Diaper Swappers

blackberry75 · 07-26-2011, 08:03 PM

I really wanted to go back to my old OB for this pregnancy, but she retired-good for her, bad for me. She was very supportive of my choices, gently guided me when I needed it, actually listened -no in&out visits if I needed more information, just overall great. Even though she wasn't on duty the day I was induced, she called several times to talk to me and the OB who delivered LO when I felt the other was not listening to me. We really clicked and she even came the next day (she was off) just to see LO and how I was doing.

Since she is not an option this time around, I'm thinking of maybe using a midwife. I won't go back to the practice she was at because I don't like the other OBs there. There are a lot of benefits to using either a midwife or OB, so I'm not sure how to choose. I probably, maybe want a hospital birth. No matter how natural having a baby is, I'm terrified of delivery-especially since the one and only time I've done it had a lot of necessary medical help. Honestly, I'm not even sure how to find a midwife in my area or if I do that they'll accept me as a patient w/o insurance.

Soooo, how did you choose? I don't care if this is your first baby or 100th baby.

Just2fornow · 07-26-2011, 08:33 PM

Well....I used an OB for my first because I was also worried about giving birth because I had no idea what to expect. I chose my OB because she had a low c-section rate and was very supportive of me going as natural as I wanted. However, my birth was completely normal and I didn't care for the whole hospital atmosphere. So with my second I knew I wanted to have a midwife because I wanted an out of hospital birth in a free standing birth center. Also, I had no insurance and it was much much cheaper to go to the midwife then even think of using an OB and hospital again. We paid $3400 total for our midwife which included prenatal visits (1 hour each time), delivery, in-home visit at day 2 and day 6 and my 6 week check up. They were also available long after baby came for questions about anything from breastfeeding to sinus infections.

That being said, if you fear birth and had a difficult labor with your first you may want to plan on a hospital birth again. If you worry about having an OB who is med-happy and want someone who is more helpful then I would call your local hospitals and see if they have a resident midwife. One of our hospitals has one and she delivers only in the hospital but you get midwife style care.

VeganCupcake · 07-26-2011, 09:00 PM

I knew I wanted a home birth, so an OB was not an option.

I started interviewing home birth midwives, and when I found one I liked and who had policies and recommendations that I agreed with, I stuck with her (I had done a bunch of reading about birth before I got pregnant).

There are lots of midwife and OB combo practices in my area that deliver in hospitals--if you want to deliver in a hospital, start visiting practices and do interviews with them to see if you like anyone.

You can also ask like-minded friends for recommendations. I would make sure the people you ask have very similar expectations for the type of birth you want to have.

Kriket · 07-27-2011, 03:12 PM

I use midwives at the hospital

I don't like Drs. I have a similar mentality to midwives that bodies CAN and DO have babies. But just in case... Even thought both my kids were induced and pit augmented, one was so tangled in his cord it was thisclose to being a c-section, I had GD, etc. I still have this grand idea of birth being unicorn farts and rainbow cake

Any who. The MWs can handle all this, but they try the "hippie BS" first, which I like.

I am sure some Drs are wonderful and very natural minded, but generally they would rather go for something they can control, like a procedure or a schedule, before the wait and see, or sex and pineapple for induction route.

That how I made my decision

I react very poorly to modern medicine. I am allergic to many things, and things don't always work in me like they should. Plus I am terrified of some of the things that have become standard procedure. Like epidurals?! WTF, keep your tubes out of my spine. I'd rather be in labor than have someone digging in my spine with a needle. I'm just interested in lifesaving intervention. Not preventive measures or comfort. I'll be the first in line for a c-section if it saves my baby, or prevents serious damage. Otherwise, I got nervous just being near the OR when DS was in the NICU. And the baby was already out!

MichelleSG · 07-27-2011, 03:20 PM

My ob practice has midwives there but I couldn't go that route because I was trying for a VBAC and their midwives weren't allowed to do those. You may want to look around for a practice like that which has both. It's more likely that your insurance will pay for the midwife if it's through an ob practice. My insurance wouldn't pay for a birthing center with midwives but would pay for the ob practice. In the end I went with an ob in the practice that had a strong midwifery lean. Still ended up with another emergency c but was allowed a more than fair trial of labor first before making the decision.

songbird516 · 07-27-2011, 03:58 PM

I think it's all about what makes you comfortable. I really didn't like the OB's office for my first pregnancy. I wanted a midwife, but couldn't find one that insurance would cover. Even though I had a super fast hospital birth, even the 20 minutes I was there before she was born was enough to bother me, and I didn't like some of their policies (taking her to the warmer, etc).

