Host: How does a women best choose a midwife? How do you go about that?
Molly Ferguson: I think the answer can vary for a lot of women. I don't want to exclude a lot of very wonderful women out there who do wonderful work. One of the things that I personally would look for is that she was trained at a MEAC Accredited School, so that's M-E-A-C.
Host: MEAC, okay.
Molly Ferguson: And there an accrediting organization for Midwifery schools. That would be one starting place. After that I would look to see if she passed, did she take a norm exam which is the testing branch of that MEAC Association. Did she pass that test? Is she licensed or certified professionally in my state. So those are some things that I would look for. Not every midwife who is -- who does wonderful work is fits under that category, but those are some basic starting points. Talking to other clients who she has worked with, those would be other things that I would look for.
Host: Now, can a woman expect a midwife to be with her through the whole delivery of the baby?
Molly Ferguson: So generally from active labor through delivery and then for 4 hours postpartum is generally the time that a midwife will spend with a mother during that process. And of course, you know that early labor not always the certainly active labor and the midwife is there.
I think that's one of the big safety components of having midwife is that the midwife is there with you throughout the entire labor and birth process, so you have that constant contact. She is very in touch with the mother, very in tune with the mother, is aware of changes that are going on very quickly, aware of changes that might be happening with the baby more quickly, rather than being monitored from a hall way or being monitored extremely intermittently by the physician. I think that's one of the real strong points of Midwifery and why midwives do have such safe outcomes in research studies.
Host: And you've delivered a 150 babies, is that right?
Molly Ferguson: That's right. Throughout my training and then in my residency as a midwife. Yeah, I have the great privilege and honor of being there for 150 deliveries. It's such a powerful experience to be there for a birth of a new human being. You never get over it. It's just amazing every time.
Host: It's really good for you. I mean that's wonderful that you can experience that. Thank you.
Molly Ferguson: Thank you.
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