@farmmomrao Not to beat a dead horse, but that is nowhere close to comparing apples to apples. By nature, moms with complications, sick babies, issues in general HAVE to deliver in a hospital so of course those numbers are going to be greater. Not to mention, I would be very surprised if the homebirth stats are accurate. There are always going to be rural people that have homebirths that are not necessarily reported. I appreciate that they do everything they can with the peer-reviewed study, and its probably as good of a stat as you'll find.
I'm really not trying to be a "home births are dangerous and unsafe and should be illegal" person. Like I've said, they're not for me based on personal experience, and I do think its a huge decision. But let's not use statistics that don't make any sense to prove a point. I think a midwife in a birth center adjacent to (or at least near) a major hospital is ideal, or even a midwife in a hospital. You just never can know how a birth is going to go, until it ... goes!
@ShadeofGreen816 I also think a birth center is probably the ideal situation, they are not available everywhere. I agree that the statistics are not perfect, but I think what the study shows is that a well planned homebirth attended by a CNM is not significantly more dangerous than a hospital birth. I just wanted to show that it is not a neglegent decision for a mother to make.
So, I just want to point out, I'm not against a home birth as long as your commute to a hospital is short. A home birth, in my opinion, is nearly the same as a birthcenter. They can bring whatever they need to monitor the baby with them to your home.
My concern about home births etc are the commute times to the hospital. I just wouldn't feel comfortable being more than 5 minutes away. If I'm being honest, 5 minutes is too far. Mainly because I'm thinking of the time to call for transport, loading you into the ambulance, then driving there. So it all adds up in the end.
It's up to each individual mom to make this decision for herself. Just like all other mom choices, you will make the one that makes since for your family and I will do the same.
@emeraldcity603 and @ruby696 thanks for the feedback. I think that’s probably what I will end up doing. My next ultrasound is with the midwife so I’ll be able to see if I feel comfortable with her. My OB is great and we get along well, but they don’t guarantee that you’ll deliver with your doc so it’s a gamble. And this may be slightly controversial, but a male doctor is a hard no for me. I feel like there are a lot less male midwives.
@TJtheGoat@chikin_mama_3 Does your practice have male docs? Mines probably 40-50% male so I’m not sure what one would do if that was the doc on call. Genuinely curious how you/they handle that.
@ShadeofGreen816 I’m not sure if there is currently a male OB/GYN on the team, but there has been in the past. When they tried to schedule me with him, I rescheduled with a different doctor. The on-call thing is exactly why I think I’ll probably go with a midwife, since it’s less likely to be a dude on call. If I end up needing a c-section or other emergency intervention then I don’t care who does it, but I am not comfortable with a male doctor while I’m in labor.
I've had two women midwives and a woman obgyn deliver me (needed the ob for the c-section), but the anesthesiologists for both my kids were men. Granted, they were up by my head, but they still saw more than enough. Both were awesome though and super professional.
Just chiming in to say I actually prefer a male doc. I feel like the women I've seen are more judgmental and "get over it" types while the men are more inclined to listen to my concerns. My OB of choice is a guy (though I have to see the women there as well) and I adore him.
Ultimately male OBGYNs are almost exclusively professional and good at their jobs(or at least as often as females). But I don’t think it’s uncommon for people to be uncomfortable with male OBs. My main OB is a male and he’s great. DD was delivered by a female who I loved, but she won’t prescribe birth control so I decided not to transfer to her.
I understand not being comfortable. It's a very personal opinion/matter. Definitely no judgement for those who are not comfortable with it. Just wanted to offer my experience/POV.
@ShadeofGreen816 I'm intrigued by the OB that doesn't prescribe BC. I would love going to see a doctor like that. I hate being told I'm going to get pregnant and be back sooner than I planned because I use FAM.
I have used it for almost 10 years now and I only get pregnant when I plan to get pregnant. I'm currently using (well was, and will, once this baby is born) Tempdrop as my wearable BBT thermometer. So it takes my temp for me and I don't have to worry about getting solid sleep or waking at the same time to get accurate temps.
@emeraldcity603 she is apparently very catholic and the practice is associated with a catholic hospital system so they allow her to practice that way. Since October 2015 we have done modified FAM but I don’t BBT just track my cycles and we basically used condoms 2 weeks of the month. It works for us and we have gotten KU on the first try both times which I think is just pure luck but it is wild. But we’re finished after this baby so I think given our apparent fertility he’ll have the V and I may do some form of BC until we have the official all clear for him. Def not interested in a surprise #3!
@ShadeofGreen816 I have tried HBC and I stop taking it every single time. I don't want to be on something that is going to make me gain weight plus my mom is a breast cancer survivor and estrogen fed her particular type of breast cancer so I stay away from estrogen HBC. There aren't many progesterone options.
After using FAM for so long I would never try anything else. My OB supports me using FAM and doesn't push BC on me, which I love. She is the first doctor I have met who even knows about it. The one I saw before her actually laughed at me when I told him I use a symptothermal method of natural family planning. Needless to say, I never saw him again.
My OB is a male and one thing I know is that because so many women that go to the same practice request not to be scheduled with a male, I have an easier time scheduling with mine, so that is nice! This is my first pregnancy, but I have seen him enough over the years for regular appointments and issues I have had that I think I am more comfortable staying with him at this point than looking elsewhere.
