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40 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Birth Provider
Monday, November 09, 2026
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40 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Birth Provider
By Lori Morris, CNM, certified nurse-midwife and women's health coach
The provider you choose can make or break your birth. Before you hire a doctor or midwife, interview them. Ask about their philosophy of birth, their C-section and epidural rates, what they require during labor (IVs, monitoring, vaginal exams, time limits), how they handle testing, due dates, and big babies, and what they do after the baby comes. Then ask yourself whether you trust them. Below are the 40 questions I recommend, plus 12 extra questions for midwives and 17 to ask yourself afterward.
One of the main reasons women come looking for a midwife is bad care they got in a past pregnancy or birth. They felt ignored, and they believe things would have gone differently with a different provider. If that's you, I'm so sorry your joy was stolen, and I want to help you get it back next time. If you haven't had a baby yet, I want to help you avoid that first bad experience.
There are wonderful doctors and wonderful midwives out there. Whichever you choose, take the time to choose wisely. Don't just pick someone a Facebook group recommended. Be willing to say no and walk away. I'm a midwife, and even I made a poor choice of provider for my first pregnancy. Anybody can.
When to start looking
Ideally, choose your provider before you're pregnant, when there's no time pressure. If you're already pregnant, don't skip this step. It still matters. You can also use most of these questions when you're interviewing a doula.
Even if a provider offers a free interview, they won't have unlimited time, so pick the questions that matter most to you. Bring a notebook and write down the "why" behind their answers, not just the answers.
40 questions for any birth provider
- What is your philosophy about birth? This tells you whether they see birth as a natural part of God's plan or as an illness to be fixed.
- How many years have you been attending births?
- How many births have you attended?
- Do you believe in natural, unmedicated birth? If that's what you want and they don't, stop there.
- What percentage of the births you attend are unmedicated?
- What percentage of your patients get an epidural? They may not know exact numbers, but they should be able to give you a ballpark.
- What is your opinion of doulas?
- What is your primary C-section rate (first-time moms who end up with a C-section)? Only a small percentage of moms should ever need one, somewhere around 10%. If it's 30 or 40%, their philosophy probably doesn't match their words.
- What is your overall C-section rate?
- Where do you have hospital privileges?
- Do you require IV access during labor?
- Do you require continuous fetal monitoring?
- Can I move around freely, or do you require me to stay in bed?
- Do you cut episiotomies? If so, how often?
- Do you use vacuum extractors or forceps? If so, how often?
- Do you require Pitocin after birth?
- Can I eat and drink during labor?
- How often do you require vaginal exams during labor?
- Is there a time limit for birth after my water breaks?
- What do you do if the baby is breech?
- Do you require certain tests?
- Do you offer alternatives to testing, like another option besides the sugary glucose drink?
- Do you require ultrasounds? If so, when and how many?
- Do you recommend or require vaccines during pregnancy?
- How do you define "post dates" or "overdue"?
- Do you require post-dates testing?
- Can I have a birth photographer?
- Do you require Group B strep (GBS) testing?
- If I'm GBS positive, do you require treatment? Testing usually happens around 36 weeks, which is too late to comfortably switch providers, so settle this early.
- How do you manage a suspected "big baby"? Some providers push early induction.
- What happens if you're unavailable when I go into labor?
- What postpartum care do you offer?
- How often will I see you after the birth, and will it be you or your backup?
- Do you help with breastfeeding? If not, do you have staff who will?
- What experience do you have with postpartum depression?
- What are your thoughts on breaking my water (artificial rupture of membranes)?
- Do you allow delayed cord clamping? How long will you wait? Ideally, until the cord stops pulsing.
- Do you actively manage the birth of the placenta, or let it come in its own time?
- Will there be students, residents, or apprentices with you?
- Why should I hire you instead of another provider?
Many of these are mainly issues in a hospital. At a birth center or home birth, most of them never come up.
12 extra questions for midwives
- What would cause me to "risk out" of your care?
- Do you offer any care in my home?
- How many births do you take each month? (Home birth midwives who take 10 to 12 a month are more likely to be at another birth when you go into labor. Many take around four to six.)
- Do you use a fetoscope or a Doppler to listen to the baby's heart rate? (This matters if you're concerned about ultrasound exposure.)
- What is your transfer rate for moms in labor?
- What is your transfer plan in an emergency?
- What equipment do you bring to a birth?
- What medications do you carry for emergencies?
- Are you certified in neonatal resuscitation, and is it current?
- Do you have a collaborating physician? If so, who?
- Do you offer water birth? Do you provide the tub, or do I need to get one?
- What assistants come with you to births?
Not sure the care you're getting is right?
If you're already pregnant and want a second set of eyes on your records, labs, or the recommendations you're being given, my Prenatal Case Review is a one-time call to help you sort it out.
See the Prenatal Case Review17 questions to ask yourself afterward
When the interview is over, pause and pray. Then be honest with yourself. God gave you that mama instinct, and when you ignore it, you always wish you hadn't.
- Do I trust this provider?
- Did they talk to me on my level and with respect, or over my head?
- Did I feel rushed?
- Will this provider trust me to decide what's best for my baby and me?
- Do I have a good feeling about this provider?
- Do I have any reservations?
- Did they treat me like a person, or like a textbook case?
- Were they negative about any of my questions?
- Did I enjoy my time with them?
- Did I have a gut feeling that this is the one, or isn't?
- If my husband was with me, what was his gut feeling? Don't overlook it.
- Was the office staff kind and respectful?
- Did I like the overall feel of the office?
- Was the office and waiting area clean and comfortable?
- Were other people waiting a long time?
- Does this provider accept my insurance?
- Does their hospital accept my insurance?
If you're tired of insurance deciding your birth choices, I use and recommend Samaritan Ministries, a Christian health care sharing ministry that can help cover home birth. Please mention my name, Lori Morris, when you sign up.
Common questions
When should I start looking for a birth provider?
Ideally before you're pregnant, when there's no time pressure. If you're already pregnant, it's still worth taking the time to interview providers.
What is a good C-section rate for a provider?
Only a small percentage of moms should ever need a C-section, around 10%. A primary C-section rate of 30 to 40% suggests a provider who intervenes often, no matter what they say about natural birth.
Can I switch providers late in pregnancy?
Yes. One mom who took my course left her OB at 35 weeks and had a beautiful water birth at a birth center. It's easier earlier, though, so ask the hard questions up front.
How I can help
If you need help finding a faith-based provider or knowing where to start, email me at lori@morriswellnessservices.com, or see my Menu of Services. My online Christian childbirth course also walks you through choosing a provider and every decision that follows. You may also like How to Find a Midwife Who Honors God's Design for Birth and Midwife or OBGYN?.
You can listen to the full episode of If Mama Ain't Healthy (Ain't Nobody Healthy) at the top of this page.
HI, I'm Lori!
Certified Nurse-Midwife
& Health Coach
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