However, the Obstetric or Medical Model of Care can be a life saver when there is an emergency. The protocols surrounding this model of care are designed to identify a “problem” and execute a quick solution to immediately solve that problem. In contrast, the Midwifery Model is more holistic, and by virtue of providing CONTINUOUS, ONE-ON-ONE care for the mother and in most cases, is able to identify potential problems well in advance and decide how the problem needs to be solved. In the rare cases, we see skilled, independent midwives take the help of Obstetricians and other specialized medical experts to address complex situations, including transfer of the mother to a specialized medical facility for further care. Since midwives recognize that it is about the mother and her baby, and not the midwife, the obstetrician or care provider, whatever is best for the mother in that situation must be acted upon.

Collaborative Model of Care: At The Sanctum, we have pioneered a unique Collaborative Model of Care – Women receive Independent Midwife Led Care, through pre-conception, pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum, with back-up support and emergency infrastructure on site, in case of an emergency. This means, even in case of the rare emergency, our OB/Gyns, Surgeons and other specialists are available at the Birth Center, rather than the mother having to be transferred to another hospital. Since 2008, our Birth Center has seen over 2300 births, with even higher risk women giving birth naturally, with routine VBACs, twin births and breech births. She believes strongly that respectful maternity care is the most important key to helping women have an informed and empowered birth. Our co-founder, Dr. Vijaya Krishnan and her team of midwives, using their gentle heart and hands, along with Evidence Based Midwifery Practices see the making of a strong confident mother who receives her baby with love and care. We believe that through education, advocacy and practice we can bring sustainable positive change in current birth practices in India, while using the Midwifery Model of Care.

Choosing who to be with you for your delivery should be a very personal decision. Yes, you will go by experiences of your friends and relatives but nothing cements your decision as a personal meeting between your potential care provider and you, your partner and your family. Midwives specialize in personalized, one-to-one interaction and have a family-centric care philosophy. So not only will they welcome your husband/partner in every checkup, she will also welcome involvement of your family. At The Sanctum, we have had parents, in-laws, sisters, aunts etc accompany mothers during their checkups. As long as it does not cause impediments in the care process we always welcome family involvement. After all, Midwifery Model of Care empowers women to be a significant part of the decision making process in how she wants to give birth.

Continuity of Care is a specialty of Midwifery Model. That means the midwife or the small team of midwives who takes care of you during your checkups will be the same person who will be with you during the birth. Midwives believe that apart from the physical care they provide, it is also in the ambit of care to provide you with emotional, psychological and social support. That means over the course of your pregnancy and during each antenatal checkup they will understand what your fears are, your preferences, your likes and dislikes and underlying reactions to certain situations. This helps them to proactively support you during the intense times of labor – many mothers feel and act in ways which they would not do under normal circumstances. A midwife, because she “knows” your personality will not be fazed by this and will understand why you are reacting the way you do, and will take care of the situation in the appropriate manner. In conventional hospitals because the OB/GYN has not taken the time or effort to get to know you so deeply will only react in the standard manner, either to medicate you to suppress your reaction, or if in extreme situations, wheel you to the operating table.

Midwives support new mothers after the birth, and will make sure you are able to breastfeed your baby and are able to care for her during the initial days. Because it is drastic and often overwhelming change for first-time mothers, midwives are your pillar of support, teaching you breastfeeding, guiding you through gentle exercises, tips on how to ward away postpartum depression, or even act as counselors to you and your husband on how be partners in this new journey. Further, your midwife will help you through decision making on family planning, normal gynecological issues, etc. The same midwife is your friend, care provider and counselor through your entire pregnancy, new motherhood and beyond. At The Sanctum, the deep bonds of relationship with each of our mothers has still endured through many years, some as long as 10 years.

Even in the so-called developed countries of the USA and Europe, Birth Centers accept ONLY those women who are “Low Risk”. If you have a preexisting condition like BP, Diabetes etc, there is a high likelihood that you would be “transferred” to a regular hospital and under the usual medical care. However, we believe even these women with manageable preexisting conditions should be allowed to at least experience a Trial of Labor. A trial of labor brings much benefits to mother and baby, and therefore, we set out to create a One-of-a-Kind model of care called the Collaborative Model of Care. This pioneering model combines the natural birth focused Midwifery Model of Care with the emergency medicine focused Medical Model of Care to bring to mothers a unique “best of all worlds” option. Women who would have been denied the option for a trial of labor and for trying for natural birth now were able to see their wish come true. We created a unique Freestanding Birth Center with Emergency Care Infrastructure like OT, NICU for those mothers and babies who were of moderate risk. This allowed us to help mothers with BP, Diabetes, PCOD, and other risk factors to experience trial of labor and try for natural birth.