As Weymouth resident Esther Nganga sat holding her beautiful 11-week old son, Jabari, she laughed recalling her initial skepticism of having a midwife birthing experience. “Growing up in Kenya, I always heard tales of midwives—tales of women laboring and giving birth without the option for pain intervention,” Esther said.

What started as slight abdominal pain following an afternoon of shopping and picking up take-out dinner erupted into a full-blown emergency that left Valerie Bourret of Hingham deeply worried she would not survive.

There's a wide variety of people who will help you safely welcome your baby into the world. A midwife explains the key players and their role in your labor and delivery team.

Moms-to-be need as much support as they can get throughout pregnancy and childbirth. A midwife offers advice on how mom's partner can help her have a healthy pregnancy and childbirth experience.