Midwife

khammond3

Would you have a midwife deliver
You? Pros? Cons? I am currently seeing a midwife on post at ft Bragg but not sure about how different it is compared to a doctor

ksulli

It's all about the provider- if you like the MW and feel comfortable with him/her, stick with it. I saw a MW for 36w of my last pregnancy and only changed to an OB when we moved because that was the first good recommendation I got. The difference between a good OB and a good MW should only be that if you have a MW and serious complications arise, (s)he will call in an OB to take over.

Rrrrrachel

I use a midwife and I think it's great.  They're a little more flexible and less regimented about protocol.  Less likely to have you in bed, less likely to insist on a routine IV, less likely to have you on a strict clock, etc etc.  Ksulli is right that, in theory, the only difference in care should be if you have serious complications.  Otherwise they should both provide the same level of care.

Avion22

Our practice has 3-4 OBs and one certified nurse midwife.  I've been getting most of my care from the midwife (luck of the draw, I didn't have a say in which provided I was assigned to).  On the day I deliver, I get whoever is on duty that day.   Except there is always a doctor to back up the midwife on her days in case an emergency C-section is needed, because she can't do those.  So I'll get whoever I get :-)   

FWIW, I really like the midwife though. Maybe it's just her personality, but we get along well, and she has great bedside manner (better than some of the OBs in the practice who I've seen randomly for other stuff).  

snowclouds

First pregnancy I saw a doctor...this pregnancy I'm seeing a midwife.  It really depends on your practice and how things are done at your hospital, but here are the differences for me.

My family doctor is an OB and I'm really comfortable with her which was a huge plus.  However, when I got to the hospital I was assigned a nurse and the on-call doctor (my doctor is 1 of 10 that rotates) who wasn't my doctor and I'd never met him before.  I don't do well with new people especially when in pain (but that's a me issue).  The nice thing is that whenever something medical came up during that pregnancy I could go see my doctor or just mention it at my next appointment.  No need to make an additional appointment.

Midwife is totally different.  I didn't know her before so I'm having to become comfortable with her.  She doesn't track things that my doctor did (like weight) and she focuses a lot more on my overall lifestyle and how things will be after baby is here.  The thing that made me change to a midwife is that here she will accompany me to the hospital and be in charge of my labor (no nurse and no doctor unless it becomes medically necessary) which I hope will help me relax more since I know her.  The downside of using a midwife is that when I had a terrible sinus infection for a month and when I got my first ever yeast infection, I had to make an appointment with my doctor to see her in addition to my regular midwife appointments which is time consuming.  

I think overall if my practice was one where I got to meet all the doctors that could possibly deliver me then that would really have helped me in the end.  However, when you deliver with a doctor the nurse is really who you see for 95% of the time.

Good luck with your choice.  There's really no better provider (doctor or midwife); there's who is better for the type of birth you would like and who you are most comfortable with.

cjpell0

I'm having an OB, but I've been seeing her/the practice for a few years due to issues with irregular paps and some other things so I was very comfortable with them already. 

They focus more on lifestyle, keeping up with exercise, healthy eating etc, and seem to not want to intervene unless necessary. I've never felt rushed or like they have some "agenda". I've had a few scares, bleeding, dizziness and they've always had me come in ASAP even for just a quick doppler check and I've never had to wait and none of the OBs (there are 4) have rushed me out and they've totally calmed my nerves. 

I'm a FTM so clearly no experience in the delivery area but they're very open to a natural birth and as long as all goes well no intervention unless I'm overdue by I think 10 days which seems to be the norm regardless. 

That being said, I think you need to make sure whoever you use you're comfortable with. 

KHendy27

Midwives are big around here. my office has 4 OBs and 4 midwives. There is always a midwife and an OB at the hospital, so if you see the midwives, one of them will definitely be at the birth. The only thing an OB would do is a section, and a midwife usually goes in for that too.

Jessimax

The way I see it MWs spend 4 years learning how to deliver babies. OB's spend 4years doing some kind if bachelors of science, a few years med school learning everything then a few years OB residency where they learn about all kinds of lady bit issues, so for an uncomplicated pregnancy I would say that MW is the way to go, it is what they do. If you wanted your windows changed you would be better of with a window guy than a general contractor. I wish we had access to them here!

Serenla

I love my MW, but they provide care that is right for me. Pretty much what Rrrrrachel said, I find that they are less invasive and listen more.

thomas930

This is my third birth with a midwife and I love it. Everyone pretty much already said what I like about them

alittlelibrary

I'm really happy with my midwives so far, their care is more personal and holistic, and they spend a great deal more time with me. 

CalinAZ

Ooopsbaby14 said:

I see a MW that is within an OB practice. I feel the approach is just different. More part of life vs a medical event. I like the laid back  nature of my MW. 

Same here. I switched over to the midwives at 12 weeks and have been very happy with that decision. Much more supportive and much more likely to give the birth experience I want. It's a group of 5 midwives, so I may deliver with any, but they all follow the "midwife model" with low interventions, which is exactly what I want. 

I know there will be OBs around at the hospital if a need should arise, but am very pleased with our MW experience so far.