Hey all, don't know if anyone here remembers me from a long time ago on the knot or the nest, but I am about 14 1/2 weeks pregnant and wondering about midwives.
Has anyone had a good one around the cities? And how does the whole having a midwife thing work anyways? I am pretty clueless... Do you still see the OB for routine checkups and things and also have a plan with a midwife who will be there when you deliver or do you switch from an OB to a midwife?
Thanks in advance for any tips!!
TTC since August 2009
Clomid for 6 cycles starting August 2010- O but no BFP
SA Septemeber 2010 Looking good
HSG September 2010 All clear
1st RE visit May 2011 - IUI#1 June 20, 2011: BFN
IUI #2 July 31 2011: BFP - m/c @ 5w1d
Surprise BFP on a break cycle 10/4/11, Due June 4, 2012, Born 6/9/2012
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Re: Midwives
I started my pregnancy with an OB and it wasn't really the care I wanted, so I switched to a midwife clinic around 20 weeks. From that point on I only saw the midwives, delivered with them, received postpartum care from them, and will continue to see them for my yearly exams and subsequent pregnancies. I love my midwife clinic and would highly recommend them if they are in your area.
This is one of the reasons I went with a midwife and also their low c-section rates and less medical intervention. My midwife was in my room for almost my entire active labor for about 10 hours. I go to Generations Womens Health in Shoreview.
ETA: A lot of midwives practice very differently. Some practice more like Obs and some Obs practice more like midwives - although I doubt you would ever get as much time during labor with an Ob because it would be too cost-prohibitive. I would meet with a few and see if they match the type of birth you are looking for. I like a small clinic feel where I can call and speak directly to a midwife or nurse that knows me. Where I went there is an Ob in the practice that sees patient and also consults with the midwives on different situations with their patients. The Ob was present for my delivery too but that's not the normal situation. I've heard good things about Deb Steeley in Edina too.
Photo taken at 16 months old
I see an OB but I know Wby Healthpartners has a rather large selection of midwives available for deliveries... The nice thing there is that they're connected together working with the OB's instead of completely separate..
A lot is going to depend on where you plan to deliver and where your insurance will cover... IGH gives you a lot of central options (SP, Hastings, Bloomington, Woodwinds, etc.)
I was seeing an OB up until a few weeks ago and was just not a fan of the care I received either. Now I'm going to Generation Women's Health in Shoreview and could not be happier. Everyone is wonderful and I love feeling like my questions and concerns are important.
It's my understanding that I will see the midwife unless there is a complication in my pregnancy and then I will see the OB as well. For labor and delivery the midwife is with you the whole time once you reach about 4-5 cm. They are in contact with the OB and she can be there within minutes if needed. They did tell me that in cases of a c-section and vacuum birth the OB will assist, but the midwife will be there as well. I also plan on using them for my yearly exams, etc once the baby is born.
I have never seen someone in the practice that I didn't like.
A Little Bird and a Monkey Butt
I'm 27 weeks and go there too! I'm wondering are you having a girl or a boy? I'm really liking it there so far.
I used the Park Nicollet midwives at Meadowbrook. Normally, you just see the midwives unless something is wrong or unusual. You also see an OB if you are having a VBAC, which I was. So I had to have a consult with the OB twice during my pregnancy. But that was it.
I loved having a midwife. With my first, I was lucky if I could even get an OB to come to my room. With the midwives, they would come in the room every once in a while (I had a very long labor) and just watch me labor and help me out and give me tips and one even was helping me by applying counterpressure and it was great. There was a midwife in the room with me the whole 3 hours and 45 minutes that I pushed. It was a wonderful experience.