Naturopathic Doctor Midwives – Providing Expertise and Options
Expecting a baby and giving birth are extraordinary experiences. This is true for all pregnancies. Information regarding pregnancy and childbirth may overwhelm even experienced parents. Regardless of all other concerns, a healthy outcome is what parents want. A naturopathic doctor midwife can help patients go through different phases of pregnancy as smoothly as possible. They are highly trained as midwives and as naturopathic doctors so they bring extensive knowledge to support patients through all aspects of becoming a parent and beyond.
Because pregnancy is a natural process, a naturopathic way is the best to deal with all phases of a healthy pregnancy. Here is how an ND can benefit anyone who is pregnant or wants to become pregnant.
Preconception – Fertility
A naturopathic doctor midwife extends support to people who want to become pregnant during the preconception period. Advising them on physical, nutritional, and emotional aspects, as well as assuring their health is optimized for fertility. It is common to order lab work to check blood levels and recommend nutraceuticals that can help create a fertile and healthy environment for conception. A naturopathic midwife is trained to work with parents, helping the trying-to-conceive couple even before pregnancy happens. For many people this is a highly stressful time, an ND can help with the emotional aspects of trying to conceive as well as helping achieve wellness to maximize the likelihood of conception. Teaching individuals to trust and care for their body is a strength the ND midwives can offer to their patients.
After a successful conception, a naturopathic midwife regularly examines and monitors the pregnancy at each visit. They may prescribe nutritional supplements or dietary changes based on the fetuses growth stages, the patients health history and lab results. Individualizing the advice to the unique needs presented at each appointment. Managing physical complaints like morning sickness, nausea, and catering to the expectant mother‘s psychosocial support are important responsibilities of a naturopathic doctor midwife.
Pre-natal Care
An ND midwife understands the personal needs of every patient and each pregnancy. They help the patient to make informed decisions regarding prenatal and postnatal care. Naturopathic midwives help in all the aspects of pregnancy, be it physical, personal, nutritional, and even care of the newborn child.
During the pregnancy, they will assess care requirements and devise appropriate care plans. They will recommend and help carry out standard screening tests during pregnancy. An ND undertakes care in the safety of people’s homes, and clinics via routine testing and monitoring blood pressure, temperature, and other vital signs. Besides nutritional support, a naturopathic midwife often suggests exercises, yoga, meditation or stretches during pregnancy that may alleviate pain during the prenatal period. They take into consideration the patient‘s interests and willingness to try any recommended changes, working to find the solutions that fit each pregnant individual. An ND midwife will spend the time it takes to help the expectant parent understand the changes their body is going through and how it supports the growing fetus. This can be extremely helpful during a time of so much change and growth that can sometimes be overwhelming.
Delivery
An ND helps the parent prepare for delivery by educating them on the process of creating a birth plan that may involve a home delivery or a birthing center. The choice of home or a birthing center may be particularly appealing with the ongoing risks created by COVID-19. In addition, home births and birthing centers may have more family-friendly physical distancing guidelines. The ND midwife caters to birth plans as opted by the expectant parent and works to actively facilitate the best childbirth experience for that individual. That includes pain management via different methods that the ND midwife can discuss with the patient and work together to plan for the preferred options. Due to their specialized training, the naturopathic doctor midwife is prepared to provide care through all phases of labor, to keep labor moving forward, and to watch for any complications that may occur. Navigating the needs of labor and delivery with the understanding that the body is made to give birth and often needs little intervention. They do remain watchful and intervene when medically necessary.
What to Expect During Office Visits
ND midwives are medically trained, and they use research-based information to cater to as healthy and natural a pregnancy as possible. NDs devise individualized health plans from preconception to post-natal, including fertility support. They are also eligible to suggest screening and diagnostic tests that comply with conventional medicine. In order to provide the best care possible an ND-midwife spends time talking to their pregnant patients about the physical, social and emotional aspects of pregnancy. Often taking 30 – 60 minutes at each appointment to allow the patient time to share their experience, ask any questions, and talk through any concerns. The ND midwife will spend time answering questions, providing suggestions, and educating the patient about the information that may help to alleviate problems or concerns.
The naturopathic doctor midwife is trained to handle the common complications of pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. They can make recommendations to achieve a healthy outcome. Naturopathic doctor midwives are also trained to recognize when a pregnancy becomes high risk and when the patient needs to be referred to a doctor who can deliver the baby in the hospital or provide a C-section.
An ND midwife contributes to healthy pregnancy and childbirth by implementing herbal and nutritional support in doses with scientific backing for safety and efficacy. They also closely monitor the pregnancy through regular appointments with time to focus on the broad range of needs of the patient and their developing fetus.
How an ND Helps Through the Postnatal Period
A naturopathic doctor midwife believes in delivering a holistic approach to all the parties involved, the parents and the child. And the support does not end with childbirth. If called upon, NDs help new mothers heal and recover. They also provide guidance and support for caring for new babies regarding breastfeeding, fussy babies, newborn sleeping patterns, and growth patterns. A naturopathic doctor midwife’s role extends as far as helping parents cope with miscarriage, termination, stillbirth, and neonatal death.
Naturopathic doctor midwives are always an excellent choice and provide outstanding options in the current pandemic scenario of COVID-19 by allowing patients to avoid large health care settings while allowing a safe environment. They provide the best of healthcare; physical, mental, and social. The holistic approach taken by the naturopathic midwives works to cater to patient wellness from preconception to beyond childbirth so that they can ease into parenthood. Find an ND Midwife at a location near you.