Why Choose Midwifery at Sunrise Midwifery Services

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		Sunrise Midwifery Serving South Central Washington

	Why should you choose midwifery care? Questions you should ask: What are the benefits to me, my baby, and my family? How safe is home birth? How does home birth differ from hospital birth? What is Sunrise's approach to birth? Benefits & Safety of Home Birth Separating Fact from Fiction: Facts: Maternal and infant mortality and morbidity rates are constantly rising in the United States, along with unnecessary and avoidable C-sections and inductions. In California alone, Public Health Records show that the death rate has tripled in one decade. More mothers and babies die in our hospitals than in many third-world countries, yet the medical establishment in the US continues to go the wrong way toward more and more interference with the natural process - the very thing that is causing the problems. Home birth with midwives, however, continues to have a very high level of proven safety. Countries which use the most midwives have the best outcomes. Midwifery care consistently results in statistically safer births, less use of traumatic interventions, and higher maternal satisfaction. Read the studies for yourself, and please do as much of your own research as you can. Avoid giving credibility to anyone's opinions that are not based on facts, or pseudo-science which come from sources who have an agenda. We do not believe that midwifery is safe because we are midwives, we became midwives because we knew that midwifery is safe. New links will be posted regularly, so check back often for more studies and clinical research. CNM 1991 A large retrospective study published in the Journal of Nurse-Midwifery that reaffirms the safety of home birth with midwives for low-risk mothers. CNM 1995 Study of home births with Certified Nurse Midwives done by Columbia University concluding that home births with qualified practitioners are safe. WHO 1996 World Health Organization report "Care in Normal Birth" recommends midwives as primary birth attendants. CPM 2000 A study that included every birth in 2000 that occurred at home with a direct-entry (non-nurse) Certified Professional Midwife (U.S. and Canada). APHA 2001 American Public Health Association's position paper affirming the need for more access to out-of-hospital midwifery care. CfM 2004 Citizens for Midwifery summaries regarding the safety and benefits of planned home birth with midwives for low-risk mothers and babies. Stark 2007 Compilation of studies: "Every study that has compared midwives and obstetricians has found better outcomes for midwives..." OB/GYN 2007 2007 joint statement from the UK Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Royal College of Midwives, supporting home birth. Gentle Birth A webpage by California midwife Ronnie Falcao containing many links to sources of information about the benefits and safety of home birth. BJOG 2009 Study published in An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of over a half million births reaffirms safety of home birth. CMAJ 2009 A 4 year study done in British Columbia, matched and compared all midwife home births with similar hospital births with same midwives. Preg-Info.Net A nice discussion about home birth; safety studies, midwives, how to prepare your home, links to more information. Hospital Birth Home Births We cannot say it better than with photos, and these links offer some very revealing and accurate examples of the basic differences between hospital and home births. Note the relaxation and joy of the mothers laboring and birthing at home in their own environments. 'Nuff said. Our Philosophy: The midwives at Sunrise Midwifery and Highland Midwife Birth Services view childbirth as a normal part of a woman’s life that is best supported with good nutrition, personal responsibility of the mother for the pregnancy, and attentive clinical management throughout the childbearing cycle. It is their philosophy that the health and safety of mother and infant can best be promoted when preparation for birth is regarded as a mutual responsibility of client and midwife. Whenever possible, decisions about care are made in consultation with the client and allow for informed choice, because an essential component of midwifery care is education and empowerment of the client. Our approach to birth is one of respect and empowerment. We try to keep the environment at births very quiet and calm. We monitor carefully to keep labor normal to avoid the need for interventions. This results in the preservation of both the sanctity of the event and the safety of the mother and baby. Mothers labor best when they feel safe and supported, and relaxed mothers make for delightful births! We believe in the Midwives’ Model of Care which states that “At the core of the Midwives Model of Care is deep respect for the normalcy of birth and for the uniqueness of each childbearing woman and her family. This approach to maternity care promotes health and helps prevent complications. Care providers who practice this model of care have excellent outcomes while providing safe individualized care.” “The midwives’ model of care includes: ● monitoring the physical, psychological, and social well being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle; ● providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support; ● minimizing technological interventions; and ● identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention.” “The application of this woman-centered model of care has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.” (Copyright May 1996, Midwifery Task Force All Rights Reserved)