How do you decide what type of practitioner to see for prenatal care and childbirth? You begin at the beginning. Even before you learn you are expecting, you want to start your search and also ask yourself some very important questions. Looking for the right practitioner for prenatal care is a choice of a life time.

Whether you choose an obstetrician-gynecologist (ob-gyn), a family physician, a certified nurse-midwife (CNM), or a direct-entry midwife depends on several factors: What type of experience do you want to have? Where do you plan to give birth? Is your pregnancy normal or high risk, and how much will your insurance pay?

Here’s a short list of questions you will need to ask and have answered:

Do you have a serious or chronic medical condition? This is the top question that you will need to address with any potential practitioner. Serious medical conditions or previous complications may mean that you will need to see a physician, who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. This narrows your choices from the beginning.

You may start out with a midwife; but if you develop a serious problem down the road, your care could be transferred to an obstetrician. But depending on your condition, you may be able to have a midwife and a physician handle your care together.

Do you already see a practitioner you trust and feel comfortable with?

If you already have a good relationship with a certified nurse midwife, an ob-gyn, or family practitioner, you may want to stay right where you are. If you want to give birth at the hospital where the practitioner has privileges, or if  you are curious about other options, this is the time to talk with your doctor or midwife.

Are you looking for a less routine approach? The growing trend of Midwife assisted births continues to grow. Midwives tend to have more time to answer your questions and help you learn about the physical and emotional changes you will experience throughout your pregnancy. A midwife also will talk with you about what kind of birth experience you want.

What kind of setting do you want for your delivery? If you don’t have health problems or complications, giving birth in a birth center or at home, could be perfect for you. Another option is to have your baby at a birthing center in hospital. These are often staffed by CNMs, and they are known as supportive environments for having a natural birth without routine interventions. They welcome anyone you’d like to have there with you, including family, friends, and siblings.

What do most women choose?

While obstetricians are still a common choice, certified nurse-midwives are becoming more popular: In 2015, CNM’s attended over 10 percent of deliveries in the United States. The most important thing for you is to choose someone you feel comfortable with, who’s appropriate for your individual needs, who respects your wishes, who practices in the right setting for you and is certified and licensed.

Carson

Carson Ragan, CNM is a Certified Nurse Midwife with more than 25 years of experience in Labor & Delivery, Neonatal ICU, and women’s healthcare. After becoming a mother at a young age and experiencing the birth of her premature second child, she was inspired to pursue nursing and ultimately midwifery.

She earned her nursing degree from Columbus State University and graduated as an RN in 1999. After years of experience as an L&D and NICU nurse, charge nurse, educator, and clinician, she earned her graduate degree from Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing in 2010 and became a Certified Nurse Midwife.

Her personal experiences as both a mother and healthcare provider inspired her vision for a more personal, convenient approach to women’s healthcare. She created a concierge model designed to give women more time, individualized attention, and quality care in the comfort of their home or office.

Outside of work, Carson enjoys spending time with her husband and five children, volunteering with her daughter’s volleyball teams, traveling, and scuba diving.