Poll: Midwife or MD

promisegrl

I'm sorry if this has been posted before, however after searching though pages I couldn't find it. 

I'm curious if you're choosing a Midwife or an MD.  What were your reasons behind it?

[Poll]

promisegrl

The OBGYN office has put me with an MD right now, but we're not sure if we want to change to a Midwife.  I'd love to hear some opinions.

ChuppsWifey08

MD for me, but I have a good friend who is a dullah-Sp? and I am almost positive she will be there during labor and delivery.

Tantek

My doctor is calling me high risk, and suggested I not use a midwife due to potential complications. I'm considering having a doula in with me, though.

sare_bear

I chose an MD that works with my sisters midwife.  He has a lot of the same views, but only works at the hospital. 

smilelari

I am using an MD.  I have gone to her for years now and I am happy

ETA:  I will also have to have a colposcopy during pregnancy and I don't believe a midwife can perform colposcopies.

MadameFancyPants

I haven't been to my first appointment yet but, I've been told that I will be assigned a midwife or an MD depending on my medical history.  Either way, baby will be born in a hospital.

promisegrl

We're doing a hospital birth as well. 

JuliaKL

Here's what I know... midwives are absolutely fantastic if you have a routine pregnancy. ?If you have any problems or are high risk, you are more likely to be referred to an MD. ?Midwives are trained in general prenatal and labor/delivery care, as well as being backed by OBs, so if there is a problem down the road (or during labor/delivery), an OB can step in. ?

Midwives do not do episiotomies, forceps or vacuum deliveries, or c-sections. ?They did not go to medical school so may not have the knowledge about preexisting medical conditions and their effects on the baby. ?Again, they are backed by MDs (always!) who can step in if the situation calls for it. ?In general, midwives will spend more time with you (often much of your labor) whereas the MD will come in towards the end or if things aren't progressing/problems develop.?

As this is my first babe, I can't answer which would be better -- I think it depends on what *you* are looking for. ?If your pregnancy calls for an extra level of skill, however, I think an MD is the way to go. ?If things are routine and progressing well, I think a midwife could be the best thing for your pregnancy!

GL!?

JuliaKL

One more thing... doulas are a wonderful thing. ?They come in to help you with your birth plan, make sure you're comfortable (as possible!), and work with you to create the experience you want. ?That said, they do not have medical experience other than being in the delivery room repeatedly, and will not (or should not) be offering medical advice.

Hoax

I would prefer MD but I don't know yet for sure.

brit_american

If my local hospital had midwives, I would have totally gone for that. But then again, I really wanted a home birth.

I think it really depends on what your philosophy of birth is. If you tend to favor a medical/technical approach to childbirth, then I think an MD is for you. If you tend to see childbirth as a process that is natural and normal for a woman's body, then a midwife may be more your style.

I definitely feel like both philosophies make sense for different women. The most important thing is that your philosophy matches that of your provider, so I think it's good to have a consultation and to talk about your feelings about birth and see what they say.

jexxie

I chose a midwife because I wanted to stay away from routine, impersonal care as well as unneeded medical interventions.  The book Misconceptions had a big effect on my choice.  I would have preferred to give birth in a birthing center but the closest one is 2 hours away, so I'm giving birth in a hospital.  . 

promisegrl

Well thank you ladies.  I think we're going to do more research, and see what we'd like to do. 

Cullum13

I chose an MD. I have been seeing him for almost 10 years. I really wanted to do a midwife, but our hospital does not allow them and the closest midwife and birthing center is almost 2 hours away.

shunt1983

I was considering a midwife but decided to go with my doctor again.  I had a c-section last time hopefully this one isn't breech.

high_hopes

No offense to the mamas seeing midwives, but as a NICU nurse I've seen too many bad outcomes due to delayed interventions, etc as a midwife waits (or waits to refer) for a MD to use forceps, do a c/section, etc. I'm definitely going with an OB/GYN.

ZacksBride

as a physician, i have an MD - there really wasn't a choice for me. i have seen bad outcomes when midwives wait too long to intervene, and i want someone who will be able to perform an emergent c-section should that be needed.  

redshoegirl

I live in Australia, so - both! The way the system works here is that midwives are like the nurses in a maternity ward - they look after you until things are imminent and then the MD comes. You can also see a midwife before the birth, but I believe in my state they're not legally allowed to be your primary carer unless you're doing a home birth (and there are a billion restrictions around that).

SFNewzGirl

I am choosing a midwife because I rather have more personal care and view birth as natural. Interventions only when necessary.

FYI. A certified nurse midwife will have extensive training in pregnancy, birth, post-partum and possible interventions/complications. Many do perform episiotomies if necessary. They are trained to know what is routine and what situation needs more medical care. More research may shed more light on this for you than this message board can provide.

promisegrl

We are going to be doing more research to see what fits our needs best.  I was just curious what other people were doing, and how they came to the decision they did.  Thank you all