Doctor or midwife?

JsBabymom · September 2013

What are your plans for care during your pregnancy?

JsBabymom · September 2013

This poll has probably been done before.... But I'm bored so :P

jewels1199 · September 2013

I had complications due to HELLP with DS so a midwife is out for me.

beckynsean11 · September 2013

For now, I say Dr. I'll look into midwife options, when the time comes. If that feels right, then I'll go that route.

JsBabymom · September 2013

I PLAN on using a midwife. Our town has a fabulous midwifery office. That being said if there is unforeseen complications I might revisit this decision later... I have trust issues with md's and have yet to find a family physician that I like let alone trust.

Three of my clients at work have used the midwives in town here and have nothing but glorious reviews of them

Spookster · September 2013

I have to have a repeat Csec because the nature of my last csec incisions. No Dr will even consider me for a VBAC. If I had a chance I would go with my sister who is a Doula, with a Midwife as well.

I will have a DR though.

JsBabymom · September 2013

I'm a worry wart so home birth is out for me.

tealowl · September 2013

I see a midwife for my annuals, and I will plan on seeing her for OB care. It would still be a hospital L&D, we don't have birthing centers around here yet (they were just approved in IL this year I think, and there's one opening near Chicago, so that could be a far flung option for us).

divinemsbee · September 2013

H is in the military and we've heard mixed things about our local military hospital. Our friend that delivered there last year loved it but some friends of ours that had their baby a few months ago said that they wouldn't deliver there. It's mainly going to come down to talking to the docs and looking at the facility. And the C-section rate being average or below. If we don't go there I'll switch my insurance and see if the birthing center in town takes it.

tucker1384 · September 2013

would love a midwife, however, DD was born via c-section so midwife is out, crossing my fingers for a vbac next time!

tealowl · September 2013

I would really love more information on a home birth - I've watched a handful of docs showing it, and it just looks so comfortable. You get your own bed back, Dad is in the kitchen making dinner, etc. That's an ideal situation, obviously anything could happen. I don't even know if those are covered by my insurance. Like, where does the birthing tub come from? My friend lives in AL and his wife had all 3 kids born in their living room.

I just dislike hospitals. I hate being hooked up to tubes, I hate not going to the bathroom by myself, I hate being forced to wear gowns, blahblahblah. I had an awful labor w/DD and I don't want that to happen again.

jcsumm0 · September 2013

@tealowl if you talk to a midwife that attends homebirths, she'll hook you up with all that info. I have several friends who had homebirths and they rent the birthing tubs.

I will be high risk, so it'll be an MFM for me. Hoping I can still do my regular appts with my family dr who was my dr with my last pregnancy and delivered DD.

Pepper6 · September 2013

I want to be in a hospital, there are too many things that can go wrong with a home birth.

tealowl · September 2013

Pepper6 said:

I want to be in a hospital, there are too many things that can go wrong with a home birth.

Things could go wrong at a hospital also.

mmb248 · September 2013

@tealowl - Have you ever read The Feminist Breeder? She has a lot of information on her site along with forums that discuss home birth in depth.

tealowl · September 2013

mmb248 said:

@tealowl - Have you ever read The Feminist Breeder? She has a lot of information on her site along with forums that discuss home birth in depth.

I've heard of that site, but never visited. I'll have to check that out!

lest12 · September 2013

Doctor and a hospital. After 2 losses already, a history of ovarian cysts and my own mother's terrible experiences ingrained in me, I want teams of medical everything at my disposal should I need them. Hopefully I won't.

I just went into a long-winded post about my MIL's naturally very easy pregnancies and at-home births, but I'll spare you all of that for another day.

mmb248 · September 2013

I'm with @Joy2611. I picked dr in the poll, but my practice also offers both a physician and midwife. Both options are always on call, so when it's time to deliver, you have both there with you.

Pepper6 · September 2013

tealowl said:

Pepper6 said:

I want to be in a hospital, there are too many things that can go wrong with a home birth.

Things could go wrong at a hospital also.

Yeah, but they are prepared to deal with it. My sister tried a home birth with a midwife for her first, but they couldn't get a read on his heart rate and had to rush her to the hospital to deliver there anyways. Turned out that the heart rate monitor was malfunctioning, but if there really was a problem, the doctor said that due to the long drive to the hospital, things could have gone very badly.

Obviously, I'd hope for a perfect delivery, but I'd feel more comfortable knowing that if something were to happen, I'm already there for any emergency procedures. That and I want an epidural. LOL.

catmagick · September 2013

I will say what I've said before: what I want is to have a home birth with a midwife. I was born at home and I also think I would be really good at it. I don't want a lot of people around me and I don't want to be on any IVs. I want my own bed and I want H to catch the baby like my dad caught me. I don't wan to have to go anywhere or eat shitty hospital food.

