Interview Questions for Midwives to Ask Clients

The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS, a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA

Mothers and Babies Need Our Help!

Babies are coming into this world pre-polluted with toxic chemicals.
When EWG tested the umbilical cord blood of 10 Americans, we found nearly 300 chemicals, including BPA, perchlorate, fire retardants, lead, mercury, and PCBs.

Midwives demand global birth reform
Midwifery Today’s Birth Is a Human Rights Issue
Strasbourg, France, Sept. 29, 2010 – Oct. 3, 2010
According to the World Health Organization, 1,500 women die from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth every single day. Most of these deaths are avoidable.

The Journal of Nurse-Midwifery just put out an issue (vol 40 # 6) that is a Home Study Program on Home Birth. In an article by Saraswathi Vedam and Yelena Kolodji, it is suggested that the following issues be raised:

Why is the client interested in homebirth? Does she have any personal experience with home birth? How does her partner or support person feel about home birth?
What, if any, were her previous birth experiences?
Does she have any specific fears or concerns around pregnancy or birth?
What support systems does she have for the birth and immediate PP period?
How does she and/or her partner feel about transferring to the hospital in case of medical necessity?
Will she/they be able to accept responsibility for informed participation throughout the process (eg. eat well, come to all prenatal appts, read and educate themselves, etc)
What is the physical setting for birth?
Do they know of any contraindications to screening criteria?
What are the client's expectations of your role, and what are her hopes for the birth?

Observations to make during the interview:

What is the character of the primary relationship? (partner supportive, critical, wary? ease of communication between them, congruence of goals)
What is the manner the client displays to you? (friendly, suspicious, reserved, naive, agitated, tense)
How does she react both verbally and nonverbally to your presentation and to the statement that birth is a normal process?

An additional question that I've working on, but haven't fully worded yet has to do with how the couple feels that they would deal with an adverse outcome at home, given the probable social reaction of "you should have been in a hospital."

Interview Questions for Midwives to Ask Clients

This Web page is referenced from another page containing related information about Getting Clients

SEARCH gentlebirth.org

Main Index Page of the Midwife Archives

Main page of gentlebirth.org Mirror site

Please e-mail feedback about errors of fact, spelling, grammar or semantics. Thank you.