Midwife vs. Doctor? Home vs. Birthing Center vs. Hospital?

[ravenwycce]

I think whenever my time comes, I would like to be delivered by a midwife if possible. I don't think I would want to be at home, though, just because of the "what-ifs" of labor. I would want the ability to get emergency medical treatment as quickly and conveniently as possible, if it was needed. For that reason, I think I would like to be in a birthing center.

Has anyone here ever been delivered by a midwife, or in a birthing center? What was it like, in comparison to a hospital birth? Part of my concern about all of this comes from the fact that I know I will have a hard time convincing DH that anything outside of hospital delivery is safe.

He is going to try to push me to take pain meds, too, I think. The idea of me screaming "You did this to me!" while writhing in agonizing pain is too much for him to bear, I think! LOL! Even still, I am definitely going to try to go natural, and maybe learn some meditation techniques to take my mind off of the pain.

-Karri

[zennifer]

I had Seda in the hospital and used the hypnobirthing method and then finaly an epidural. My labor lasted for 14 hours total 12 of them were unmedicated.

With our next child, which we hope to TTC in May 2005 :rolleyes: I am really thinking about the birth center that is across from the hospital. I will definately go with the hypnobirting method again it was great.

[Mom24Girls]

All of my girls were born in the "Family Birth Unit" of our hospital. I was pleased with the staff and level of care I received. Of course, it helped a bit that I worked there once baby #2 came along. :biggrin: I really never considered any other option. Hypno birthing didn't come around until about baby #3 or #4, and by then, I had to have scheduled c-sections, and couldn't take advantage of it. :( I would LOVE to have the chance to deliver another baby vaginally, but the risk is now to high. :(

[finzel]

I'm attracted to the midwife option, too. But that "what if" syndrome makes me think a certified nurse midwife would be a better option, just for safety sake. A hospital or birthing center would be my choices, rather than at home...just to be on the safe side. Mom had some difficulties with pregnancy/birth, so I would be cautious, personally.

[ravenwycce]

Yeah, I know what you mean about the "what if's". If I were to decide to go for a midwife, he/she would have to have some other medical qualifications, for sure. There is actually a hospital sort of near to where I am moving (it's in Carlisle) that has a separate birthing center where patients work with midwives. I think, if all appears to be routine enough when my time comes, that is where I will go.

For the most part, women in my family don't have much in the way of problems with delivery. My mom gave birth to 5 that survived, and she went natural for all of us. My sister was a breech baby too, so the doctor actually had to get my mom to stop pushing long enough to flip her around (makes me cringe to think about that! Owwwwie!). My sisters all went natural to have their kids, too, as far as I know. I certainly have the hips to be able to do it. LOL! So I am going to have to try!

I have a phobia of needles, and I can't tolerate not being able to feel my legs - which I get from time to time due to a bad lower back - so as far as I am concerned, an epidural is not even an option for me.

I am curious about this electric-shock-thingie I was reading about, though. Apparently, some places offer one of the things that they use at the chiropractor's office, that emits tiny electric shocks to the nerves in a specific area. Apparently, in labor, they are used on the lower back, where the shocks somehow block the transmission of pain signals while relaxing the muscles in the lower body. Has anybody else heard of this? It sounds weird, doesn't it? I wonder if it works, and if there are any adverse side effects...

-Karri

[Mom24Girls]

I know that the hospital I delivered at now has a Nurse Practitioner/Mid-Wife on staff as an option. But with my now needeing c-sections, that's not an option for me. :(

I hadn't heard about "electric-shock" used for labor... but nowadays, you never know! They have SO many new options out there!!

[AmayasMommy]

I delivered in a really comfortable, homey, family-centered hospital setting. I searched high and low for a hospital with a Jacuzzi for when I was in labor. I ended up not giving a damn. I was in so much pain, I just begged for the epidural right away. I used Lamaze breathing to get to 7 cm and then got the Epidural (or sweet mercy, whatever you want to call it...lol)

At any rate, I vomited and my blood pressure dropped, they lost the baby's heartbeat, and everyone came rushing. They put oxygen on me and I was so out of it that I just thought "oh great, I can push now." Turns out that they thought they'd have to do an emergency C-section because the baby was not responding to even getting tapped on the head. Well the baby and I stabilized but in the long run I ended up with a C-section anyway because the baby was face up and couldn't descend into the canal.

I considered a midwife and wanted to deliver at a birth center but they aren't an option in my area. Now that I experienced birth and what happened to me after a completely normal, healthy pregnancy, I am so glad I was at a hospital facility for safety sake.

[bunkie68]

Well, I don't reckon a midwife or home birth will ever be an option for me. For one, my blood pressure was high with Julian, I never progressed, and ended up having to have a c-section. For two, I'm 38 now. Assuming I ever have any more children, I'll be pushing 40 (or already there! :eek: ) by the time another child would be born. Simply because of my age, I can't imagine any doctor of mine would ever let me give birth anywhere other than a hospital, likely by scheduled c-section. But I'm OK with that. :)