Midwife Roulette - Who's delivering my baby?

AeneaGrace · December 2014

My midwife has set the expectation that if she's not on call, it could be any one of the 7 other OBs in her clinic that delivers my baby and she's perfectly comfortable with that. I didn't have much anxiety about birth until hearing that. This person I'm building a relationship with might be replaced by a stranger at the last second? Awesome...

Although my preference is a midwife, I have nothing against OBs. My concern is not knowing the practitioner and them not knowing me. I'm seriously considering finding a new clinic where this is less of a concern, but I don't want to change horses midstream, so to speak, if that's typical everywhere. I'd rather not spend the money on a doula, but if there's no way to avoid Midwife Roulette, I'll probably get one so I at least have one expert that I know coaching me.

I've heard great things about North Metro Midwives, but I live in EP and work in Bloomington, so that's farther than I'd like to drive. Anyone have any experiences or recommendations to share?

AllTheTeaInChina · December 2014

No experience with a MW but that's how my OB practice is. I will get the OB on call when I deliver.

GustieRx · December 2014

My OB practice was the same way- you got whoever was on call. I will say that while I would have loved to have had MY OB there when I had DD, I truthfully couldn't have cared less who was there when it came time to push- all I wanted was to see my daughter.

schmood · December 2014

My MW practice is the same where you get who is on-call. (and same with the OB group that they practice with) It's recommended that you see all the MWs through your pregnancy since you don't know who you'll get. I think were 7 or 8 in the practice and I did see all but 1 during my prenatal visits. Like PP mentioned, when it was go time, I didn't really care who was there doing the delivering

eggmankate · December 2014

The Park Nicollet Midwives (and PN OBs for that matter) cover for each other in the hospital. If you wanted to stay with a MW instead of risking having an OB maybe during your delivery I recommend checking out Park Nicollet. They work in SLP, Brooklyn Center and Minneapolis so SLP is probably closest to you. Park Nicollet delivers at Methodist and the MWs are trained for water births

MorganneMpls · December 2014

From what I've gathered, when I was choosing providers earlier on in my pregnancy every single office worked like this (which makes sense if you think about it because you don't want someone who has been up for 72 hours because their patients all happen to be going into labor delivering your baby.) I made the choice just to see/meet as many as the providers in the practice as possible. Sure, there are some that I prefer more than others, but from what I hear (and this is my first baby so I don't know from experience) the delivery nurses are the ones that are going to spend the most time with you anyway. Good luck!

sparticuss2277 · December 2014

Are you saying that if your midwife is not on call, you might get an OB? Or did you mean a different midwife? In my experience, if you are seeing midwives, then you get whichever midwife is on call and if you're seeing OB's, then you get whichever OB is on call. I would not be happy with an OB delivering my baby if I was expecting a midwife. There were about 5 midwives in my practice and I made sure to schedule at least one appointment with each of them, so that I knew I'd be comfortable with whoever was delivering me.

TwinsCitiesMomma · December 2014

Does your clinic only have one midwife? Is that why you would end up with an OB if the midwife is not on call when you go into labor?

I was with a clinic that I was not getting warm feelings about and just moved over to Park Nicollet in St. Louis Park with the midwives. Same deal as what PP's said- I don't know which midwife will actually be on call when I deliver but at least I will have gotten to know all of them by then. Sounds like SLP may be too far off a drive for you but you should check out other clinics in your area if you are uncomfortable with your current situation.

Also- I would re-think the doula investment. I have never heard of anyone saying they wish they had not gotten one but I have heard people say they will get a doula next time. I hear they are worth every penny. My yoga place has several doulas that I have gotten to know over the last 5 months. Happy to recommend one if you are interested.

kmos816 · December 2014

The midwives I saw (u of mn) were the same way. When it was go time I really didn't care but was pleasantly suprised when one of my favorite midwife was the one on call! Also something to think about- Where I delivered you actually spend more time with the nurses than with the midwife.

DH did great as my labor coach but Next time I'll probably get a doula as well.

TroopT45 · January 2015

I just had an amazing VBAC with North Memorial Midwives. There are only three in the practice and each of them have different personalities, but I loved all three of them! I also hired a Doula who was a lifesaver not only for me, but great support for my husband as well.

I've heard good things about the midwives at Methodist as well, but I personally don't have experience with them. It's never too late to switch providers until the baby is out! If you aren't feeling comfortable with the possibility of delivering with an OB, then I would strongly encourage you to switch. I "broke up" with my OB at around 30 weeks and it was one of the best choices I could have made.

If the cost of a doula is what's making you avoid hiring one there are a ton of options available. Check out the Childbirth Collective (www.childbirthcollective.org). Another great option is Everyday Miracles (www.everyday-miracles.org). I hope that helps!

MesmrEwe · January 2015

Given that we're near the cities, it's a lot different than a small town practice with one or two MW or OB's on staff. Pretty much no matter where you go, you'll end up having whomever happens to be on call whether that be a MW, OB, or even some Doula services, and this can be multiple individuals because L&D can last in some cases, days. I think there were three or four shift changes when I had DD. As the PP pointed out, when the time comes you could give a rip who's in there or if you were in the middle of a packed movie theater, it's time to get that baby OUT! I had an awesome OB who was overseeing things while his shift ran and then came to check on me when I'd delivered when he was off the clock. Now that he's in the process of retiring it's kind of nice to know some of the other OB/GYN's in the practice because when there's an issue it's easier to set an appointment..

britab · January 2015

I go to Allina and saw a family doctor for prenatal care and they do their own deliveries. I had a great experience.

LoveLikeNoOther · January 2015

I also used North Metro Midwives for my first. You meet with all three midwives during your pregnancy and get to them all very well. One of the three will be on-call for your delivery. Personally the reason I chose a midwife was so, as you mentioned, I could develop a trust relationship with my provider. The thought of some random doctor who may not support my choices or know my care history, etc, horrified me. This time around (for #3) I'm having a homebirth.

hannam01 · January 2015

As previous posters have said, the clinics and hospitals MW and OBs in the metro all work like this. A family practice doc may give more continuity of care, and homebirth midwives have smaller practices (usually 2 people) so you know who will be at your birth.

If you want a doula, but are wary of the cost, HCMC which has their midwife center separate from the OB ward and offers free doulas to all of their patients. Or try the childbirth collective where new doulas or students may offer support for free or reduced cost.

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Midwife Roulette - Who's delivering my baby?

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