area of focus is low-risk pregnancy labor and delivery. She works in concert with the OB/GYN of the patient’s choice, particularly if complications arise or the pregnancy involves multiples (twins, triplets, or more). The patient and midwife develop a labor and delivery plan, discussing anesthesia possibilities, including regional and epidural anesthetics to be administered as needed by a nurse anesthetist or physician.

In addition, the midwife is readily available for consultation with the patient throughout pregnancy. She is the go-to person for questions and concerns about exercise, sexual activity, nutrition, signs of labor, and more.

When you begin to care for your baby at home, your midwife remains an excellent source of counsel and advice on a wide range of concerns such as:

• How often should the baby feed
• How many wet diapers to expect daily
• How to bathe the infant and care for the umbilicus (belly button) and circumcision
• Soothing the crying baby
• Caring for your own incision site, monitoring postpartum bleeding, breast engorgement, and more

What Happens During Labor?

The certified nurse-midwife is the woman’s partner in the labor process. She provides essential coaching on pain management during contractions, breathing techniques, and methods to help labor progress. She monitors the vital signs of both mother and baby. She can deliver pain relief medications and advise the attending physician of changes or complications in the mother or baby, which require the expertise and training of an OB/GYN.

Dekalb Women’s Specialists in Decatur, Stonecrest,and Stone Mountain, GA

If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, Dekalb Women’s Specialists can provide expert care for you and your baby, including a comprehensive range of exceptional midwife services delivered by our team of certified nurse-midwives.

Our CNMs also provide a wide range of primary healthcare services for girls from adolescence onward. These professionals have considerable experience and expertise in general nursing, as well as midwifery, and hold degree-level qualifications and accreditation.

To learn more about the benefits of using a certified nurse-midwife before, during, and after your pregnancy, call Dekalb Women’s Specialists today at (404) 508-2000 or request a consultation now.