Need to decide New GP or Midwife

toomanycats1 · July 2013

Midwife vs GP care.

Do midwives provide more individual care? My GP no longer delivers babies, and I need to see someone new anyway. I have an OB, but he only follows pregnancies that are "high risk"... and I am not. Either way, I want to deliver in hospital, possibly with drugs. I do not plan on breastfeeding (I know, flame away) and this is non-negotiable for me. Family GP is fully in support of this, but a midwife probably won't be?

I know I'm only 5 seconds pregnant, but I need to get on the MW list right away as space is limited.

I'm considering a MW because with 1st pg (DS) I only ended up seeing the doctor on call in LDR half the time, and I received substandard care. I'm thinking a MW might be more available and understanding about my missed mc concerns.

Help!

BootsOrHearts · July 2013

I see a midwife at a high risk OB practice (weird right?) but she's super awesome. She's been supportive of whatever we want to do. A good midwife, just like a good doctor, should help you review all your options and come up with the decisions that are best for you.

Edit: So yeah, not all midwives are super crunchy granola types. :-)

toomanycats1 · July 2013

BootsOrHearts:
I see a midwife at a high risk OB practice (weird right?) but she's super awesome. She's been supportive of whatever we want to do. A good midwife, just like a good doctor, should help you review all your options and come up with the decisions that are best for you.
Edit: So yeah, not all midwives are super crunchy granola types. :-)

Thanks Boots!

I made the call and she's getting back to me to set up an appointment. I already feel better though. Her message said to call her pager if she was needed urgently... I'm liking this better already!

I love crunch granola types! I just don't have the dedication to take it as far as some people :P

DebateThis · July 2013

BootsOrHearts:
I see a midwife at a high risk OB practice (weird right?) but she's super awesome. She's been supportive of whatever we want to do. A good midwife, just like a good doctor, should help you review all your options and come up with the decisions that are best for you.
Edit: So yeah, not all midwives are super crunchy granola types. :-)

Ditto this.

I've seen a mixed practice of MW's, OB's, and MFM's for several years for well woman care. My midwives have been nothing but supportive for everything. I also wouldn't make a blanket statement that all midwives will be against FF - for one, that's a pretty broad brush to paint every midwife with.

For two, it doesn't really matter what your MW would think about your decision. She'll deliver your baby, check on you in the hospital and postpartum, and that will be about it. The nurses in the hospital can give you all the pointers you need on getting your milk to dry up when it comes in, etc, and you shouldn't need to debate with them, the MW, or anyone else about your decisions. Then you'll mostly see your baby's pediatrician, who will probably ask about BFing vs FFing but that's mainly because the growth charts are different depending on how you choose to feed the baby.

natleilynn · July 2013

I honestly think it depends on the GP and Midwife. My practice has a midwife and multiple doctors. They rotate me through all of them so that no matter who is on call when I go into labor, I will have seen them all.

I personally hate the midwife. Hate is a really strong word from me. I'm not even someone who would send food back in a restaurant, but I have told the practice I refuse to see her again. She was horrible when I lost my first pregnancy and I just can't be around someone who has that kind of negativity.

But again, that's personal. I would go with whoever you are most comfortable with. I'm sure there are midwives who are adamant that you must breastfeed and those that would support whatever choice you make.

toomanycats1 · July 2013

Thanks ladies!

I thought about it a lot this afternoon and contacted a MW in town. She got back to me right away, and agreed to give me betas until I feel more secure. It was really hard for me to bring it up though... I'm just like that. I know however, that I need to do a better job of speaking up and being my own advocate like a lot of the ladies on this board :-)

Debate This- Sorry if it sounded like I was painting all midwives with the same brush! That wasn't my intent at all. I know the decision is up to me, but I know from my last labour/birth, that I cave in under pressure and don't have a lot of fight in me. I was just curious if there would be more pressure to attachment parent, breastfeed, co-sleep, etc, from other people's experiences.

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