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Caregivers who provide maternity care include obstetricians, family physicians, osteopaths, and midwives. In many countries , healthy childbearing women are cared for by midwives and physicians care for mothers-to-be who are considered at risk or have a serious medical condition. In the United States physicians care for low-risk women as well as those needing specialized care.
Research shows that women cared for by professional midwives have fewer cesareans and more VBACs.
The "midwifery model of care" is one that views labor and birth as a normal physiological process. Midwives spend more time on wellness, prevention, and helping childbearing women maintain an optimum state of health. Midwives usually have a lower rate of interventions, care for each woman according to her individual needs, and include women in the decisions that affect their care. Some physicians include aspects of the midwifery model of care in their practice, some midwives include aspects of the medical model of care.
In the USA there are several types of midwives trained and/or credentialed by several organizations. Midwives can attend births at hospitals, birth centers, or at home depending on their training and licensing status.
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