I am currently 22 weeks and see a midwife at a free standing birthing center. It has been an amazing experience so far, I feel as though the level of care is top notch and she also cares about what is happening for me and DH outside of having a baby as well. The hospital is only 5min away in case of an emergency and she would go with us in the event that we needed to be transported during labor. I highly suggest a midwife if you want a natural birth.
I used a midwife at a free standing birth center for both of my kids and will with this pregnancy too. I can't recommend them enough. The midwifery model of care is so different than what you'll get with an OB in a hospital. They're so much more in tune with what is best for you as an individual and don't force unnecessary procedures and interventions just because it's convenient. They believe in women's bodies and trust them to do what they were made to do. My personal midwife is the type to sit back and let labor progress only stepping in when necessary, she only checked me twice, the second time was after I started to feel the urge to push and it was at my request because I wanted to make sure I was complete, or else she would have let me do what my body was telling me to do, I basically caught my own baby and she was there to make sure everything went smoothly.
ETA, this is based off of my personal experience, as PPs have mentioned there are lots of midwives with different philosophies of prenatal and birth care, and lot of OBs who are natural birth friendly.
augdpa
member
Re: (Untitled)
I used a midwife at a free standing birth center for both of my kids and will with this pregnancy too. I can't recommend them enough. The midwifery model of care is so different than what you'll get with an OB in a hospital. They're so much more in tune with what is best for you as an individual and don't force unnecessary procedures and interventions just because it's convenient. They believe in women's bodies and trust them to do what they were made to do. My personal midwife is the type to sit back and let labor progress only stepping in when necessary, she only checked me twice, the second time was after I started to feel the urge to push and it was at my request because I wanted to make sure I was complete, or else she would have let me do what my body was telling me to do, I basically caught my own baby and she was there to make sure everything went smoothly.
ETA, this is based off of my personal experience, as PPs have mentioned there are lots of midwives with different philosophies of prenatal and birth care, and lot of OBs who are natural birth friendly.