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Midwife vs. OB
ok, i just called about 10 different ob/gyn offices in the area. we only have 3 hospitals that deliver babies...... and only one has waterbirthing. and not all ob/gyn offices are affilated with which hospital i choose. uhh, so confusing. ANYWAY..... sorry for rambling on............. what do you think about a birth with a midwife vs. an OB.............
tell me all you know........... im getting confused....... do midwives help you with breathing throughout labor? or maybe other techniques???? LET ME KNOW GIRLS....... I want to get everything to go like i plan on. (first pregnancy i saw like 3 or 4 diff docs. --- i couldnt connect with any of them........ I hope this time around will be different!!)
tell me all you know........... im getting confused....... do midwives help you with breathing throughout labor? or maybe other techniques???? LET ME KNOW GIRLS....... I want to get everything to go like i plan on. (first pregnancy i saw like 3 or 4 diff docs. --- i couldnt connect with any of them........ I hope this time around will be different!!)
I've never had a midwife but from what I understand they are a lot like an ob. Unless there is a complication requiring a doctor they do everything the ob does. As far as helping out with the labor, I hear doulas are really good. Again, I don't know how a midwife would be but I'm assuming she might be busy with other patients at the same time, much like a doctor.
ok, thnx!!! anyone else???? input? advice??? Im leaning towards giving birth naturally this time around
IF you have a goal of an unmedicated/low intervention birth then Midwives and OB's are generally considered to be on opposite ends of the spectrum. The thing about OB's is they see high risk patients day in and day out and I think it's much more common for them to view birth as a medical thing with many complications which it generally is not or should not have to be. Midwives (in general) should be much more geared towards birth being a natural process. As long as your pregnancy stays low risk you should be able to stay with the Midwife from start to finish. I would expect they are much more apt to spend time with you in labor but part of that will depend on how busy they are etc. You would have to ask them what is typical for them. The middle ground would be a family practice doctor that delivers. Usually much less invasive and more laid back the most OB's. That being said I"m sure there are fantastic OB's out there. OH and in my experience you're much more likely to have YOUR doctor or midwife deliver if you go with family practice or midwife, vs OB"s where generally you would get whoever is on call.
I personally wouldn't entrust my prenatal care to anyone other than an OB - but that's just me....I know many women who have had amazing experiences with midwives.
I know that a lot of people come down on doctors for being impersonal, pressuring their patients, treating pregnancy as thought it's a disease....but I've never felt that way with my doctor.
I think that the main thing is that you trust whoever is providing your care, whether they are an OB or a midwife. And, as marie1210 said, if what you're looking for is additional support throughout labour, I think that you'd likely want to hire a doula....
I know that a lot of people come down on doctors for being impersonal, pressuring their patients, treating pregnancy as thought it's a disease....but I've never felt that way with my doctor.
I think that the main thing is that you trust whoever is providing your care, whether they are an OB or a midwife. And, as marie1210 said, if what you're looking for is additional support throughout labour, I think that you'd likely want to hire a doula....
I really don't think it is a midwife vs OB thing, it is more of a personal connection thing. I have an OB who has midwife's in her practice and I love them all. Neither the OB or the midwife's have ever pressured me about anything one way or the other. The goal is to find someone you are happy and comfortable with and one that will follow YOUR birth plan as much as possible.
When i was preggo i went to an office that had several midwives and a few ob/gyn (which i never even saw) but they did let all of the midwives meet me on diff visits just so it wouldnt be a complete stranger delivering. there is really not much of a diff between the 2 if it is a simple delivery, ob's mostly do the complicated deliveries. Also you will sometimes get whom ever is on call that day/night
There are huge differences between midwives and obstetricians. Also, please note that there are a few different kinds of midwives. You would want a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM).
Midwives will remain with you during your labor; OBs usually only appear when it is time to push or if they need to come to check on your dilation and progress.
Midwives can and do deliver in your own home; an OB would not.
Midwives are more into natural births, including waterbirths; most OBs are not. This is where you have to be picky if it's important to you to have a natural/waterbirth. There are a few gems of OBs who do appreciate natural births and some hospitals are opening up to the idea of waterbirth!
Midwives are more into trying things naturally before augmenting you (inducing). They will wait as long as possible for your body to go on its own because they know starting cervix softeners (Cervidil, i.e.) and Pitocin can lead to other complications.
Midwives typically have really, really low c-section rates. My midwife's c-section rate was less than 4% whereas my OB's was around 36-40%! That is almost half of every birth resulting in a ceserean and that is absolutely ridiculous. We're the ONLY country that cuts women like we do.