That said, I live 30 minutes from the nearest hospital, so I don't know how I'll feel when the time comes. My OB is holistic, so I love her. She does natural births at a hospital about an hour from me where they have private rooms with tubs--almost like an attached birthing center. So like I say, we'll see....

SmurfyLite · September 2013

will be hoping for a vbac. Hoping to go with a midwife this time, as my experience with doctors was terrible.

brownmouse · September 2013

tealowl said:

I would really love more information on a home birth - I've watched a handful of docs showing it, and it just looks so comfortable. You get your own bed back, Dad is in the kitchen making dinner, etc. That's an ideal situation, obviously anything could happen. I don't even know if those are covered by my insurance. Like, where does the birthing tub come from? My friend lives in AL and his wife had all 3 kids born in their living room.

I just dislike hospitals. I hate being hooked up to tubes, I hate not going to the bathroom by myself, I hate being forced to wear gowns, blahblahblah. I had an awful labor w/DD and I don't want that to happen again.

We had a homebirth with DD and it was amazing. We had my midwife and her assistant there, and had her in the water in our spare bedroom. It was so nice to already be at home and not have to fear the possible cascade of medical intervention that often happens in a hospital.

I plan on using our midwives birth center this time around instead of homebirth simply because we are going to be moving right before the birth, and an apartment is a possibility (we are in a house right now, and were when we had DD) and I don't really feel comfortable doing a homebirth in an apartment we would have just moved in to. Our birth center is amazing.

LeadMitten · September 2013

I thought about having a midwife but the only one in our town is a twaaaat. I think I am in love with my OB too, so I am a little bias haha.

Pepper6 · September 2013

ashleysyn2 said:

Pepper6 said:

tealowl said:

Pepper6 said:

I want to be in a hospital, there are too many things that can go wrong with a home birth.

Things could go wrong at a hospital also.

Yeah, but they are prepared to deal with it. My sister tried a home birth with a midwife for her first, but they couldn't get a read on his heart rate and had to rush her to the hospital to deliver there anyways. Turned out that the heart rate monitor was malfunctioning, but if there really was a problem, the doctor said that due to the long drive to the hospital, things could have gone very badly.

Obviously, I'd hope for a perfect delivery, but I'd feel more comfortable knowing that if something were to happen, I'm already there for any emergency procedures. That and I want an epidural. LOL.

Midwives are trained to deal with emergency situations and to know when a transfer to a hospital is necessary. I would say the midwife handled your sister's situation appropriately.
I would do a birth center if there was one here, but there isn't. I despise hospitals, so homebirth is my best option. If there is an emergency we are 5 minutes from the hospital.

I agree it was handled well, but my sister was an hour from the hospital, so if there was an actual emergency, the chances of getting help quick enough would have suffered significantly. She's much closer to a hospital now, so maybe for her next child she'll attempt it again. It's just not for me.

Ceridwen21 · September 2013

Midwife but in a hospital. DS was a perfect pregnancy and labor up until the final hour. I sure was grateful that we didn't have the added stress of transferring to a hospital or the potential guilty feelings of "what if?".

brownmouse · September 2013

Pepper6 said:

ashleysyn2 said:

Pepper6 said:

tealowl said:

Pepper6 said:

I want to be in a hospital, there are too many things that can go wrong with a home birth.

Things could go wrong at a hospital also.

Yeah, but they are prepared to deal with it. My sister tried a home birth with a midwife for her first, but they couldn't get a read on his heart rate and had to rush her to the hospital to deliver there anyways. Turned out that the heart rate monitor was malfunctioning, but if there really was a problem, the doctor said that due to the long drive to the hospital, things could have gone very badly.

Obviously, I'd hope for a perfect delivery, but I'd feel more comfortable knowing that if something were to happen, I'm already there for any emergency procedures. That and I want an epidural. LOL.

Midwives are trained to deal with emergency situations and to know when a transfer to a hospital is necessary. I would say the midwife handled your sister's situation appropriately.
I would do a birth center if there was one here, but there isn't. I despise hospitals, so homebirth is my best option. If there is an emergency we are 5 minutes from the hospital.

I agree it was handled well, but my sister was an hour from the hospital, so if there was an actual emergency, the chances of getting help quick enough would have suffered significantly. She's much closer to a hospital now, so maybe for her next child she'll attempt it again. It's just not for me.