This time, I am for sure going with a midwife. I interviewed one already, and it seems like the care, especially postpartum, is so much better. She comes at least 4 times within the first few weeks pp, whereas all I got with the stupid OB was waiting for 1.5 hours for one lousy 6 week pp "visit" that lasted all of 10 minutes.

goatgeek · 07-27-2011, 04:15 PM

I have had 3 different OB/hospital births although I was happy with most of it this time I chose a MW for my first home birth.I have wanted a more intimate experience from dealing with my prenatal care to not being a big fat turtle laying on a bed waiting to give birth lol I really want to have more control and when I met my MW I knew she would help me make that happen.we really hit it off and it just flowed easily,she made me feel very confident in my choice,where with my OB it was like being diagnosed and told what to do all the time.Just very impersonal for a very personal situation kwim?also we have no insurance so it's cheaper for me to have a home birth.But to be honest it should be whatever situation that makes you most comfortable,good luck

bigmamakelsey · 07-27-2011, 04:21 PM

First and formost, I think you should choose someone that you have a connection with, wheather he/she be a midwife or an OB. That being said, I guess it depends what you are looking for in a birth. Midwives tend to more "let your body do the work" and OBs tend to have a medical plan set up for every women and every birth, and go according to their birth plan unless you intervien. They will usually tell you they handle and are open to every different kind of birth, but in actually the hospitals are usually set up to handle one kind of birth - a medicalized one. OBs are basically surgeons, where as a midwife is trained JUST in pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum. I like that in midwives - that their focus is not split. Either way, consider all your options and find a person you really click with. And as I tell everyone, don't rule out homebirth

Its a great option for low risk pregnancies and the environment can make things less tense in labor. Even if you have needed medical intervention in the past, it doesn't mean a homebirth midwife wouldn't be able to provide you with any. Homebirth midwives come with everything they need, not just sterile towels and gloves! They have a fetal doppler, oxygen, pitocin, ect. to cover you if something were to happen.
GL mama

CASMama711 · 07-27-2011, 04:32 PM

I see a midwife at a combo OB/midwife practice. I'm trying for a VBAC and would like to keep things as natural as possible, but I'm also high-risk. For me, the combo midwife/OB practice makes the most sense because I have the care of a midwife and I'll have a hospital birth with intervention available if it becomes necessary. My midwife (and I) also has the support of the OBs who she already works with every day.

lecialefty · 07-27-2011, 06:30 PM

I didn't really care for my prenatal care or delivery with an ob. I found out that people still saw midwives and had home births, yeah I think I lived under a rock or something.

I decided to go with a midwife because I feel more comfortable with it. And the fact that she treats birth as a natural thing and doesn't see the need for the 14 billion interventions some obs come up with. And I'm not a people person, having my baby in my home with just 3 adults (dh, midwife, assistant) is extremely appealing to me.

07-26-2011, 08:03 PM	#1
blackberry75 Registered Users Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 5,346 Ratings: 3 Feedback: 100%	How do you choice between a midwife and an OB I really wanted to go back to my old OB for this pregnancy, but she retired-good for her, bad for me. She was very supportive of my choices, gently guided me when I needed it, actually listened -no in&out visits if I needed more information, just overall great. Even though she wasn't on duty the day I was induced, she called several times to talk to me and the OB who delivered LO when I felt the other was not listening to me. We really clicked and she even came the next day (she was off) just to see LO and how I was doing. Since she is not an option this time around, I'm thinking of maybe using a midwife. I won't go back to the practice she was at because I don't like the other OBs there. There are a lot of benefits to using either a midwife or OB, so I'm not sure how to choose. I probably, maybe want a hospital birth. No matter how natural having a baby is, I'm terrified of delivery-especially since the one and only time I've done it had a lot of necessary medical help. Honestly, I'm not even sure how to find a midwife in my area or if I do that they'll accept me as a patient w/o insurance. Soooo, how did you choose? I don't care if this is your first baby or 100th baby. __________________ $5 sign up bonus at inboxdollars "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." Carl Sagan Bad spellers of the world UNTIE!

