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There are many misconceptions about the roles of midwives and doulas in regards to birth. 

chicago midwives Doulas and midwives play VERY different roles and MANY who are under the care of midwives choose to also have the support of a doula.  

Both midwives and doctors may encourage families to reach out to a doula. Especially when families are hoping to have an un-medicated birth and/or trying to avoid medical interventions.  That being said, doulas do support families with all of their birth choices including epidural and cesarean births.

Doulas are certified professionals but, we are not medically trained healthcare professionals. Although we may understand medical options and choices we are not able to provide medical treatment. Using evidence based research we help families understand their choices both before birth and during birth.  We also provide emotional and physical support and do our very best to keep families calm and comfortable throughout labor and birth. 

Myth: Midwifery is just for home births.

Truth: actually 94.9% of all CNM-attended births occur in hospitals.*

chicago midwives

A Certified Nurse-Midwife is a licensed healthcare professional who specializes in women’s reproductive health and childbirth. In addition to attending births, they perform annual exams, give counseling, and write prescriptions.  Approximately 82% of CNMs hold master’s degrees and 4.8% have doctoral degrees*. Midwives can support the average birthing person that is low risk, but when a person becomes high risk the CNM will work closely with an OBGYN. They are often covered by insurance. You can call each group to see which insurance they accept and which doctor they bill under. In the Chicagoland area we have many options for midwives. You can give birth in the hospital, at a birth center, or at home.  Check out our list below of the many beloved midwives that we have worked with.

Chicago Based Midwife Groups

Oak Park Based Midwife Groups

Western Suburbs Based Midwife Groups

North Shore Based Midwife Groups

Home Birth Option Midwife Groups

*Statistics taken from nursepractionerschools.com