Midwife vs OB

mommyrunning

Hello ladies. I am hoping for some feedback on what your experiences good & bad were with your OB or midwife. I have an OB currently that I like but I am exploring options. Quick background:

This is baby #3 for us
As I've mentioned in another post I am looking to do a VBAC
With the first 2 I was in the military and their hospitals allow very little choice in procedures (midwives, water births, etc.)
I am looking for a middle ground. I want to deliver in a hospital but want things to be very flexible
Both of my children ended up in the NICU/PICU for nearly 2 weeks due to what in my opinion were avoidable situations
Baby 1 had a blister on her head caused by being in the birth canal which resulted in endless tests and 2 weeks of antibiotics (doc thought I wasn't ready to push for several hours then new doc came in and said I was ready and she was born shortly after that)
Baby 2 was born via c section and they though she may have inhaled meconium. They took her to the NICU and sedated her because she was "feisty" which led to intubation and me not being able to physically hold her until she was 5 days old

I have an appointment next week to meet a potential midwife who has fantastic reviews and privileges at the hospital I am interested in.

dandelyon

A midwife at a vbac friendly hospital is a very good choice. There will be doctors in the floor should you ned surgery. If the midwife is part of an OB group it's likely they are being supervised by the obstetricians and that's not going to be much of an improvement.

miranda_mom

I used OBs for both my kids but there was a hospital midwife on site and she provided a lot of the pre-birth care for my son, which I thought was very cool. They didn't have that when my daughter was born at the same hospital seven years ago. I really liked her but also had two fabulous OBs from my practice deliver my kids.
I just wanted to say that the situation with your second child is awful! My daughter was three days late and had meconium staining in the amniotic fluid. All they did was suction her! I can't believe your child ended up in the NICU for that long. That's really sad.

tiggerhammon

I had a Csection with a variety of problems that I think were all avoidable.

I have absolutely no choice but to go with the same hospital. It is the only hospital here and not one midwife here will do a VBAC.

I have just educated myself as well as I can and am hoping that standing up to them works.
Its about all I can do

DawnieB1977

You all need to come to England to have your babies Midwives are standard, VBACs encouraged. Oh, and free health care, and a year for maternity leave!

dandelyon

You all need to come to England to have your babies Midwives are standard, VBACs encouraged. Oh, and free health care, and a year for maternity leave!

I would certainly love that! Although not as many of us would need vbacs because we could have avoided the primary c-section... sigh.

mommyrunning

I just wanted to say that the situation with your second child is awful! My daughter was three days late and had meconium staining in the amniotic fluid. All they did was suction her! I can't believe your child ended up in the NICU for that long. That's really sad.

It was awful. Lots of crying :< The nurse taking care of me had worked in the NICU and actually came in and said to me I don't understand why your baby is in the NICU. She was perfectly healthy at birth! But we got through it.

mommyrunning

You all need to come to England to have your babies Midwives are standard, VBACs encouraged. Oh, and free health care, and a year for maternity leave!

I wish.

mommyrunning

I scheduled an appointment with a midwife Monday. Their office works exclusively with the hospital I want to use and they got higher ratings online than the doctor I already had and like so far. So, right now I am leaning toward a midwife but I will post my experience in case anyone else is considering the same issues.

Dolci07

I see a Midwife. This is my 2nd baby. She does all of my prenatal care and delivery. She works in a practice with a few other midwives and one O.B. You can choose to see him for all of your prenatal care but in my case I would only need him if I needed a C section.

It is nice because I get the best of both. I see my midwife (who is awesome) but in case of an emergency I also have someone I trust to do my C section.

mommyrunning

So I just checked back with the midwife website and they are Certified Nurse-Midwives and have OBs in their practice. Good news. If Monday's appt goes well I will be switching to them.

In the United States, a Certified Nurse-Midwife ("CNM") is an advanced practice registered nurse who has specialized education and training in both nursing and midwifery. (borrowed from Wikipedia)

lisapr123

So I just checked back with the midwife website and they are Certified Nurse-Midwives and have OBs in their practice. Good news. If Monday's appt goes well I will be switching to them.