Midwives are a lot less expensive than an OB, even more so if you give birth in your own home. Please note that home birth, for a low risk woman who has a medical professional present, is actually proven to be safer than birth in a hospital. It has been proven countless times and I can provide MANY references. More women and babies die in hospitals in America on labor and delivery than anywhere else in the world. My husband wasn't comfortable doing our birth at home and our midwife delivered at a hospital so we made compromises- I got the midwife and he got the safety net of having a hospital with an OB down the hall.
If I remember correctly you're the one who watched The Business of Being Born, right? If so I must tell you that everything in that video is completely accurate.
I've given birth with an OB twice and a midwife once. I wish I would've had a midwife at every birth! Are there bad midwives? Yes. Have bad things happened to women under the care of a midwife? Yes. But NOT nearly as much as they've happened to women with an OB.
Here's something else important to note: midwives have more knowledge and experience in birth than obstetricians do. Not long ago it wasn't uncommon for a young doctor to come out of medical college without ever having witnessed a live birth. They don't know what womens' bodies can do.
OBs are WONDERFUL... but in surgical and emergent situations. They truly are surgeons and great at what they do WHEN they are needed. Otherwise the Midwifery Model of Care (google it) is what a low-risk woman truly needs during her labor to ensure the best possible outcome to herself (emotionally, physically, mentally and hormonally) and to baby.
Midwives will remain with you during your labor; OBs usually only appear when it is time to push or if they need to come to check on your dilation and progress.
Midwives can and do deliver in your own home; an OB would not.
Midwives are more into natural births, including waterbirths; most OBs are not. This is where you have to be picky if it's important to you to have a natural/waterbirth. There are a few gems of OBs who do appreciate natural births and some hospitals are opening up to the idea of waterbirth!
Midwives are more into trying things naturally before augmenting you (inducing). They will wait as long as possible for your body to go on its own because they know starting cervix softeners (Cervidil, i.e.) and Pitocin can lead to other complications.
Midwives typically have really, really low c-section rates. My midwife's c-section rate was less than 4% whereas my OB's was around 36-40%! That is almost half of every birth resulting in a ceserean and that is absolutely ridiculous. We're the ONLY country that cuts women like we do.
Midwives are a lot less expensive than an OB, even more so if you give birth in your own home. Please note that home birth, for a low risk woman who has a medical professional present, is actually proven to be safer than birth in a hospital. It has been proven countless times and I can provide MANY references. More women and babies die in hospitals in America on labor and delivery than anywhere else in the world. My husband wasn't comfortable doing our birth at home and our midwife delivered at a hospital so we made compromises- I got the midwife and he got the safety net of having a hospital with an OB down the hall.
If I remember correctly you're the one who watched The Business of Being Born, right? If so I must tell you that everything in that video is completely accurate.
I've given birth with an OB twice and a midwife once. I wish I would've had a midwife at every birth! Are there bad midwives? Yes. Have bad things happened to women under the care of a midwife? Yes. But NOT nearly as much as they've happened to women with an OB.
Here's something else important to note: midwives have more knowledge and experience in birth than obstetricians do. Not long ago it wasn't uncommon for a young doctor to come out of medical college without ever having witnessed a live birth. They don't know what womens' bodies can do.
OBs are WONDERFUL... but in surgical and emergent situations. They truly are surgeons and great at what they do WHEN they are needed. Otherwise the Midwifery Model of Care (google it) is what a low-risk woman truly needs during her labor to ensure the best possible outcome to herself (emotionally, physically, mentally and hormonally) and to baby.
And P.S. Midwives, in my opinion, care more about women health and birthing babies than many OBs. Not ALL OBs are like that. But for the majority they want to get you in, get you out and get you delivered ASAP. Midwives take their time, some meet in your home, they know your kids' names and your professions, etc., etc. I just think the care is overall a lot better and more personal.
When I had my post partum visit the midwives were passing my baby around and coddling her and I could just tell BABIES is what they were all about. I never ever once had an OB do that. They'd kind of half smile at the baby and then get down to business.
When I had my post partum visit the midwives were passing my baby around and coddling her and I could just tell BABIES is what they were all about. I never ever once had an OB do that. They'd kind of half smile at the baby and then get down to business.
I forgot to answer your questions- yes, a midwife can and does help you throughout your labor. They will help you cope with pain. I was working through a contraction and I had my eyes screwed shut. It was a particular strong contraction and I started to lose my breathing so the midwife showed me a different way to breathe and I instantly calmed down. She also put counter pressure on my lower back during contractions (FELT GREAT).
