Anyone using a midwife over an OB?

wendyll64 · February 2011

I've made an appt for an OB, but I'm kind of on the fence and wonder if there's any real world benefits for using a midwife.

Jlozano · February 2011

If I can get DH on board, I really want to use a midwife. There is a really nice and reputable birthing center 3 minutes from the hospital and I plan on touring it after my 1st appt. on March 3rd. From what I've heard from others experiences, midewives/birthing centers definitely give you more attentive care. You feel more like an individual and less like a number.

aliciaroset · February 2011

Aside from a different style of care, midwives are trained to handle normal births and to hand over the process to a dr when anything happens that's out of their area of expertise. Drs, frankly, aren't that interested or well trained in normal births and tend only to be necessary when things don't go as planned, which is the minority of births.

aliciaroset · February 2011

aliciaroset:
Aside from a different style of care, midwives are trained to handle normal births and to hand over the process to a dr when anything happens that's out of their area of expertise. Drs, frankly, aren't that interested or well trained in normal births and tend only to be necessary when things don't go as planned, which is the minority of births.

eta: while it's a stereotype, dr's typically are more apt to suggest/require interventions . I've heard a lot of terrible stories of women being guilted or scared into csections, etc because their dr's made them feel like they were irresponsible if they didn't. Dr.s seem more likely to dominate rather than listen. (That said, it totally depends on your dr!)

WyWysMommy · February 2011

I thought about it for this birth, but the only one in my insurance network is almost an hours drive.

Ceridwen21 · February 2011

I have an appointment with a midwife and with an OB. DH and I will make our decision after both appointments.

maryNamory · February 2011

we are with kaiser. I really like them because they have in house midwives. and at deliveries you have both there. Right now most of my appointments are with the midwife, and she gives me more time.

skruhmin · February 2011

We're going midwife definitely. We just found a hospital in Boulder that allows midwife delivery (really hard to find in Colorado). I want the natural birth with MY plan rather than intervention.

love_melongtime · February 2011

I am going with a certified nurse midwife.

That said... I just realized... do midwives look down upon epidurals?? Becuase I fully plan on having an epidural...

Ceridwen21 · February 2011

love_melongtime:

I am going with a certified nurse midwife.

That said... I just realized... do midwives look down upon epidurals?? Becuase I fully plan on having an epidural...

That's going to be one of my questions and a deciding factor for me. I want the option to be mine.

From what I understand, midwives tend to encourage natural birth, but above all want you to be happy. Epidurals can only be given in hospitals though (I think), not birthing centres.

lwogsland · February 2011

I am going to an OB...I'm a labor/delivery nurse..and have seen enough bad outcomes to truly believe that they are the best trained for my situation..if our hospital worked with midwives..may be a different story...but we work with like 25 ob's..and no midwives

EmilyOTR1 · February 2011

I see a midwife. I don't trust OBs. I have natural births, and I don't want any interventions.

poodge · February 2011

Went with an OB the first time and knew well before I got pregnant this time that I would be going with a midwife for this little one.

SpinningJess · February 2011

Jlozano:
If I can get DH on board, I really want to use a midwife. There is a really nice and reputable birthing center 3 minutes from the hospital and I plan on touring it after my 1st appt. on March 3rd. From what I've heard from others experiences, midewives/birthing centers definitely give you more attentive care. You feel more like an individual and less like a number.

This. I had my son at the local birth center (which is literally across the street from the hospital/NICU). I can actually say that I have a bond and connection with the midwife who delivered my son. I saw her exclusively for the last 3 months, and due to having high bp and attempting to induce via cytotek, we spent a fair amount of time together. She knows who I am when I call her without needing to pull a chart. When I had my miscarriage, she called me multiple times just to check on me and my mental state more than anything. What OB does THAT?

As for my son's birth, it was perfect and beautiful and I couldn't have asked for anything more. I was able to labor in a relaxing room, in a labor tub. Nothing attached to me, I was able to eat and drink whatever I wanted throughout the process. My son was born into a dimly lit room that was 85 degrees (i.e. not in a bright, cold room like at the hospitals - that's nothing close to what they experience in the womb!) He wasn't subjected to a bunch of unnecessary medical interventions to "save him" from the process of labor and delivery. He scored 8s and 9s on his APGAR, and we were all home in bed snuggled up 4 hours after he was born. Perfect!! I'll do it that way again every single time

mattandbekah · February 2011

I totally am. I had on OB, and was present at my nephews birth with a midwife. I loved the midwife, my OB was an @ss.

The midwife was so much more relaxed, and worked to make the birth a natural thing for my sister (even though it was in a hospital, with an epidural) she practiced perineal massage, etc.

My OB was barely there, when he was he talked about birth control and baseball. He didnt do any sort of perineal massage, and I had a second degree tear.

I am going to go to a birth center this time, as long as I have a healthy pregnancy

StephRuns · February 2011

I'm still undecided on what to do! After going through nursing school, and hearing about all the bad things that can happen during pregnancy and birth, it really scared me. I always thought I'd want epidural and even a c-section because I'm TERRIBLY, TERRIBLY afraid of shoulder dystocia. And I don't know why! Vaginal births scare me.

BUT - on the other hand, I'd love to have a birth that is relaxing, not forced, and allows me to do what I want to during the laboring process.

I'm so confused, and terrified of giving birth. lol

lwogsland · February 2011

mattandbekah:

I totally am. I had on OB, and was present at my nephews birth with a midwife. I loved the midwife, my OB was an @ss.

The midwife was so much more relaxed, and worked to make the birth a natural thing for my sister (even though it was in a hospital, with an epidural) she practiced perineal massage, etc.

My OB was barely there, when he was he talked about birth control and baseball. He didnt do any sort of perineal massage, and I had a second degree tear.

I am going to go to a birth center this time, as long as I have a healthy pregnancy

I'm sorry you had that experience...as a labor/delivery nurse that works primarily with ob's...at the hospitals in our area...that is my role. We do the perineal massage and advocate for you to have as few or as many interventions as you want. It's my job to encourage getting in the tub, walking the halls, birthing ball usage, etc, etc. (though there are people..who want me to just leave them be..and sit in bed the whole time)

It's shitty hearing so many crappy things about OB's...as the ones I work with now and in the past are mostly all great! There are 2-3 that I personally wouldn't want to go to..just different methodology than me.

spedi · February 2011

There are not midwives in my area...that said, my first birth was in a hospital with my current OB. I about died post-delivery. I had blood borne staph infection 12 hours after delivery. I was septic and scared the POOP out of the L/D nurses.

I will deliver in a hospital where they have the resources I may need again.

bbh200 · February 2011

OB. But I will make it very well known I want a natural birth if possible. I want the peace-of-mind of the expertise if needed.

Roxyroodle · February 2011

Local hospital sucks nearly killed me and my midwife saved my life, when I had spotting she came to my house to see if she could find the babies heartbeat. I have her home number so we can call anytime. we have hour appointments with her and she saved my life.

Midwife and a home birth is what we are planning.

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