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November 2013 Moms
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Midwife in an OB practice

GlitteraatiGlitteraati member
in November 2013 Moms
The practice I go to has about 8 or so obstetricians (MD) and 1 midwife.  I always assumed the midwife was there as an option, in case a woman would like to see her and request her for delivery instead of a MD.  I've seen many of the MD's in the practice but have not had an appointment with the midwife.  Well I was recently told that the midwife is also in the on-call rotation, meaning she can deliver if she's the one that's on call when I go into labor! I've known that I won't necessarily get my preferred MD on delivery day, but I thought I'd get any of the MDs, not counting the midwife.  It's nothing personal against midwives, it's just that I 100% want an MD there for delivery.  I thought this should have been mentioned to me at the very beginning as I definitely would have changed practices.  But then I have friends telling me that it's against the law for them to refuse an MD for you if you request one. So now I am super confused! The nurses at the practice told me to ask the midwife and doctors at my next appointment as they were not absolutely certain as to how it works.  Is anyone else in a similar situation or know of the "rules" concerning a patient requesting an MD instead of midwife?  Thanks in advance! 
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Re: Midwife in an OB practice

  • barista411barista411 member
    Definitely talk to your OB and see how it is handled. From what I understand in a low risk birth the OB only catches the baby when it is time to push and that is about it. The nurses will check for dilation and report to OB. A midwife is more than capable of doing that. There will always be an on call OB in case of an emergency where a c-section may be needed.

    I currently go to a group that is half OB and half MW. I chose to see the midwives but they work together with the OBs in case there are any complication. For example with my DD birth I had severe tearing and my MW did not feel comfortable stitching me up so she called in the OB on call. Also while I was PP in the hospital both OB and my MW checked on me.
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  • hollowwayhollowway member
    My practice has both OB and midwives. I'm seeing the midwives and refuse to see the OBs. Obviously if I need a csection, I won't have a choice. But after the OB I was seeing told me she couldn't find a heartbeat and I should have a D/C, although DDI is obviously fine, I switched to the midwives.

    There will be an OB on call in the hospital, pretty sure its a law. The midwife might also be there though.

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  • GlitteraatiGlitteraati member
    Thanks for your reply @equibabe611. I can't believe the OB told you there was no heartbeat and go have a D & C! Thank God you sought a second opinion from the midwives! 
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  • babymama619babymama619 member
    I'd love to have a midwife in my practice! Right now I"m feeling so overrun with tests for no good reason. The only reason I didn't go to one is because I know I'll want an epidural so I just figured it wouldn't be a good fit. To me it sounds like you might have the best of both worlds at your practice.

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  • thenorris3thenorris3 member
    There is one MW among the MDs in my Drs. practice.  The MW delivered DS2 and I LOVED her!  DS2 was sunny side up and she helped me get in to positions to rotate him naturally.  I hope I get her again!
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  • kabrissettekabrissette member
    Think about reconsidering your position on midwives... they are fantastic! Not that there aren't wonderful OBs as well, but I switched from an all OB practice to a midwife practice (with one OB) and I've never looked back. They take so much more time with me and I feel like they really are the specialists in "normal" pregnancy, where OBs are the specialists when things go wrong. When I deliver, I'll have a midwife present and the OB available on site should anything go wrong. Best of both worlds if you ask me!
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  • meredity11meredity11 member
    At my hospital there is a midwife there until they call in your doctor. She was there to help things progress along and work with the nurses. Honestly the midwife saved me from a c- section and I would love for her to be there again. My doctor was only there for the last 3 hours of my 24 hour labor.
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  • GlitteraatiGlitteraati member
    Wow, I guess I had never considered the advantages of a midwife, thanks for helping me see another perspective. My worry was "what if" something goes wrong, if there's an OB on call, will we have to wait for him/her to wake up (if middle of the night), shower, drive to the hospital and get ready, or is the OB on call in the hospital at the same time? I guess these are questions to ask at the next appointment. Thank you!
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