What is a Monitrice?

Some families choose to hire a monitrice because they are birthing at the hospital and would like a monitrice's clinical assessments to help their labor at home for as long as possible. These assessments  include cervical exams (as desired), monitoring vital signs, listening to the baby's heartbeat, and evaluating labor progress, skills that are not in the scope of a birth doula. 

Research shows that the later a person is admitted to the hospital in labor, the lower their rates of intervention such as epidural, oxytocin augmentation, and cesarean delivery. A monitrice's clinical assessments can help families labor at home for as long as possible and not go to the hospital until it is truly time. 

Once a birthing family has been admitted to the hospital or is joined by their midwife, a monitrice supports the family in the same way as a birth doula. They offer a continuous supportive presence, physical and emotional support, suggestions of comfort measures, and support advocating for the family's wishes. 

Wellspring Midwifery's monitrice services can fit into your customized care plan in a  variety of ways. You may desire a hospital birth but would like prenatal care with Wellspring Midwifery and would like the Wellspring midwives to support your hospital birth in the role of a monitrice, you may hire the Wellspring Midwives as your monitrice and continue postpartum care with their midwifery services, or you may hire them to support your birth and have prenatal and postpartum care with a different provider. If you have other ideas for how we may fit into your custom care plan, we would love to discuss your ideas!