Considering changing to a Mid-wife/Dula...anyone done this?

milagro88

So with my first I did the traditional Doctor visits and hospital natural delivery. I say "natural" but it was not natural by any means! I had more drugs than I needed in my 5" 4' 110 lbs. little body. This second time around although I am seeing my same Doctor, I would like to switch over to a birthing center and have a dula/mid-wife instead. I have heard nothing but positive things from people that have done this method. I have spent the last year and a half without any type of medicine or antibiotic in my body and have been trying hard to stay as natural and healthy as I can. I work out, practice yoga, meditation, eat healthy, and try to take natural approaches as much as possible. I have not gotten sick in this past amount of time. I really think it's my body getting immune to the lack of medicine in my body. It is able to fight small colds and sinus infections all on its own! Its amazing what our body can do If we just let it! This is what has inspired me to consider a birthing center instead! I would hate for all my hard work to be thrown to waste with all those drugs. Anyone experienced having a mid-wife or dula?

CecilB93

Let me just say a doula is NOT medically trained to take over in place of a doctor. They are meant to be there for you, to be your voice and help you through the labor as a coach, not a medical professional.

However, midwives are another option besides an OB. They do promote unmedicated births and natural ways for pain relief. Midwives have basically just as much power as an OB, except for maybe a couple things. The biggest that I remember is they're not certified to perform surgeries so they'd have to get an actual Doctor to perform a c-section should one be needed.

This is my first pregnancy and I'm seeing a midwife and I honestly love her.

jmknox

I'm lurking from first tri.   I switched at 28 weeks with my DS to a birth center w midwives and hired a doula because the hospital I was set to deliver at has the highest c section rate in the city.   The birth center I chose was 3 min from the best NICU hospital in town.  I was low risk and I ended up having the natural water birth I wanted.  My insurance paid the birth center at out of network fees and it took until after my son was born to get a refund on what we had paid to the hospital.  My doula was $800 but very experienced.  I also took a 12 week Bradley class ($250) and I felt it really prepared me.   I am excited to go this second time all the way through with midwives ( who have delivered over 2,000 babies!).  The women's birth center I was at really felt like a cattle mill and was so cold.  If you have  the $$ it might take to go out of network I say do it!!!  It was the most empowering experience of my life and the endorphins were amazing!

peregrinefalconx

I waited until getting a positive report on my 20w scan and have changed over to the midwives at a free standing birth center. Any of these should be contracted with an OBGYN group if things go sour. You wouldn't necessarily need a doula with supportive midwives. I'm also going to take a Bradley class ($350 here!), checking into yoga birthing, hypnobirthing, the whole 9 yards.

noelietrex

You're going to want to do more research on what a midwife is and what a doula is. A midwife is who you would hire instead of an OB and there are different certifications depending on your area. CNM's or certified nurse midwives are generally regarded as the most well-educated, experienced, and best option. Lay midwives vary widely in education and experience. A midwife would provide all of your prenatal care and deliver your baby. A doula is more like a birth coach. She's there to support you and possibly your DH or family emotionally as well as provide techniques to help you through the sensations of natural labor. Some doulas provide additional services like placenta encapsulation or lactation support, but they do not deliver babies or perform medical procedures.

I'm currently seeing a group of midwives at a stand-alone birthing center across the street from a hospital (birthing centers are often associated with or have relationships with specific hospitals should anything go wrong and a C-section or other major medical intervention be necessary). I love the care I'm receiving from my midwives and their nurses and staff and definitely recommend this experience to anyone interested. The appointments are longer and more personal, birthing with their center is covered by my medical insurance and it's cheaper than using a traditional hospital, also the center requires a lot of classes be taken so that all women (and partners) are very well educated and making their prenatal and delivery decisions with a wealth of knowledge backing them. It's definitely not the experience everyone prefers, but if you think you might be interested request an intro with a midwife or birthing center near you. Good luck!

Lyette1206

I second @noelietrex to do your research into the midwife, as my understanding is that several call themselves midwives, but not all have the same training/certification/license.
I'm in Canada, and our medical system covers either a midwife or OB for your care. I transferred to a midwife with my first around 20 weeks and I loved the difference in the appointments. They were never as late as the OB, and much more patient, interactive, and took more time to discuss options. My midwives had a list of criteria where your care had to be switched to an OB, so if your pregnancy became high risk. I got transferred to an OB at 38 weeks because baby was breech, but my midwife stayed too, so I had them both at delivery. The best part is the midwife did home visits for the first few weeks afterwards, so I didn't have to bring my newborn to a dr's office to have the growth/well baby checks.

milagro88

Thank you to everyone! I really appreciate your help! I will definitely do my research! Thanks!

1faceinacrowd

Whether you go with a midwife or OB, you don't have to take any meds to get through labor. I had an OB for my first pregnancy and had a med-free birth; they can't force you to have an epidural/pitocin/etc. 
That said, I switched to a Midwife for this pregnancy, but it was more because this particular Midwife is known for being very involved, easy to reach, and natural minded. My previous OB's office made it super difficult to get a hold of them if I was ever concerned, and they were really bad about calling me back. I'm much happier with my Midwife.