After finding out she’s pregnant, mom has to deal with some of the more immediate decisions, such as choosing who will help bring her child into the world. While it’s common for many women to choose a doctor and a hospital birth, other women are looking to midwives to help them through labor and delivery.

Midwives are trained to help mom through labor, and many of them are Certified Nurse-Midwives(CNMs), which means they have studied midwifery, graduated from a program, and passed an exam to prove competency. These midwives offer healthy women with relatively low risks of complications the opportunity to have a more natural, less intervention-ruled experience.

Choosing a midwife tends to give mom more options about where she can deliver since some hospitals allow midwives, and birthing centers are usually staffed with them. Women considering homebirths also usually choose a midwife since they are more likely to be willing to assist with these kinds of deliveries.

Choosing midwives is not a new trend, but since it is becoming more popular, more people have heard about midwives in today’s birthing world because midwifery is so common. In fact, many women find out about midwives attending births when they read about celebrity moms choosing midwives over doctors.

While the celebrity world is full of trends that don’t always translate to the real world, choosing midwives isn’t one of them. Since many moms are choosing to look into a midwife-assisted births, it’s fun to look at the celebrity moms who have already taken the midwife route and delivered their children with one.

15 Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, probably had the option of any birth with any doctor at the most state-of-the-art hospitals possible. I mean, she did give birth to two heirs to the throne!  While Kate absolutely had quality care, it came from supportive midwives.

Middleton delivered in a hospital with both of her children, George and Charlotte, but she chose to have all natural births.  Midwives attended the births, and they followed up with her when she left the hospital hours later and returned home.

Though there were many other people around to ensure the birth of the royal babies went smoothly, including a consultant, a surgeon-gynecologist, and a neonatologist, Middleton leaned on her midwives for support and trusted them to get her through her deliveries.

The Duchess is said to have been accompanied by two midwives during Charlotte’s birth, and it’s said that she bonded with these two because she already knew them because they offered support during George’s delivery.

14 Maria Bello

Actress Maria Bello, who has starred in the movies Grown Ups, Coyote Ugly, and A History of Violence, didn’t consider a hospital birth at all. She opted for a homebirth that included a midwife for support and labored for almost 24 hours during a major thunderstorm. Her son, Jackson, was delivered safely, and though Bello admits it was not a painless experience, it was the one she wanted.

Like Bello, many worry about giving birth at a hospital. The medicinal environment doesn’t feel like home, and unnecessary interventions may be harder to avoid if mom is already at a hospital surrounded by nurses and doctors who don’t care about mom’s requests. Plus, not all hospitals are okay with midwives delivering in their building. This has caused many moms to seek out birthing centers or practice homebirths so they can keep their midwife with them.

Bello was wise to have a midwife assist her at-home birth. She delivered like she wanted in the comfort of her own home, but she had a professional for support and to let her know if it might be time to transfer to a hospital.

13 Cindy Crawford

Cindy Crawford is one of many models on this list, and she even teamed up with Rick Lake to bring more publicity to at-home natural births. But Cindy didn’t know at the beginning of her first pregnancy that she would choose a midwife and have both of her children at home.

Crawford credits a prenatal yoga class with opening her mind to the possibilities of natural birth. She then found a midwife who was interested in her holistically, wanting to know everything about her that she could before she supported Crawford through labor. Crawford decided her home was where she was most comfortable having her child, and her midwife was with her to help her get through labor.

Part of what Crawford learned from her journey was that pregnancy isn’t an illness, though OBs sometimes treat it that way. Crawford found delivering her children with a midwife and no interventions empowering, and she encourages other women to look at their options before deciding.

12 Pamela Anderson

Actress Pamela Anderson is probably best known for role as a red-bathing suit clad lifeguard on the TV show Baywatch, though her work as an animal rights activist with the PETA organization is also well-documented. However, Anderson should also be known as a woman who chose a midwife over an OB when both of her children were delivered.

Anderson’s sons with then-husband Tommy Lee were born at home in the water, and Anderson took nothing for pain relief. She had support from her midwife and made it through both labors leaning on that support.

Like Anderson, many women choose water births because the water helps them relax, can offer pain relief, and may speed up labor. While some hospitals allow water births, many women have better luck delivering this way at home or in birthing centers, and midwives are generally very supportive of a woman’s right to deliver in the water.