If you really want labor support you can hire a doula. Many people say they don't want a "stranger" in their room but honestly you get to know your doula throughout your pregnancy and they're hardly a stranger by that point. They are just excited as seeing your baby born as you are.
Midwives will also help you with techniques on alleviating pain by using water, birth ball, squat bar, even the toilet! Yes, the toilet is a great place to sit while in labor. They are with you as soon as they can get there and unless an emergency pops up they'll remain there with you until the end!
If you really want labor support you can hire a doula. Many people say they don't want a "stranger" in their room but honestly you get to know your doula throughout your pregnancy and they're hardly a stranger by that point. They are just excited as seeing your baby born as you are.
Midwives will also help you with techniques on alleviating pain by using water, birth ball, squat bar, even the toilet! Yes, the toilet is a great place to sit while in labor. They are with you as soon as they can get there and unless an emergency pops up they'll remain there with you until the end!
WOW THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!!!!! NOw i definatly know that i rally would prefer a midwife over ob anyday. i am looking for a good relationship with whoever will care for the baby and i. =) I can keep reading about this!!! so interesting.
thanks joyrenee I was wondering along the same lines. I don't see an ob but you did answer and give us some wonderful advice. I am due in a month or sooner and this being my first I will need all the advice possible since I have no idea what it will really feel like.
m3lanie- you are due in about a month? I would definitely try to find someone to start talking to ASAP about your birthing plans. If you want to have a natural birth then it does take some planning and figuring out what you'll do if X happens. And to learn coping techniques if you do not wish to use pain medication. Contractions hurt.
MOST OBs (and I do say most) treat birth like an infection- as something to be treated. The truth is that women were born to give birth. Our pelvises are unique, our organ (the uterus) is unique in that it is the only one to expand and shrink as it does and we have the ability to grow and house an entire little human inside of us. What happened before OBs? Women gave birth with midwives.
Have mortality rates decreased? Yes! Because we have more knowledge. We know how to diagnose things like pre-eclampsia and placenta previa so that we can prevent the unthinkable.
High risk women truly do need OBs. They are a necessity. For for a low-risk woman the more interventions that are thrust upon her (fetal monitoring, Pitocin, artificially breaking the water before her body is ready, etc.) can put her in a position where she is very vulnerable and at high risk for major complications which can lead to ceserean. Just watch A Baby Story.
It is common today and "the norm" for a woman to end up in the hospital in labor (or show up for induction) and she is feeling good and working through contractions. But then they do X to her and then they decide to Pit her because she is not progressing within a certain time limit. Because of X and the Pit then Y happens. No longer do you see a woman laboring to bring her baby into the world but a hungry and thirsty woman laying prostrate on the bed no longer in control of what her body is doing.
I must also mention that midwives are more likely to allow you to birth in a position other than lithotomy (on your back or semi-sitting). The lithotomy position is not a natural position to birth in and is only to give the doctor optimal view of the baby coming out. Sorry but your child's birth shouldn't be about the doctor's comfort. What needs to happen is for the woman to listen to her body and get into a position that feels right to her (usually squatting or on hands-and-knees). The positions I just mentioned are OPTIMAL for your pelvis for opening wide for baby to descend. Squatting shortens the length of the vagina and opens the pelvis so it is a great position to birth in.
Another thing is that the lithotomy position increases your risks of tearing. It is harder to push in this position as well. And don't even get me started on pushing by holding your breath and counting to 10.
I wish both of you much luck in finding a suitable care provider during your pregnancies!
MOST OBs (and I do say most) treat birth like an infection- as something to be treated. The truth is that women were born to give birth. Our pelvises are unique, our organ (the uterus) is unique in that it is the only one to expand and shrink as it does and we have the ability to grow and house an entire little human inside of us. What happened before OBs? Women gave birth with midwives.
Have mortality rates decreased? Yes! Because we have more knowledge. We know how to diagnose things like pre-eclampsia and placenta previa so that we can prevent the unthinkable.
High risk women truly do need OBs. They are a necessity. For for a low-risk woman the more interventions that are thrust upon her (fetal monitoring, Pitocin, artificially breaking the water before her body is ready, etc.) can put her in a position where she is very vulnerable and at high risk for major complications which can lead to ceserean. Just watch A Baby Story.