Sounds perfect! My OB's practice has a midwife or two on staff, and I hear that they're wonderful. Just gentler and more natural. Sadly, my HMO required an OB to deliver in order to have coverage. Happy thoughts for you on Monday!!

JustAnotherGirlSuzanne

You all need to come to England to have your babies Midwives are standard, VBACs encouraged. Oh, and free health care, and a year for maternity leave!

That's quite similar in Canada. Most people I know have gone through a midwife rather than an OB.

To the OP, you could look into hiring a doula? I've heard they really fight for your birth plan.

mommyrunning

You all need to come to England to have your babies Midwives are standard, VBACs encouraged. Oh, and free health care, and a year for maternity leave!

That's quite similar in Canada. Most people I know have gone through a midwife rather than an OB.

To the OP, you could look into hiring a doula? I've heard they really fight for your birth plan.

My insurance won't cover a doula but will cover a midwife.

mommyrunning

I met with a midwife today and am so happy I found their office. They were so nice and provided lots of information. They said I am a good candidate for a VBAC and they have a 75% success rate with VBACs and that my chances of success are probably higher since I had a vaginal delivery before the c section. They also work exclusively with one hospital so that they can ensure one of their staff is always available. She also explained to me all the things they can try in order to help have a relaxed delivery to help avoid a c section. So glad I decided to consider a midwife.

DawnieB1977

I met with a midwife today and am so happy I found their office. They were so nice and provided lots of information. They said I am a good candidate for a VBAC and they have a 75% success rate with VBACs and that my chances of success are probably higher since I had a vaginal delivery before the c section. They also work exclusively with one hospital so that they can ensure one of their staff is always available. She also explained to me all the things they can try in order to help have a relaxed delivery to help avoid a c section. So glad I decided to consider a midwife.

I'm really pleased for you. I really hope you get the birth you want.

lisapr123

Yay! Happy things are headed in the right direction for you!!

dandelyon

I met with a midwife today and am so happy I found their office. They were so nice and provided lots of information. They said I am a good candidate for a VBAC and they have a 75% success rate with VBACs and that my chances of success are probably higher since I had a vaginal delivery before the c section. They also work exclusively with one hospital so that they can ensure one of their staff is always available. She also explained to me all the things they can try in order to help have a relaxed delivery to help avoid a c section. So glad I decided to consider a midwife.

What a great update!

mommyrunning

Thanks for the support everyone.

tiggerhammon

The further I got in my pregnancy and the closer I came to due date, I was wishing more and more that I had gone with a midwife.... until delivery day. Had I not been in the hospital, not had the medical technology to realize that there was a serious problem lurching and not been rushed in for a Csection just in time - I don't even want to think of what might have happened. Baby was got worse by the minute, so I am sure it would have been ugly had I not already been there.
My experience is nowhere near the norm, I know. I am simply saying, I see now that there are some serious advantages to having a doctor and having the baby in the hospital.

mommyrunning

The further I got in my pregnancy and the closer I came to due date, I was wishing more and more that I had gone with a midwife.... until delivery day. Had I not been in the hospital, not had the medical technology to realize that there was a serious problem lurching and not been rushed in for a Csection just in time - I don't even want to think of what might have happened. Baby was got worse by the minute, so I am sure it would have been ugly had I not already been there.
My experience is nowhere near the norm, I know. I am simply saying, I see now that there are some serious advantages to having a doctor and having the baby in the hospital.

That is a concern of mine also. I chose a practice that is nurse midwives and OBs and that works with one specific hospital. Essentially I will see mostly the midwives but a couple weeks before due date I will see an OB to discuss any possible issues and then the midwife will deliver baby at the hospital and the OBs will be a back up if needed. I don't think I would be comfortable with an out of hospital birth or not having the option to see an OB if needed.