I definitely think that proximity to a hospital is a big factor in choosing homebirth(or birth center birth.) We lived about 10 blocks from the hospital with DD, and the birthcenter we will be using next time is maybe two miles away, so if a transfer is needed, it's very close. If the hospital were an hour away, I don't think I would be comfortable with that.

curlylocks3 · September 2013

I would never consider a home birth.
I think midwives are a great option and I love the group I work with. I'll be high risk though so I'll be with an OB.

howljenkins · September 2013

I wanted to do home birth with a midwife, but after talking to my OB he said that since I'll be high risk and needing to see a perinatologist it wouldn't happen. But the hospital in the next town over is amazing and does water births, so I decided on that for now.

WashingtonQueen · September 2013

Unless I risk out I will only ever see a midwife.

jckeown89 · September 2013

Planning to go the birthing center route. I also am a worry wart, so I am not sure if I am comfortable with a home birth, at least for my first. I really don't like the environment of a hospital though, so I feel like a birthing center is a good in between.

jnnfrrose6 · September 2013

The practice I go to has Drs. and Midwives. I met with both before LO until I found someone I was comfortable with. Ended up being a midwife and she's awesome. Still did the delivery in a hospital (drugs, please), and found out when I was about 7cm that LO was breech, so I got to have an unplanned c-section, but my midwife was in the OR with me the whole time. I'm hoping for a vbac next time around and will be using my midwife again.

TheBorg7of9 · September 2013

Pepper6 said:
I want to be in a hospital, there are too many things that can go wrong with a home birth.

Some hospitals allow midwives to deliver. That's my plan.

tealowl · September 2013

ashleysyn2 said:

Pepper6 said:

tealowl said:

Pepper6 said:

I want to be in a hospital, there are too many things that can go wrong with a home birth.

Things could go wrong at a hospital also.
Yeah, but they are prepared to deal with it. My sister tried a home birth with a midwife for her first, but they couldn't get a read on his heart rate and had to rush her to the hospital to deliver there anyways. Turned out that the heart rate monitor was malfunctioning, but if there really was a problem, the doctor said that due to the long drive to the hospital, things could have gone very badly.

Obviously, I'd hope for a perfect delivery, but I'd feel more comfortable knowing that if something were to happen, I'm already there for any emergency procedures. That and I want an epidural. LOL.

Midwives are trained to deal with emergency situations and to know when a transfer to a hospital is necessary. I would say the midwife handled your sister's situation appropriately.

I would do a birth center if there was one here, but there isn't. I despise hospitals, so homebirth is my best option. If there is an emergency we are 5 minutes from the hospital.

That's what I was thinking - sounds like the midwife handled it appropriately. I live in the city, and I'm 5 and 10 minutes away from two hospitals. If I lived out in the country, it probably wouldn't be something I'd consider...

There are so many options to consider! It's comforting knowing so many of us are able to do this and help choose a birth plan. When I had DD 12 years ago, I didn't know of my options, really.

Pintobean39 · September 2013

Just out of curiosity is it cheaper to have a baby using a midwife?

nlmosley · September 2013

I had a midwife with DS, and I'm hoping to do the same when #2 come along.

BadBishop · September 2013

I had a doctor with my first pregnancy, but now I work in a hospital that has a midwifery unit within their maternity ward so I am thinking of using a midwife this time. It'd be nice to try with the back up of emergency care on hand just in case.

PrimRoseMama · September 2013

Special Snowflake : I use both!

Valancyy · September 2013

I used an OB before and probably will again.

I would never consider a home birth. Being at home would be more stressful for me, I want to be right near all the medical care available. Things can go bad very quickly. Plus, I've had very positive hospital experiences.

WolFox · September 2013

I plan on using a doctor but I'm also going to have a doula there. I really hate the thought of IVs or needles so I'm going to try to stay home for as long as possible.

TRY being the optimal word.

RamseySD · September 2013

Pepper6 said:

I want to be in a hospital, there are too many things that can go wrong with a home birth.

I know each state has its own laws for this, but I used a midwife in the hospital for my first. Using a midwife does not automatically mean a home birth.

I'm also a bit of a worrier, so I like knowing that emergency care is around the corner should I need it, but being low risk I prefer a care provider who primarily handles natural births. OBs are trained surgeons, and that naturally skews the way they view the birth process.

We don't have birth centers here, otherwise that would probably be my choice. But I LOVE my midwife (all of the midwives in the hospital, actually), and I'm excited to work with her again.

Ultimately, I think it comes down to the personality of your provider and how their philosophies align with your goals. There are awesome OBs and terrible midwives, and vice versa. Go with your gut!

BankerBSN · September 2013

Pintobean39 said:
Just out of curiosity is it cheaper to have a baby using a midwife?

Yes and No. Usually Midlevel providers get 80% coverage to a MDs 100% but Prental care is globally billed meaning you get a flat rate for 2 visits or 22. The hospital then bills a delivery charge which is pre set and then the provider bills for his/her services. Health care cost and reimbursement is a cluster fuck so sorry if I make little sense.

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