It is common today and "the norm" for a woman to end up in the hospital in labor (or show up for induction) and she is feeling good and working through contractions. But then they do X to her and then they decide to Pit her because she is not progressing within a certain time limit. Because of X and the Pit then Y happens. No longer do you see a woman laboring to bring her baby into the world but a hungry and thirsty woman laying prostrate on the bed no longer in control of what her body is doing.
I must also mention that midwives are more likely to allow you to birth in a position other than lithotomy (on your back or semi-sitting). The lithotomy position is not a natural position to birth in and is only to give the doctor optimal view of the baby coming out. Sorry but your child's birth shouldn't be about the doctor's comfort. What needs to happen is for the woman to listen to her body and get into a position that feels right to her (usually squatting or on hands-and-knees). The positions I just mentioned are OPTIMAL for your pelvis for opening wide for baby to descend. Squatting shortens the length of the vagina and opens the pelvis so it is a great position to birth in.
Another thing is that the lithotomy position increases your risks of tearing. It is harder to push in this position as well. And don't even get me started on pushing by holding your breath and counting to 10.
I wish both of you much luck in finding a suitable care provider during your pregnancies!
The hospital I'll be giving birth in has a high success rate in natural births ( they don't offer epidural since it prolongs birth but as a last resort it is there ) the midwives here are great and very much there the whole time to help if you need it before and during the big moment. Let me put it this way.. It is like a factory line where the babies are born rather fast and that's thanks to the midwives here. I already do alot of squatting since it helps take pressure and discomfort away for me and most definately toilet sitting - my hips and pelvis feel like theyre falling apart and it is more so in the evening when she's moving around. My partner, he puts pressure on my lower back right across my butt cheeks and rubs hard when im on my all fours or squatting. Huge help. I am planning and want all natural birth so I'm getting very prepared. Thanks JoyRenee for such helpful information. Now that's a CM for ya :)
WAIT it's CL but CM works too lol. I forgot to mention that they do provide pain management at this hospital in drug form ( there is a list you can chose from - gas being one option but not sure about the rest.. think another was morphine. Just something to take the edge off ) well before they would even come close to giving someone epidural. 1 of my friends just had her son 3 weeks ago and she said she was only in labour 3 hours and had no drugs at all. It wasn't a walk in the park by no means but she had support and techniques which helped.
I couldn't agree MORE with EVERYTHING you said. Thanks for taking the time to share and write in such an understandable, caring way.
i personally wouldn't chose a midwife because they are not doctors. when i deliver i want a doctor by my side that can handle any situation should it arise. midwives are essentially nurses, and that does not make me feel safe or feel my child is getting the best care. bedside manners are not the most important aspect of delivering your child.
You really nead to do a little more research on you just said. Just so you know MANY ob/gyn have NEVER experianced a natural birth, most of them know how to give you pitocin and an epidural, and better yet a c-section. FOR EXAMPLE; you go into labor, not moving along as quickly as the doc prefers, gives you pitocin, painful, u request epidural, they give you such a high dose of pitocin, your child starts going into stress............. its not the labor itself. It was the ob/gyn doc. that started this whole problem................and that is EXACTLY why the c-section rate is at 46%............ GET the facts before you post something like that. Midwives on the other hand have witnessed thousands of normal healthy births. which is the way nature intended things to be. I personally dont care what degree a person will have just so they are knowledgeable in what they are doing, noooo NOT from books or "school" but from real- life experiances.......... AND midwives have way more knowledge and take more training geared towards labor, then any ob. yes they obviously are needed for an ER c-section, but no they are absolutly not nessary for labor, JUst SO u know, and dont be alarmed YOur DOCTOR WILL NOT HELP U WITH LABOR, he will just come in to see how open u are. and when u gotta push. If your idea of an ob/gyn is that he will be ur night in shining armor, u are mistaken!!!! i had an ob/gyn, i regret it now.he popped in to say hi how u doin. and left......... came back in when baby was out. you know who deliverfed my baby ?????------ a midwife! =)
and yes that is how the majority of ob/gyn's treat their patients........... dont be expecting a different kind of treatment, likei said they specialize with high risk/ c-section patients. if you are looking for natural birth and ob would not be your choice. read what joyrenee said on thsi post............ i just kinda got offended how you think thatif someone chose a midwifde that it is not the best "care" for a child.---- its not true.......... the best 'care' is when u choose someone who will help you embrace the fact that you are having a child, not someone who is eager to just get his job done.
I live in Canada, and midwives are rarely used here, in fact I wouldn't even know where to find one to be honest! Its very interesting to read about how different people's experiences are depending on where they are from ect.