There are two males who practice at my Ob's office. The female doctor who delivered me last time is married to one of the men. If he is anywhere near as good as his wife I would gladly take him. It would probably weird DH out but it's my vag so my opinion is the one that matters. lol
@emeraldcity603 we use FAM too. I haven't done it as long as you have. Only 3 years now. I am curious about your wearable Tempdrop bbt thermometer. Does it sync to an app? If you have a super bad nights sleep could you delete the temp so it wouldn't record it? Or do you just record it after it tells you in the morning? I'm considering getting one after this pregnancy. I don't mind the normal thermometer but I really hate the days when I could sleep in on the weekend and have to set an alarm to wake up an take my temperature. Such an interruption to my sleep. Sorry that's so many questions lol.
@runyogamom, so it has an algorithm. It records your temps for 30 days and on day 31, the algorithm kicks in and changes all your temps based on your sleep patterns. So it learns what is normal for you based on your sleep data. Over time it gets more and more accurate. So by month 3, your temps are really smooth and your chart is beautiful. Since it takes a few cycles to "get to know you," it's best to use your regular BBT along side it until you are comfortable with the data you're getting. If I don't get a solid stretch of sleep I usually get a crazy temp, then I west it again and when I sync my device it corrects that temp based on my normal sleep patterns. I don't ever need to discard a temp because it is really good at filtering everything out.
It syncs with ovuview which is only an android app. They haven't found an iOS app to partner with yet. I use kindara because I like the look of the chart, it's so easy to read. They just recently rolled out an update to the algorithm so that only 3 of your past temps change when you sync your device every morning. Since that update my temps have been really smooth.
It is a newer device and has only been on the market for 2 years so there are a few kinks they are working out. For example, the frame may crack and break if you aren't gentle enough with it. They send a new frame for free if that happens. I have had the same frame since I bought it last February and there are no signs of a crack. I slide mine on and off instead of stretching it from side to side.
You can wear it on your arm or in a bra at night. It takes some getting used to but I couldn't imagine using FAM without it. It's approved for TTA with low intentions too. So it is a very reliable BBT.
@emeraldcity603 thanks for all of that! That is super helpful. Maybe by the time I'm ready to get something like this they will have an app to sync with iphone. I know these devices can be kind of pricey so once I do get one I just want to make sure it's something that I'll be able to use for awhile. Sounds like the TempDrop is very intuitive about picking up the correct temperature now. That's nice to know! Thanks for all of the answers
I realize this conversation has ranged far and wide and I'm bit late, but wanted to point out that I've never known a homebirth midwife (CPM or CNM) who doesn't carry oxygen with them and know how to use it! It's a crucial supply they'd never be without.
Re: Using a Midwife and or Doula?
I'm really not trying to be a "home births are dangerous and unsafe and should be illegal" person. Like I've said, they're not for me based on personal experience, and I do think its a huge decision. But let's not use statistics that don't make any sense to prove a point. I think a midwife in a birth center adjacent to (or at least near) a major hospital is ideal, or even a midwife in a hospital. You just never can know how a birth is going to go, until it ... goes!
My concern about home births etc are the commute times to the hospital. I just wouldn't feel comfortable being more than 5 minutes away. If I'm being honest, 5 minutes is too far. Mainly because I'm thinking of the time to call for transport, loading you into the ambulance, then driving there. So it all adds up in the end.
It's up to each individual mom to make this decision for herself. Just like all other mom choices, you will make the one that makes since for your family and I will do the same.
Does your practice have male docs? Mines probably 40-50% male so I’m not sure what one would do if that was the doc on call. Genuinely curious how you/they handle that.
I have used it for almost 10 years now and I only get pregnant when I plan to get pregnant. I'm currently using (well was, and will, once this baby is born) Tempdrop as my wearable BBT thermometer. So it takes my temp for me and I don't have to worry about getting solid sleep or waking at the same time to get accurate temps.
After using FAM for so long I would never try anything else. My OB supports me using FAM and doesn't push BC on me, which I love. She is the first doctor I have met who even knows about it. The one I saw before her actually laughed at me when I told him I use a symptothermal method of natural family planning. Needless to say, I never saw him again.
@emeraldcity603 we use FAM too. I haven't done it as long as you have. Only 3 years now. I am curious about your wearable Tempdrop bbt thermometer. Does it sync to an app? If you have a super bad nights sleep could you delete the temp so it wouldn't record it? Or do you just record it after it tells you in the morning?
I'm considering getting one after this pregnancy. I don't mind the normal thermometer but I really hate the days when I could sleep in on the weekend and have to set an alarm to wake up an take my temperature. Such an interruption to my sleep. Sorry that's so many questions lol.
It syncs with ovuview which is only an android app. They haven't found an iOS app to partner with yet. I use kindara because I like the look of the chart, it's so easy to read. They just recently rolled out an update to the algorithm so that only 3 of your past temps change when you sync your device every morning. Since that update my temps have been really smooth.
It is a newer device and has only been on the market for 2 years so there are a few kinks they are working out. For example, the frame may crack and break if you aren't gentle enough with it. They send a new frame for free if that happens. I have had the same frame since I bought it last February and there are no signs of a crack. I slide mine on and off instead of stretching it from side to side.
You can wear it on your arm or in a bra at night. It takes some getting used to but I couldn't imagine using FAM without it. It's approved for TTA with low intentions too. So it is a very reliable BBT.
Sounds like the TempDrop is very intuitive about picking up the correct temperature now. That's nice to know!
Thanks for all of the answers