11 Alyson Hannigan

Alyson Hannigan played Lily on How I Met Your Mother after rising to prominence as Willow on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She was actually pregnant with her second child at the same time her character on How I Met Your Mother was pregnant. Hannigan chose a midwife and homebirth with both of her daughters and was very pleased with the outcome both times.

For Hannigan, she wanted to be comfortable, and being at home with a midwife offered that for her. Though she did check in to make sure a doctor didn’t need to be available, she was reassured when the doctor told her the midwife could handle it, and he would only need to be contacted for emergencies.

A midwife-assisted birth gave Hannigan and her family the opportunity to curl up with their children and retreat as a family after the deliveries. There weren’t nurses and doctors waking them up at all hours of the day and night. They also had the chance to let their oldest child be present while the youngest came into the world. While the oldest child passed on this offer, she was available for big sister duty right after her sister was delivered.

10 Mayim Bialik

Mayim Bialik, the actress who plays Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, is an outspoken natural birth advocate whose book, Beyond the Sling, discusses her views on parenting and birth.

Bialik has two sons, and she was assisted in birth by a midwife during both deliveries. However, her first experience didn’t go as she planned, and she had to be transported to a hospital. Though she still delivered naturally, the hospital delivery wasn’t what she originally planned. Still determined, she attempted to give birth at home with a midwife’s assistance when her second son was born and succeeded.

Bialik’s oldest child, Miles, was present for his baby brother’s birth. Miles even cut the cord! Though Bialik acknowledges that this approach is not right for everyone, she is a tireless advocate for women making their own decisions about birth and not being forced into situations based on fear. Bialik is extremely supportive of midwives and believes they are capable of handling birth and even many unexpected problems that can occasionally arise. She has written about her birth experiences for Kveller, a website where she is a regular contributor.

9 Ricki Lake

Ricki Lake, the actress and one-time talk show hostess, chose a midwife for the delivery of both of her children. After a successful first birth in the hospital, her midwife encouraged her to take ownership for the birth instead of giving credit to someone else for delivering her child. That’s when Lake started researching childbirth and what it has become in our culture. The documentary, The Business of Being Born, explores what she found.

Lake’s documentary shook up the birthing world, and many have labeled her anti-doctors, something she has denied many times. What Lake hopes to emphasize is that the experience a mother has is important, and that should be honored by whoever helps her bring her child into the world.

Lake delivered at home with her second child, and the consideration she received from her midwife was profound. She describes being asked before her child was taken to be weighed, and she was able to spend time connecting with him without the interruption of doctors and nurses. For her, that made the experience even better.

8 Nelly Furtado

Singer Nelly Furtado gave birth at home with midwives to assist her, and she describes herself as a hippy mom for this decision. While it’s true that many women who choose midwives tend to fall a bit more on the crunchy granola side, midwife-assisted births are becoming popular enough to be almost considered mainstream.

While some women opt for midwives to help them make it through a home birth, many still choose to deliver at a birthing center or hospital, and some women end up choosing to have pain relief through an epidural, even with a midwife assisting.

That’s fine. A midwife's presence can make the experience less medicinal and more relaxing, but mom may still need help or support in the form of an epidural, and that doesn’t make her a failure. It’s possible to a hippie, health-conscious mom and still need assistance during labor.

Furtado took the natural route with the help of midwives, and she doesn’t regret the experience.

7 Idina Menzel

Idina Menzel is a singer and actress, and since she lent her voice to the Disney movie Frozen as ice queen Elsa, she’s been well-known to both children and adults. When she and then-husband, Taye Diggs, had a child, she chose a natural birth with a midwife to assist her.

Diggs’ described cheering Menzel on through this experience and being so proud of her. A man’s involvement in birth is very common among women who deliver with midwives. Midwives tend to view the birthing experience as a collaborative effort, and men are not discouraged from being there for their wives throughout the delivery.

When Menzel gave birth to her son, she said not using drugs helped her feel like she and her son were able to connect. Neither were groggy, and she was grateful that with her midwife’s support she was able to push through and achieve the natural labor she wanted.

6 Carrie Anne Moss

Matrix actress Carrie Anne Moss delivered with a midwife twice, once in a hospital and once at home. Though she delivered in two different settings, she credits her midwife with the wonderful experiences she had both times.