My son (now 4) was 11 days overdue. I was induced by first breaking my water, then a pitocin IV. At 6 cm I had an epidural, and after 4.5 hours of labour my son was born with no complications. I have complete faith in my OB (I am seeing the same one for our 2nd baby, due in July) and I will start seeing him at 16 weeks.
I am wondering if midwives will become popular here at some point? Again, its so interesting how different things are :)
My son (now 4) was 11 days overdue. I was induced by first breaking my water, then a pitocin IV. At 6 cm I had an epidural, and after 4.5 hours of labour my son was born with no complications. I have complete faith in my OB (I am seeing the same one for our 2nd baby, due in July) and I will start seeing him at 16 weeks.
I am wondering if midwives will become popular here at some point? Again, its so interesting how different things are :)
yeah, i know!!!!! since ob's are so popular in america the death rate for both mother and child is also SECOND highest in the world. HOW SAD!
Yes, we do have the second highest mortality rate in America and yet we are one of the most powerful nations in the world.
As to another comment above- midwives are not essentially nurses. They are very skilled and knowledgeable in pregnancy and birth alone. It is all that they do. They devote their lives to bringing children into the world as safely as possible. I know that you may have had a bad experience with one. But you cannot label an entire field of people as being "bad" based on one story alone. That is like saying, "I'll never fly in a plane because there's ONE story where the pilots fell asleep and the plane overshot their destination" because there are so many good pilots out there (like the one that safely landed in the river and saved every life on board). We get into deep trouble when we label entire peoples (Holocaust, slavery, etc.).
As to another comment above- midwives are not essentially nurses. They are very skilled and knowledgeable in pregnancy and birth alone. It is all that they do. They devote their lives to bringing children into the world as safely as possible. I know that you may have had a bad experience with one. But you cannot label an entire field of people as being "bad" based on one story alone. That is like saying, "I'll never fly in a plane because there's ONE story where the pilots fell asleep and the plane overshot their destination" because there are so many good pilots out there (like the one that safely landed in the river and saved every life on board). We get into deep trouble when we label entire peoples (Holocaust, slavery, etc.).
m3lanie- oh okay! I'm glad to know you are already preparing and doing all you can to have the birth you want. From the previous comment you had made I assumed you hadn't. Good for you and your husband! He should be very proud of you.
I get a little irritated when people are against birth plans. I personally didn't have birth plans with my first two births. I wrote a birth plan this last one and everything went just as planned. When people say, "Don't get your hopes up too high! Things can change..." Well that is because you're giving birth where there is a domino effect of things happening to you that can drastically change the course of your plans. If you keep it simple and use as few interventions as possible then you very well can and should have the desired birth outcome pending there are no other conditions (dropping blood pressure, for example) that rise up.
I get a little irritated when people are against birth plans. I personally didn't have birth plans with my first two births. I wrote a birth plan this last one and everything went just as planned. When people say, "Don't get your hopes up too high! Things can change..." Well that is because you're giving birth where there is a domino effect of things happening to you that can drastically change the course of your plans. If you keep it simple and use as few interventions as possible then you very well can and should have the desired birth outcome pending there are no other conditions (dropping blood pressure, for example) that rise up.
JoyRenee - oh I've wanted a natural child birth all
along and have been reading lots but nothing can prepare you for the real deal especially in my case being my first time. I really do not know how it feels or truely know what to expect.. That is why your posts are a huge help and I can compare notes
with my research and put it to good use.
Tido08- I'm in canada too and we have a labour and delivery ward at the hospital and the women in that whole ward are classed as midwives that look like they are nurses or doctors wearing typical scrubs. The actual Doctors get paged when needed, they are not there the whole time like the trained midwives are that are educated enough to qualify to help deliver a baby.
along and have been reading lots but nothing can prepare you for the real deal especially in my case being my first time. I really do not know how it feels or truely know what to expect.. That is why your posts are a huge help and I can compare notes
with my research and put it to good use.
Tido08- I'm in canada too and we have a labour and delivery ward at the hospital and the women in that whole ward are classed as midwives that look like they are nurses or doctors wearing typical scrubs. The actual Doctors get paged when needed, they are not there the whole time like the trained midwives are that are educated enough to qualify to help deliver a baby.
i LOVE reading what you have to say, your always right to the point!!!!!!!! and im soo happy i posted this up, cuz i have gotten a lot of info im not sure i wouldve noticed it on the web!!!!! this is great!!!!! now where is that BFP?????? ;) cant wait, and guess what no one even knows we want a 2nd!!!!!! i am trying SO hard not to spill it to my momma!!!
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