What should I ask my midwife?

It can be difficult to know what to ask your potential midwife when you first find you are pregnant.

Here are some thoughts for you and your partner/family to ponder at the start:

What are your own ideas on pregnancy, labour and birth, and caring for your baby afterward?
Do you want a more natural birth or lots of drugs?
Where would you like to give birth?
Is breastfeeding support important?

Don’t worry if you only have a vague idea of how you would like to proceed, as there will be plenty of time to learn or fine-tune your thoughts. However, here are some key questions to ask that will give you more options, or help you figure out if you are choosing the right midwife for you:

What is your philosophy and how do you prefer to practice your profession? e.g. homebirth midwives may not take on a woman who intends on giving birth in hospital.
Will I only be working with you and your backup, or will there be many involved in my care? Will you provide my postnatal care or will someone else?
When will you be taking breaks or holidays?
Can I contact you anytime and how should I do this?
Tell me about the last professional education you attended.
When did you last attend any breastfeeding education? What did it cover? How did it change the way you support breastfeeding? How many families meet their early breastfeeding goals with your support?
Are there any restrictions on where you would go with me to give birth?
Will you support me to use a birthing pool during labour and/or for birth?
Do you have an epidural certificate? This means that your midwife is qualified to care for you if you have an epidural.

To find a midwife, you can use this link: htt ps://www.findyourmidwife.co.nz/