07-26-2011, 08:33 PM	#2
Just2fornow Registered Users Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: idaho Posts: 1,190 My Mood:	Re: How do you choice between a midwife and an OB Well....I used an OB for my first because I was also worried about giving birth because I had no idea what to expect. I chose my OB because she had a low c-section rate and was very supportive of me going as natural as I wanted. However, my birth was completely normal and I didn't care for the whole hospital atmosphere. So with my second I knew I wanted to have a midwife because I wanted an out of hospital birth in a free standing birth center. Also, I had no insurance and it was much much cheaper to go to the midwife then even think of using an OB and hospital again. We paid $3400 total for our midwife which included prenatal visits (1 hour each time), delivery, in-home visit at day 2 and day 6 and my 6 week check up. They were also available long after baby came for questions about anything from breastfeeding to sinus infections. That being said, if you fear birth and had a difficult labor with your first you may want to plan on a hospital birth again. If you worry about having an OB who is med-happy and want someone who is more helpful then I would call your local hospitals and see if they have a resident midwife. One of our hospitals has one and she delivers only in the hospital but you get midwife style care. __________________ Meghan- WOHM-daycare/preschool Proud mama to Ella (9/08) and Henry (5/10)

07-26-2011, 09:00 PM	#3
VeganCupcake Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 2,605 Ratings: 58 Feedback: 100%	Re: How do you choice between a midwife and an OB I knew I wanted a home birth, so an OB was not an option. I started interviewing home birth midwives, and when I found one I liked and who had policies and recommendations that I agreed with, I stuck with her (I had done a bunch of reading about birth before I got pregnant). There are lots of midwife and OB combo practices in my area that deliver in hospitals--if you want to deliver in a hospital, start visiting practices and do interviews with them to see if you like anyone. You can also ask like-minded friends for recommendations. I would make sure the people you ask have very similar expectations for the type of birth you want to have. __________________ Catherine, tandem nursing mama to Preschooler Girl 9/08 and Toddler Boy 3/11 Breastfeeding for 4 years and counting!

07-27-2011, 03:12 PM	#4
Kriket Registered Users Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Ohio Posts: 6,148 Ratings: 32 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Re: How do you choice between a midwife and an OB I use midwives at the hospital I don't like Drs. I have a similar mentality to midwives that bodies CAN and DO have babies. But just in case... Even thought both my kids were induced and pit augmented, one was so tangled in his cord it was thisclose to being a c-section, I had GD, etc. I still have this grand idea of birth being unicorn farts and rainbow cake Any who. The MWs can handle all this, but they try the "hippie BS" first, which I like. I am sure some Drs are wonderful and very natural minded, but generally they would rather go for something they can control, like a procedure or a schedule, before the wait and see, or sex and pineapple for induction route. That how I made my decision I react very poorly to modern medicine. I am allergic to many things, and things don't always work in me like they should. Plus I am terrified of some of the things that have become standard procedure. Like epidurals?! WTF, keep your tubes out of my spine. I'd rather be in labor than have someone digging in my spine with a needle. I'm just interested in lifesaving intervention. Not preventive measures or comfort. I'll be the first in line for a c-section if it saves my baby, or prevents serious damage. Otherwise, I got nervous just being near the OR when DS was in the NICU. And the baby was already out! __________________ I make milkshakes in my yard.

07-27-2011, 03:20 PM	#5
MichelleSG Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: San Antonio Posts: 621 Ratings: 19 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Re: How do you choice between a midwife and an OB My ob practice has midwives there but I couldn't go that route because I was trying for a VBAC and their midwives weren't allowed to do those. You may want to look around for a practice like that which has both. It's more likely that your insurance will pay for the midwife if it's through an ob practice. My insurance wouldn't pay for a birthing center with midwives but would pay for the ob practice. In the end I went with an ob in the practice that had a strong midwifery lean. Still ended up with another emergency c but was allowed a more than fair trial of labor first before making the decision. __________________ Crazy semi-crunchy scientist mama to 1 DD almost 10 yrs old and DD 2 born July '11. CDing, extended vaxing, ERF, even been known to co-sleep (gasp!), and trying my best to baby wear a very persnickety diva.