I just wanted to say that upon my appointment this afternoon and talking with my midwife, I have realized that these boards are quite unhelpful.
How one persons runs their practice is entirely different and is not the same with each ob/doctor/midwife. The information they give you is entirely different from the information I am given. From the next person to the next person.
Now, my midwives work under a very well known hospital in the big city I live in and how they practice in their office that they share with OBs, doesn't differ. I am one who firmly believes in evidence based medicine and so do my midwives && hospital.
It kinda worries me AND her when I told her and my other midwives how some OBs are taking care of some of you ladies.
A lot of OBs go by what's been called "routine" for years. Whereas the midwives && hospital OBs strive to do continuous research for things that work best for pregnant women and for the health of their unborn children.
Before even taking my midwives advice, I did in fact do some research when it comes to Dilation/Effacing, Cervical Checking, Protein Checks, Growth Ultrasounds, Holistic Inductions, and Full Term.
I found that my midwives && hospital that I plan to birth at, are in fact right with the information they have given me, as I said; they do continuous studies.
I have seen many posts of those fivethings and wanted to let other woman know there is another opinion:
*Dilation/Effacing- Dilation and effacing is NOT an imminent sign of labor coming. Especially BEFORE blood, water breaking, contractions appear. Dropping/head engagement are a sign labor is near.
*Cervical checking- On a regular basis that the cervix is checked actually does MORE harm than good. Not only does it introduce bacteria (even with with gloves on) it can trigger labor, which is not good if you're being checked at 36 weeks. Not only that, Obs that use a speculum; do the most damage to the cervix and can result in hemorraging. Checking one's cervix unless they are contracting/water breaks/bleeding is absolutely unnecessary.
*Protein checks- If you pee in a cup each time you visit your physician, then know that those strips aren't 100% accurate as blood tests. They stopped doing those back in the 80s, when they realized checking urine like that; didn't work.
*Growth ultrasounds- Very few ultrasound techs are skilled in the area of "growth". Of course, there are the regular techs that do just hand out photos. Growth ultrasounds are in fact accurate, only IF they are done by a person skilled in that area. Not ALL are. Just because they run the machine, doesn't mean they are highly skilled. So yes, growth ultrasounds can be accurate and not accurate.(BTW- just because one's baby is measuring larger, doesn't mean you still can't have a natural birth. Unless there is a specific problem with your pelvis. I know plenty of women that have given birth to 10 lbs babies and were tiny without having any problems.) I would ask for a second opinion if you are on the fence about this or are being given an induction for a "large baby."
*Holistic Inductions- A natural form of inducing labor. Many women have asked if using red raspberry leaf tea, castrol oil and taking primerose oil is safe. It's not 100% safe and I would be leery to use something that hasn't had much research conducted on it. The only safe thing that has been studied is sex, unless your water has broke.
*Full Term- 37 weeks is not technically "full term". It's called "term". Very few percentage of babies actually are considered "full term" by then. Many babies born before 39 weeks have breathing/sucking/immune problems. Now, this isn't the case with all babies. So, it worries me when OBs are so quick to plan an induction date on a healthy baby and mother BEFORE 39 weeks. Of course, I do find many women on her scheduling C-sections for unnecessary reasons. Remember, the longer he/she stays in there; the better chance they have.(pre-e, pp, col, and other dangerous conditions are considered necessary)
I guess it's just hard to get/give advice when we all have conflicting views and are getting so much different information, I am just unsure of how it helps?
Just putting it out there.
Re: Your doctor does what again?
I appreciate your opinion and insight. My doc follows along the lines of what you mentioned.
Everyone has a different experience... But I appreciate any post that poses alternate ways of thinking that challenge me!
Agreed P.s. with my first I went into labour naturally although he hadn't dropped at all yet, my second dropped and was engaged at 34 weeks, I was induced naturally at 41w 5d. It has nothing to do with research it has to do with each persons body and baby being different. Thus the reason the "norm" is constantly changing.
Well worded!
This is seriously the nicest board on the bump and this still had no chance of going over well....
"This is seriously the nicest board on the bump and this still had no chance of going over well...."
100 percent
Ummmm, Yupp!
to all this
By the way, my baby's head is very low and I've been carrying low this whole pregnancy, yet I obviously am not in labor. So that doesn't necessarily mean anything either, just like dilation and effacement.
First round of Clomid in May 2012= BFP #1, DD born January 2013
BFP #2 in January 2014, DS born September 2014
ALLLLL of this!
Seriously.
If this community is so uneducated then don't come to it. We seek the counsel of other women and other opinions for our own knowledge and well being. No one source of anything is fool proof, not even yours.
My only response is that all of us have chosen the doctors/midwives whatever we have chose for our own reasons. There is no need to sit here and say that one doctors practice is wrong vs. another. Go with your gut and what you believe and don't worry about anyone other than yourself!
