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Natural Birth
Mrs.AmyDylan
member
Natural Birth - Provider Question (long)
Mrs.AmyDylan
member
Quick intro - I'm almost 31 weeks, we are 6 weeks into the Bradley Method Classes. My current provider is a large OB practice with 7 docs, any one of which could deliver my baby, it all depends upon who is the on-call doc of the day. My DH is very supportive of Natural Birth, but is insistent upon delivering in a hospital because he believes that it is "safer" than a birthing center or home birth.
Situation - I'm feeling less than confident in my provider due to several questions I asked about birth choices and overall level of communication (no IV, no drugs, c/s rates).
I just learned about a CNM (certified nurse midwife) practice that delivers at a different hospital (not rated as highly as the one I'm supposed to deliver at with the OB practice) and they are very pro natural birth. The downside is they can't see me until the week of Thanksgiving due to us being out of town next week.
The hospital the CNMs deliver at do not have water/tub facilities and laboring in a tub is something that I'm very keen on experiencing. Additionally, if I had complications with the CNM practice I would have the hospital's on-call OB deliver the baby, and this would not be a person I've ever met (I will meet 6 of the 7 OBs in the large practice before I deliver)
Is it worth exploring other options this late in the game? I would have no idea if the CNM are a good fit until I'm 33 weeks.
How well are birth plans followed by OBs in a hospital setting? Or do they just do their thing anyway?
If you are still reading at this point, you deserve a cookie!
TTC Since 3/2010
Me-36, Unexplained Infertility, DH-35, all clear
Clomid 50mg 12/2011 = BFN
Clomid 100mg 1/2012 = BFN, with Cyst
IVF #1 Lupron/Menopur/Gonal-f/HCG Trigger
ER 4/19/12 = 11 retrieved, 6 fertilized,
ET 4/22/12 = 2 transfered (day 3), remaining 3 weren't good enough to freeze
Beta 5/3 = BFP, 87 Beta #2 5/7 560.9 Beta #3 5/9 1376.5 First u/s One Baby, 125bpm!
Second u/s, 176bmp! Kicked over to the OB by the RE at 8w. Team Green!!
Me-36, Unexplained Infertility, DH-35, all clear
Clomid 50mg 12/2011 = BFN
Clomid 100mg 1/2012 = BFN, with Cyst
IVF #1 Lupron/Menopur/Gonal-f/HCG Trigger
ER 4/19/12 = 11 retrieved, 6 fertilized,
ET 4/22/12 = 2 transfered (day 3), remaining 3 weren't good enough to freeze
Beta 5/3 = BFP, 87 Beta #2 5/7 560.9 Beta #3 5/9 1376.5 First u/s One Baby, 125bpm!
Second u/s, 176bmp! Kicked over to the OB by the RE at 8w. Team Green!!
Baby girl J arrived two weeks early! Born into water, med-free. Hooray for Team Pink!
TTC #2 - back to the RE, treatment started 12/2014.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Natural Birth - Provider Question (long)
In my opinion alot of how they follow a birth plan has to so with you. Also I know the provider is impotant but the nurses are just as important and run ost of the show, alot of times you'll see your provider a couple times then they show up tp catch the baby. STick up for yourself and what you want.
Is it worth exploring other options at this point? Absolutely. If you're not comfortable with your provider I would find a provider that you are comfortable with. There's still time. I can't stress enough how important it is to have a supportive provider. If your conversations with your OB at this point are leaving you feeling less than comfortable look into your other options!
I would at least meet with the CNM practice you're interested in and see what you want to do at that point. As far as the on-call OB delivering me if there were complications I wouldn't have a problem with that if the provider I trusted (the CNM) was the one working with me throughout labor and I could trust her opinion that I needed to move to the on-call OB. I'd prefer that situation over sticking with a practice I didn't feel comfortable with.
Also, I understand your worry about missing out on having a birthing tub available (I wouldn't be happy about that either), but at the same time, you don't really know how things are going to go, if you'll prefer the water, etc. I know planning to labor or deliver in water is a big thing and there are benefits to that, but I don't know that I would stick with a provider I wasn't comfortable with just to have access to it. Also, maybe see if there are other options for providers that deliver at the hospital you're currently planning on. Maybe you'll find someone better and not have to switch hospitals!
As far as an OB respecting your birth plans this will vary depending on the individual OB. I think if you ask the right questions you have a good chance of feeling your OB out on how much they're willing to support/work WITH you.
I can tell you, just from my personal experience, that I was with a very large practice last time (8 OBs, 6 "medwives") and went into it with the mindset that MY knowledge was what was important (meaning I would know enough to question unnecessary things). What I didn't count on was just how vulnerable you are while in labor. I ended up with the usual domino effect of interventions culminating in a C/S I probably wouldn't have had if I was with a different provider. Obviously this isn't everyone's experience, but because of my experience I just really, truly believe that the most important thing you can do is find a supportive provider that you completely trust and whose views align with your own.
*My Blog*
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Your husband's concern is actually quite sweet! He's just worried about his wife and his baby. But I would have him meet the midwife and see the other hospital, watch The Business of Being Born together (it's on Netflix or find it at your local library). My husband saw TBoBB after we had our first natural birth and he wishes we would have seen it years ago when having our first or even second.
We had #4 at a freestanding birth center. This little one (#5) will also be born at the birth center. We're not opposed to home birth either but we love our birth center.
Me-36, Unexplained Infertility, DH-35, all clear
Clomid 50mg 12/2011 = BFN
Clomid 100mg 1/2012 = BFN, with Cyst
IVF #1 Lupron/Menopur/Gonal-f/HCG Trigger
ER 4/19/12 = 11 retrieved, 6 fertilized,
ET 4/22/12 = 2 transfered (day 3), remaining 3 weren't good enough to freeze
Beta 5/3 = BFP, 87 Beta #2 5/7 560.9 Beta #3 5/9 1376.5 First u/s One Baby, 125bpm!
Second u/s, 176bmp! Kicked over to the OB by the RE at 8w. Team Green!!
Yay :-)
I'm of the opinion that it doesn't hurt to have a meeting and see how you feel about it.
Personally, I can't imagine how I'd feel at this point if I wasn't confident that our practice and our birth preferences are on the same page. I think, for us, this is the most important part. I know that should something that isn't in our Plan A be recommended, that it's because it is the very best course of action. Does that make sense?
It's taken a lot of research and discussion on our part to get to that point of confidence with our providers, but it's invaluable to me.
I hope you can find the same.
I had DS at a hospital with a midwife (switched from OB practice at 32 wks). I really liked the jacuzzi tub at the hospital but having the midwife ended up being so important since I had a long labor and am fairly certain my former OB would have been pushing interventions to get things going faster.
One question to ask your OB - do they allow people in the tubs? How many of their patients use the tubs? Pointing that out because I found that my OB practice had never seen a patient use the tub even though they were available and they seemed anti-tub (one told me I would be begging for an epidural at 38 wks, which doesn't even make any sense) as a result of not being familiar with what it's role could be in labor. So the tub issue may be a wash if you may not get to use it anyway.
DS, May 2011