Choosing a Health Care Provider

A health care provider is someone who provides health services. In your community, you may find these kinds of health care providers for pregnant women:

Obstetricians

• Doctors who care for women during their pregnancy, labour, and birth. 
• They do not look after babies.

Family Doctors

• Doctors who care for pregnant women, babies, and families. 
• Some deliver babies.

Midwives

• Midwives provide care for women with normal (low risk) pregnancies and births. 
• With a midwife you may choose to give birth at home, at the hospital or at a birthing centre. 
• Midwives provide care to mothers and their babies for the first few weeks after birth.

Nurse Practitioners

• Nurse Practitioners provide care for women with normal (low risk) pregnancies, babies, and families. 
• They provide ongoing care to mothers and their babies. 
• They usually do not provide care during labour and birth.

Doulas

• Doulas provide support and care to a woman (and her partner) during and after the birth. They do not provide any medical care. 
• There is a fee for this service.

Lactation Consultants

• Lactation consultants provide care to support the breastfeeding mother and her baby.

When choosing a health care provider you need to ask yourself these questions:

• Is the person easy to talk to and understand? 
• Do they listen to you and answer your questions? 
• Can you get to their office easily? 
• Can you reach them by phone, email or text? 
• Can you have more than one person with you during your labour and birth? 
• Do they speak your language well? 
• Do you feel at ease with them
•  Will they be there for the birth? 
• What medical procedures may this health care provider use during labour and birth? 
• When would they recommend a cesarean and why? 
• Where will the baby be born (at home, in a birthing centre, at a hospital)? 
• Will they provide care for your baby? 
• What percentage of their patient’s births do they attend? 
• Can you meet other health care providers who will you see at your labour and birth? 
• What do other mothers say about their health care providers?

You need to get all this questions above right to know if the health care provider you are choosing is real or quark.