Midwife or Doctor Choice?

I would never use a midwife. 2 of my best friends had issues within 2 months. One resulted in an emergency c-section, cause the midwife had not detected a breech baby. The other ended in the death of my friend's son who was in distress, and the midwife did not have the medical expertise to know this. He was born brain dead after an emergency c section at the insistence of MY FRIEND. He died after one day.
I had issues with my son, and had to have an emergency c-section. I would never have trusted a mid wife with the life of my child.

Hi M.. Lucky for you, you can have both! There are many OB/GYN practices that offer both services. I personally used a midwife for the delivery of my son, and I loved it. Five of my friends who recently had babies told me that their doctor pretty much just showed up to "catch the baby", and then was gone again. As long as you are having a routine pregnancy, there is no reason you have to use a doctor. I had a wonderful midwife (in Southern California), and I plan on using a midwife with our next child.

First of all, congratulations!

Second, I had both. I saw a midwife for my regular visits which I loved. My doctor's office had 5 physicians and I got to see all of them before deciding on one.

My husband and I loved the whole experience. We already knew which of the three midwives we wanted and then we chose the doctor we wanted.

Our midwife was wonderful and the doctor we chose to be on hand just in case was my favorite. They were a great team and I feel like we had the best of both worlds.

Best of luck with your new baby and welcome to motherhood. Nothing will ever be the same again and I mean that in the best way possible! Nothing touches it! :-)

Blessings,
J. L

Midwives are wonderful! I used on for my daughter's delivery five years ago and I continue to go to them for my yearly checkups. I just found them to be more personable and they take more time with you. It's really all about who you are comfortable with. Drs are there to step in if an emergency situation happens. Good luck and congrats!

i went with a doctor with my first pregnancy, and I ended up switching to a midwife at 31 weeks because I didn't feel any "connection" with my doctor. I was a little nervous but I'm so happy I ended up doing that! My midwife, Kim Long of Kennestone OB-GYN was awesome. She ended up delivering my 2nd child too. She is very personable, and if for some reason there has to be a c-section, she just calls the OB on call and he is right there able to do it. (by "on call" I mean that he is in the hospital, just right around the corner...he doesn't have to drive there or anything).

I HIGHLY recommend a midwife. And if you are nervous, just go to one connected with an OB office. Kennestone Ob-gyn has great ones, especially Kim Long and Julie (I don't know her last name).

This is a very personal choice. For me, I chose a doctor with my first child and was very grateful as I ended up needing an emergency c-section. For my remaining pregnancies, I always saw a doctor because I had repeat c-sections.

My closest friend wanted a midwife and enjoyed her prenatal care very much. But, I have to say, I enjoyed mine as well. I think it is more about WHO you are seeing, than what their title is. There are good and bad doctors, and good and bad midwives.

You can always interview a few doctors and midwives and see who you like the best. Good luck to you.

I had one of each and not by choice because of being in the military. You never know when a problem sets in. The midwife is more soothing to you. The Doctor may not have the bedside manners. However, the doctor is the one who must make the quick decisions if there is a problem.

If you are uncomfortable with the midwife choice, choose a doula and a doctor. A doula is awesome and will help you get educated and prepared as well as support you during labor. Also, to help with your decision, read "The thinking womans guide to a better birth" by Henci Goer. Resist the urge to put it down in the first few chapters. It is highly informative and you will be glad that you finished it. Best of luck in your decision. J

I had a bad midwife the first time (she said I wasn't in labor and sent me home without checking me, so I almost had my daughter in an ambulance), but the second time I used a different midwife practice at Emory and I was absolutely thrilled with my care. Midwives are more likely to treat pregnancy as a natural condition instead of a medical one, and I wanted (and had) natural births. My son's birth was a peaceful, relaxed event. There are some very popular local midwives depending on where you live: there's Judith Cox at Piedmont and Margaret Strickhouser at North Fulton.

You can go with both.

You can chose to do a natural delivery with a mid-wife and if things become complicated and medical intervention becomes necessary then you guys can go to the hospital.

You can also chose to see an OB throughout your pregnancy but then find a mid-wife who will go with you to the hospital and assist you throughout the labor process and still do a natural delivery but have it in a hospital setting if that makes you more comfortable. All you need to do is communicate this with your OB and ensure you're both on the same page with your birthing plan. He will participate in the actual delivery of the baby but your mid-wife can take you up to that point and the doctor will only step in when it becomes medically necessary or when the baby is crowning. If you chose to go with this option then you really get the best of both worlds. Your mid-wife will make sure that the nurses know of your intentions for a natural delivery and then they'll take a very scaled back roll in your delivery room. Your mid wife will coach you through the process and guide you up to the delivery but since you'll be in the hospital if you change your mind and want medication then that option is there for you and if things become medically necessary where intervention is critical they will be right there to make sure you and the baby are taken care of.
This is a very personal decision and one that only you or you and your partner can make together. Educating yourself on both options is best way for you to determine how to proceed. I would suggest you talk to your OB about this as well as meet with a few Mid-Wifes. You'll figure out what works best for you.
One of my friends had her mid wife with her in her home and she labored at home for the majority of the time and as she got closer to being ready for delivery they went to the hospital and her mid-wife continued coaching and supporting her. Her doctor was called to alert him of her being in labor and when they were ready to go to the hospital they called him again and he met them there. She was checked in and her mid-wife continued coaching her and supporting her and when the time came her OB stepped in and as she jokingly called it, "played catcher". She had the best of both worlds and she plans to have her second child this same way. She's due in November.
The important part is finding an OB who will respect what you want and is willing to work with you to ensure that your labor and delivery goes safely and that your needs and wants are being respected all the way through.

Good Luck!

I think it's all about who you feel comfortable with. I know a lot of women who don't even like their OB-GYNs, and I don't know why they continue to see them, but in that case I would search out a midwife. In my case I LOVE my OB-GYN and the others who could potentially be on call in the practice. My LEAST favorite delivered my first, and it was still a great experience. They're very comfortable, good bedside manner, and open to different ways to deliver/labor.

Midwife, by all means. Its more personal, you have someone dedicated to you and they dr is available when and if you need them. Delivered both of mine with midwives out of Atlanta Womens Specialists and loved it!

MIDWIFE ALL THE WAY!!!! Midwives provide so much more support that a Doctor. They are there with you the whole time. A Doctor just comes in when the baby is being delivered...and random nurses check you the rest of the time. With a Midwife, you get the best of both worlds...they are there for you 100% of the time and if you need a C-section they call the Doctor just like the nurse would if you were using a Dcotor anyway.

I had 2 healthy babies born both using Midwives. And, I'll do it again next time, too.