Hi All! I'm sure there's already a thread going on this topic, but I wasn't able to find it quickly. Guess I'm feeling a bit lazy today.
Anyways, I'm hoping to get some recommendations on where to go for prenatal care and eventually to give birth. I'm leaning towards Swedish Ballard because I'd like to have a nurse midwife and also want to attempt to have a natural birth.
Your thoughts are much appreciated!
Re: Hospital/prenatal care recommendations?
Cooper: 11/20/11
Julian: EDD 8/1/16
PCOS & Endo. w/ DOR
I gave birth to G here too- loved it! It was amazing.. I was seeing the Swedish Ballard midwives for a couple months and while they were nice (much more so than OBs I saw at the start of my pregnancy, had with DD1, and worked with as an LD RN). I still felt like I was getting a hospital birth experience and it wasn't what I wanted. I didn't feel reassured enough that they would help me to get the birth experience I wanted (still was in a hospital, still had to have an IV lock, weren't going to let me eat/drink as I thought I would want). I knew because we would be in a hospital, they would still be held liable to hospital policies and procedures in the end.
With G, my water broke in the morning but just a very small leak. The BC just told me to go about my day (rest, eat, maybe light walking). I didn't have any contractions so at 8pm I went to the BC to get checked out. I was already 6cm! They actually let me go home to wait and SWH. I woke up at 3:30am finally in real labor. Got to the birth center at 4:30 and she was born at 6am in the tub. I know if I had been seeing an OB, or maybe even the Ballard Midwives, I may have at some point ended up on Pitocin to get things going.
It all depends on how much of an out of hospital experience you want. If you want the care of a midwife but the reassurance of being in a hospital- the Ballard Midwives are perfect for you
Ps- Sorry to digress into my own little birth experience story but I just wanted to detail out a little bit about how accommodating the BC midwives were with my birth and just letting me go in my own time.