Giving birth without medication requires preparation. One important way to prepare is to talk to your provider ahead of time to be sure you’re on the same page. Here’s a list of ideas of questions to discuss with your midwife if you’re planning on an unmedicated hospital birth.
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How to use this list
I’ve put together a list of questions that can help you prepare for a natural birth with a midwife in a hospital setting.
This list is not comprehensive and it would be best to not ask all of these questions at once (hehe).
A lot of these questions are specific to a midwife, but many can be applied to an OBGYN or other prenatal provider.
The idea is for you to read through the questions and choose ones that resonate with you and that you feel would help you and your midwife to be on the same page.
Hopefully this list will help you get your wheels turning and you’ll be able to think of additional questions that are important to you.
Some of these questions can help you determine if the midwife is a good fit for you or if you need to keep searching.
You’ll also find questions that are more practical to help you know what you need to prepare mentally or physically for your upcoming birth.
During pregnancy, you should have many prenatal visits and different questions will be relevant at different times.
I recommend choosing a few questions per visit that you feel are most pressing and over time you’ll get a better idea of the philosophy of your midwife and the preparation you’ll need.
If you’ve been trying to decide whether an unmedicated birth is right for you, check out my post comparing pros and cons of an epidural vs. natural birth.
Questions to ask your midwife about prenatal care
How often will I have appointments with you?
What tests do you typically do during prenatal checks?
Will I have any scans during my care?
What can I do to help with difficult pregnancy symptoms?
How do I get ahold of you if I have questions outside of our appointments?
What supplements do you recommend I take?
Are there medications, supplements or foods I should avoid during pregnancy?
Do you typically do vaginal checks during prenatal appointments?
What is your philosophy on weight gain during pregnancy?
How far past my due date can I go while remaining under your care?
At what point would you start discussing an induction?
What risk factors would risk me out of your care during pregnancy?
Questions to ask your midwife about herself
What is your training/what are your credentials?
What made you decide to become a midwife?
How long have you been working as a midwife?
How many times have you given birth?
Have you given birth without an epidural?
How do you view the role of the midwife in birth?
How do you view the role of the mother during birth?
What percentage of women in your care give birth without medication?
Questions to ask your midwife about the hospital
Does the hospital have policies regarding intervention during birth?
Does the hospital require continuous fetal monitoring?
Does the hospital require me to have an IV placed?
How many support people will the hospital allow during birth?
Can I use essential oils during labor in the hospital?
Does the hospital have a birth tub I can labor and/or push in?
What is the environment like in the delivery rooms?
Will I be moved to a different room for recovery after delivery?
What level of nursery does the hospital have?
Does the hospital have a lactation consultant?
Questions to ask your midwife about natural birth
What is your philosophy about intervention during birth?
How confident are you that I can give birth without pain medication?
Who will attend my birth if you are unavailable?
How much of my birth will you attend?
At what point in my labor will you join me?
How confident are you that I can give birth without medication?
Will I be able to eat during labor?
Will you help me with counter pressure during labor?
Do you recommend using a doula?
Do you have a list of doulas you like to work with?
Under what circumstances would you use interventions like forceps, vacuum, episiotomy etc.?
Do you do coached pushing if I don’t have an epidural?
Are you confident helping me through a V-back?
If my baby is breech, will you still be able to assist me in a vaginal delivery?
At what point in my pregnancy will you be concerned if my baby is still breech?
Questions to ask your midwife about early labor
Should I contact you when I am in early labor?
When should I head to the hospital?
When will you join me when I am at the hospital?
What should I do if my water breaks, but I am not experiencing contractions?
What do you recommend to help me manage contractions at home?
How should I time my contractions?
Questions to ask your midwife in the event you need a C-Section
Will you stay with me if I end up needing a C-section?
If a C-section becomes necessary, who will perform the surgery?
Who will follow up with me after a C-section?
Questions to ask your midwife about care after delivery
Do you always do stitches if I tear?
How do you support me and my baby during the golden hour?
Will you allow delayed cord clamping?
Will I be given any medications after birth?
When will you follow up with me after birth?
How should I care for myself during the 4th trimester?
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When questions come up
When I was pregnant, I found that questions would always come to my mind in the moment and then I would totally forget what I wanted to ask when I got to my appointments.
Pregnancy brain didn’t help when I was trying to remember all the concerns I had at home.
I quickly discovered that it helped to have a page in my notes app to jot down my questions as they would come up and then I could go over them with my midwife when I went to my next appointment.
When questions come up, be sure to jot them down in your phone or in a dedicated notebook so that you can bring them to your midwife the next time you meet.
If you’re looking for a comprehensive course to prepare for a natural birth, you need to read my honest review of the mighty mama movement here.
Are there other questions in addition to this list that you have found to be really helpful to get to know your midwife and feel prepared for your upcoming birth? Let me know in the comments.
