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Questions to ask your Midwife

It can be a good idea to interview more than one midwife, if that is available to you. Some midwives charge you for this interview time, some will answer some questions over the phone, and some will come to your home free of charge.

The following are a series of questions. You may want to use some of them in interviewing midwives. You may want to ask more questions of the midwife as your pregnancy progresses.

Read through them and decide which ones are important for you to ask and when to ask.

General Questions

1. How long have you been a midwife? Where did you train and when? What about refresher courses and extra skills courses? . Have you had any long periods away from practice? If so, what did you do to update your skills and knowledge?

2. Why did you become a midwife?

3. What do you perceive your role to be — during my pregnancy, during my labour, after the baby is born? How does your practice vary for different women?

4. How many mothers have you assisted with the birth of their baby?

5. How many of these were at hospital? In a birth centre? At home?

6. Do you work with other midwives? If you work alone, what happens if two women go into labour at the same time? What is your back-up system? If you work with other midwives, when can I meet them?

7. Do you work closely with any doctors? Why? If you do — who are they? When can I meet them during the pregnancy?

Practical Matters

8. How many mothers do you have due around the same time as me?

9. Are you allowed to practice at a hospital in the same way as a GP? If so, if I need to be transferred, is this the hospital we would go to? IF it is a private hospital will they accept me if I have no private health insurance? Should I book in beforehand? As a public or private patient?

10. What are your fees for a home-birth? What does this include: how many prenatal visits' postnatal visits? How is it paid: Instalments; before or after the birth? Do you accept alternative methods of payment? Is there someone else I can see? What if, for some reason, you are not available to attend my labour? What if I need to transfer to someone else for care? What can I get back form a private health fund?

11. What commitment can you give me that you will be the person attending my birth? Are you going on holidays during my pregnancy; who will be my caregiver during this period?

12. Can you give me the contact numbers for any local homebirth support groups?

Care During Pregnancy

13. Routine pregnancy testing— is there an extra charge for routine blood tests etc ,throughout the pregnancy?

14. How regular are the prenatal visits with you?

15. Where will my prenatal visits be held?

16. Do you offer childbirth classes or pregnancy discussion groups? If not, what classes are available?

17. Can you recommend appropriate books , videos, internet sites etc for my pregnancy? Who else can I speak to?

Care During Delivery

18. What do you carry with you in terms of equipment and supplies to the birth?

19. Are you comfortable with water births, should I decide to labour or birth in water? How many water births have you done at home? At hospital?

20. What is your policy regarding episiotomies? What is you episiotomy rate? What is your rate of tears or intact perineum? What happens if my perineum needs stitching?

After the Birth

21. How often do you visit me at my home after the birth? What do these visits entail? Why are they important.

22. Do you do the New Born Screening Test?

23. Do you have information on the pros and cons of giving Vit K and immunisation?

Transfer to Hospital

24. Under what circumstances do you transfer to hospital? What is your percentage of hospital transfers? What would be the plan of action if a transfer to hospital were necessary? What care would you give me if I need to transfer?

Special Needs Pregnancies

26. What is your policy regarding high risk pregnancies: breech or transverse lie babies, twins, high blood pressure, diabetes, foetal distress, toxaemia? If you do attend these at home, what is your experience with each of these? What extra back up is provided?

27. If I have Rh negative blood, can I still birth at home? Do I need to have Anti-D? Do you arrange to get the Anti-D? When do I have my blood tests? How are the blood tests organised?