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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.
Physicians usually practice according to a
"medical model" of care that includes routine use
of technology, higher rates of interventions, and a focus
on the anticipation of complications. Women are not always
involved in making the decisions that affect their care.
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.
There are many studies on the safety of planning
a VBAC in a hospital. Many women choose to have a VBAC at
a birth center or at home. Although many women have given
birth safely at birth centers and at home, there are no published
information at this time about the safety of planning a VBAC
in a birth center or at home. Women are encouraged to gather
as much information as possible, speak openly and honestly
with their caregivers, and find out what resources are available
in the event of a complication that may require emergency
care. Women are also encouraged to ask questions of the hospital
personnel at which they will give birth.
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