That being said...Good luck to everyone and their impending deliveries...I know Im ready and this little girl can't come soon enough!
Happy Weekend Everyone!
Um, I'm having a homebirth and my MWs are very different than most OBs and MWs on these boards. I'm also having my fourth baby. I still think these boards are helpful. We're here for support, not to override our care providers' advice with what other people's care providers are doing.
OK, so this statement bothers me almost as much as the OP. A midwife isn't a doctor, but is just as knowledgeable as an OB in vaginal birth. I'm not sure if you're trying to say that midwives aren't as qualified as OBs to give medical advice about pregnancy, but if that's the case, I'm side eyeing you too...
I was waiting for your two cents on this one- I'm glad these boards have lead us to mom's like you!
i understand cervical exams are bad but isn't it the same risks as sex?
Cervical exams increase your risk of infection once your water has broken. During labor it's best to limit them because they can introduce bacteria into the vagina.
I don't think many of us here are going to have sex once our water has broken
Thank you so much
I don't claim to be an expert, I'm just opinionated. I learn just as much from the rest of you, which is why I enjoy coming here for the support. Every pregnancy, delivery and baby is so different. We all have so much we can learn from each other.
to put it simply:
1) I trust my OB
2) I have no idea what symptoms of labor I will feel, or in what order
3) I have no idea when I will go into labor
4) I have no idea when my LO will actually get hear
and guess what, NOBODY knows 2-4... and I actually find that awesome. There are few mysteries left in the world, and I think it makes childbirth that much more amazing. I don't think anybody's mind got changed after reading that post... just sayin'
::nodding furiously::
Oh, FFS. So, basically, our MWs or OBs are not nearly as educated as yours so you are bothered that we are all spreading "misinformation" out there. How is your post more helpful than what anyone else has had to say? Because *your* MW told you so? If someone chooses to come on a public forum and ask for advice, they should understand the responses are not limited to medical professionals only.
The Bump doesn't hand out MDs to BTDT moms, but the benefit of this board is to use it as a resource to gain insight on what others may be experiencing, to commiserate, and to go through similar stages of pregnancy with other people.
Your post really annoys me because you claim that these boards are so unhelpful, and then you go on and say how every practice is different. Maybe I'm alone here, but I consider that extremely helpful. I would hate to be ignorant to one-sided practices, and I welcome different experiences and standards that others have experienced so that I know I have other options. It's very easy to be "bullied" by a provider and made to think that their way is the only way. I feel it's very important to stand firm in what you believe after you have done research and educated yourself. That entails reading some evidence-based research (not Wiki) and gathering information about experiences that other women have gone through.
Thanks for the help, though. I love these boards.
Why does all the excitement happen when I am away??? But seriously, on the off chance the OP is not a bored first-tri-er mudding it up, I am not sure what the she has been reading here. Most of us agree that a low-intervention, less medical-ized birth is a positive thing, especially when there are no contraindications or complications.
On an unrelated note, I also really look forward to adamwife's responses. She did not disappoint here. (But, adamwife, I wouldn't read too much into the midwife comment that one girl made - maybe her biases were showing, but maybe she just meant it's silly and counterproductive to compare midwives to doctors when their training is so different. It would have been more PC to ask what midwifery training her doctor has, but eh, six of one... My first reaction was just that she meant to compare the two, not that she meant one was better than the other. I might be rose-colored-glassing it though.)
And, SugarPlumpFairy13, can you post a link to your study / research? I am fascinated that you have managed to detect an "unnecessary" c-section problem that has alluded all of us as well as the medical community at large. I recommend you publish in JAMA as soon as possible.
(Yes, my hormones are showing. I will regret being so b*tchy later, but at this moment, I don't much care.)
I have found the bump boards very helpful actually, from the infertility board to the birth month, the high risk one too!
I have learned so much from the infertility board even though every specialist might do things differently, prescribe different meds, but the ladies on there are great, even on the birth month the ladies are great too, lots of great information is given out!
My ob doesn't have the midwife model and that is not what I want either, different strokes for different folks I guess...thats the other thing I am not the same as you and my dr right now since I have gestational diabetes makes me go there every week but you prob dont have to do that bec you prob don't have gest diabetes, each dr has to look at their patient and their needs so mabye I do need an internal exam everytime I go now at 35 weeks bec they need to be more careful with me since I am over 35 and have gest diabetes...and I had really bad morning sickness and I also had to keep going to the dr every 2 weeks instead of every month because of it,so the dr thought it was my need to come every 2 weeks since I was not gaining weight but not everyone has bad morning sickness and they can go every month...depends on the patient and situation...your generalizing that everyone has the same pregnancy and wants a midwife...
That comment really bothered me.
Thank you for posting this!