Many women, like Moss, feel that midwives view their pregnancies as a beautiful and natural, whereas some OBs treat them like illnesses. Midwives don’t steer women to make decisions based on fear, and they honor a mom and her body’s ability to have a child. Instead of fighting against a woman’s wishes for childbirth, midwives try to respect and uphold those desires barring any complications that require a change of plans.

While it is possible to find an OB who honors mom’s wishes and works with her, midwives are generally trained to do this and are more used to it. They ask permission from mom instead of forcing situations on her, and they trust her instincts when it comes to having a child.

5 Stella Tennant

Another model on the list, Stella Tennant, had midwives assist with her home births. Tennant’s view of the experience is measured and healthy since she reports not at all being afraid of hospitals. She just didn’t see the point in a hospital birth if their weren’t complications.

Her desire for a familiar place to labor led her to choose her own home, and she felt like having a midwife assist gave her the chance to take responsibility for her births. Instead of being told she had to be on her back wearing a ton of monitors, she was able to work with her midwife and listen to her own body.

Many women who deliver with midwives describe the experience as being empowering. They have an ally instead of a boss, and midwives encourage moms to trust their instincts. This leaves mom feeling that she had a larger say in how her child entered the world. Since mom is the one who carries the child for nine months, that seems fair!

4 Erykah Badu

The singer and songwriter, Erykah Badu, added another title to her long list: certified doula. Badu delivered all three of her children naturally with midwives, and she believes so strongly in the experience that she became a doula so she could offer emotional support for women who needed it during labor.

Badu has also been working towards becoming a midwife herself, with her ultimate dream being opening birth centers in much needed neighborhoods in the inner cities. Badu offers her services as a doula for free, and the women she assists call her “Erykah Badoula”!

Like many women on this list, Badu found that her birthing experience with midwives not only created an amazing experience for them. The process inspired them to create safe, natural spaces for other moms to birth, so many set out to make documentaries, write books, or start movements to raise awareness about birth. For Badu, that meant jumping into the actual birthing experience and helping those who needed her during labor.

3 Gisele Bundchen

Supermodels abound on this list, and Gisele Bundchen may be the most recognizable one. She delivered both of her children, who are fathered by Tom Brady, at home with a midwife after being inspired by the documentary, The Business of Being Born. Assisted by a midwife, Bundchen acknowledged the vulnerability that birth made her face, but it also made her feel stronger.

Bundchen has been an outspoken advocate for natural childbirth, going as far as implying that hospital births border on violence at times. She also received some astonished reactions when she said a new law should be passed that would require all women to breastfeed for a certain amount of time.

Whether anyone agrees with her views or not, both of her deliveries with her midwife went well, and she even gave birth in her bathtub, adding her to the list of moms who decide to have water births.

2 Christy Turlington-Burns

The former model gave birth with a midwife and had the fortune to deliver in a birthing center that was within a hospital. This setup ended up being perfect since her birth went beautifully, but she suffered from problems with her placenta that required medical attention that was provided by hospital personnel.

After her experience, Turlington-Burns became obsessed with maternal well being, and she started researching how women have children in the U.S. and different parts of the world. Her findings motivated her to start Every Mother Counts, an initiative that attempts to make childbirth safer for women in the States and all over the world.

Turlington-Burns wants every woman to have the chance to have the birth they want, whether that includes a midwife or an OB. Her efforts to make childbirth safer for women has highlighted many of the problems with the way women birth and the problems that occur when they aren’t given necessary information and care.

1 Alanis Morissette

Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill singer, gave birth at home with a midwife, a doula, and her husband for support. She says the experience was extremely painful, but she doesn’t regret it at all. Like many moms, she couldn’t imagine delivering anywhere but her home, and she chose a midwife's support for that.

Morissette found the choice of delivering where and with who she chose one of the most exciting parts of birth. However, she doesn’t expect everyone to choose what she did, though it worked for her. Even midwives will be up front with women who are high risk and may need the support of an OB. In many cases, midwives can help mom deliver in a hospital, but a midwife may choose to turn over an extremely high risk pregnancy to an OB anyway.

Researching options is important, and mom should make sure that she is completely comfortable with whoever helps her bring her baby into the world.

Sources: Parenting.com, Webmd.com, Parents.com, CNN.com