As a San Diego midwife I would like to share with you a method that you might not be aware of.It is also known as waterbirth.

Waterbirth has been called probably of all the methods of delivery the gentlest.  It requires the use of a heatedwater bath or a pool.You will find some women will use during the labor the water part.This is done because the water that is heated is very pain relieving.It soothes and relaxes the tissues.

Other women will also delivery the baby through it.They remain in the water through the whole delivery.Even till the placenta is delivered all the way through.

The entire procedure is usually administered by someone that is referred to as a midwife.  If you are in San Diego there are plenty of midwives San Diego.  You will want to find an experienced one. 

Why is there some woman who prefer this method of delivery rather than the hospital procedure? As described earlier, delivery and the labor part is extremely painful.A majority of women will use the drugs to try and stop the pain.But for a few women, the last thing they want to do is have drugs harm the new baby.  Using a waterbirth method helps with the pain.Because of the
water heated it is soothing to the tissues and helps reduce the pain.

Most women will have this procedure usually done naturally.  They will not use any drugs to cope with the pain.  Often times this actually helps the labor happen faster.Because when you use the drugs it can really slow down the labor. 

It is actually a very safe alternative of delivery.For a few women who might want to have a natural birth this could be the method to go with.  I have seen many happy deliveries as a San Diego licensed midwife.All it will require of a woman is to do a little research and see for themselves
how safe it really is.

That might seem foreign to some people because most people already think of delivery as being a medical event.But that is the big problem.  It is not a medical event.It is an occassion that can be kept as private and as natural as possible through alternate methods.  Women
should be made aware that there are alternatives.

I would like to present one of those main alternatives from the perspective of a San Diego midwife.

That main way is by having a midwife assist you in a homebirth during your delivery.  This practice is known as midwifery and there are plenty of midwives San Diego.

As cesareans and induction rates soar in hospitals, it has turned the joyous event of a delivery into an negative experience.

That is one of the main reasons for the push for more natural births through a licensed midwife or certified midwife.

Labor and delivery doesn't have to include drugs, invasive procedures, constant probing of private areas, etc.   It can be done safely and effectively in a home environment through that homebirth method or even a waterbirth San Diego method.

It is a service that does have high regulation.You are able to know all about a midwife's experience and skill if you are considering hiring them.

But getting over that stigma of not having a baby in a hospital takes education.But through statistics and through personal experience a lot of women can see first hand that having the child in a hospital can have negative effect to the whole process.From the drugs they use to slow down pregnancy, or use to speed the pregnancy.To having to be put through a c-section.  Hopefully women can compare and contrast and see the success of having a midwife.

So for those women who want to try and keep the delivery of the baby a joyous occasion, using a midwife might be something they should look into.

With the dawn of the internet age, being able to find information about the natural process is as simple as doing a search on the internet.

There they can find very helpful information so they can understand the process fully.  They can see the safey issues and how they are addressed.And most importantly they are able to witness the keeping of the delivery of a child a monumental occasion that is kept private and is still a happy event.

Well because there is that pain involved, two schools of thought have come about on how to deal with labor and delivery.  I am going to offer some perspective on one particular school of thought that I have gained first hand experience with by being a homebirth midwife San Diego.

There is the medical model for delivery which is associated with drugs to kill the pain, and sometimes cesarean to complete the delivery.

While there is another model, which though not widely accepted, for those who believe in it and have experience it consider it much safer and natural for the woman.

That model is the midwifery model as it is called.That is in obvious contrast with the usual medical model way of doing things.The medical model is where you rely heavily on medicine, while the midwifery model relies on the natural.Midwifery philosphy believes that pregnancy, labor, and delivery should happen as naturally as possible because it is a natural process.

This model is carried out by a profession called midwives. Midwives San Diego are generally woman, who attend the birth, often times at the mother's home.This midwife would help the woman try to deliver the baby as naturally as possible without the use of drugs.

Against most popular beliefs, not using medicine during labor actually allows the labor to happen quite a bit faster because drugs usually slow down the labor.

The midwife is a profession that has a regulatory board that oversees, certifies, and licenses the individual. 

Although usually not a nurse or doctor, a midwife can be a nurse as well.

Even though they are not formal doctors or nurses, they will have some medical equipment for emergencies like resuscitation devices and equipment for suturing.

So this is what a midwife is and what midwifery is in regards to pregnancy and delivery.

Their objective is to let the labor and delivery to occur as naturally as possible.This makes the likelihood of a c-section less likely.Does not subject you to hospital procedures that are invasive such as episiotomys.Less medical intrusion will be used such as drugs to speed up or slow the pregnancy or the breaking of the water.And the part woman love the most, usually labor and delivery happen much faster naturally.

My hope is that this information has given you more information on the benefits of midwifery and using a midwife in your pregnancy.At the very least, it gives you some different options to look into and explore.  Remember this is first hand knowledge from a San Diego midwife.

Not so.  There are a growing number of women who have discovered the benefits of having your baby at home, or a homebirth as it is commonly called.

The practice of homebirths is usually called midwifery.  Although usually not nurses or doctors, the people who are in midwifery are professionally regulated.  I myself have seen the steady rise of homebirths through my practice as a San Diego certified midwife.

The people, generally women, who perform this line of work are called homebirth midwives.  Midwives is a more common term that people are familiar with and means a person who attends childbirth and provides support during labor and delivery.

Now a midwife is usually not a nurse or doctor because in general a midwife generally believes that pregnancy and births are natural events and should be allowed to proceed naturally without drugs.  This is contrasted with the medical model which believes that pregnancy and delivery should be accompanied by medicine to assist and improve the situation.

That out of the way, lets take a look at why women are having their babies at home.  What benefits are making women choose homebirths?

First, when you have a midwife present, this can cause the time of labor to be reduced.  Most women don't realize that the use of pain medications although seemingly helpful in regards to pain, actually slows the labor down.  This actually creates more pain and makes the labor last longer.

Second, midwifery techniques in reality reduce the need for forceps or other intrusive devices during delivery.  The process of naturally allowing the birh and delivery to occur is what causes the reduction of the need for those devices.

Third, is it reduces the possibility of a cesarean delivery.  Most cesareans are performed because during labor, somehow a consensus was made that a natural vaginal birth was not possible.  Either it was the baby's safety that was in mind or the mother's safety.  When in reality the complication was created because the natural birth process wasn't allowed to happen.

These are just 3 of the benefits of having a natural birth at home.  There are plenty more benefits, but most women would agree for pregnancy these are 3 huge benefits. 

So although, most might consider it strange to want to have a child at home, studies have shown that allowing the natural birth process to happen is safer for the mother and the baby.  With over 300 births attended as a homebirth midwife in San Diego, this has proven to be the case time and time again.