Midwives, good or bad?

Question

Has anyone had a bad experience w/a mid-wife?

Answer 1

I'd say hospitals are safer. But whatev' - your choice.

Answer 2

My aunt is a midwife. She's a good person. But I feel what you're speaking of is the concept - not the person. Am I correct? Okay - anybody can "catch" a baby when it comes out (trained or untrained)! And providing that there are no problems (numerous problems, that can happen during any given delivery), then a baby is born and all is well with the world. Unfortunately, "things" aren't always that "simple"! For every 20 "normal" births there is an abnormal one - where those numerous problems, mentioned previously, can and will happen!!! These abnormal births don't choose any given time nor place - they can happen with a Dr. (a trained specialist) present or a midwife present (also a trained specialist)! These abnormal births can choose to happen within the "hospital" environment, or not! What I'm saying is that "things happen" and no one knows where, when, why, nor how!!!!! So, what I'm saying is that midwives, in and of themselves, aren't a bad concept! Being a Doctor is not, in and of itself, a bad concept! Having a baby is not, in and of itself, a bad concept! Do you get the picture - "things happen" and the "when, where, why, and how" are not givens!

Answer 3

There was a time that doctors held a back seat to the medical miracles of midwives and other women who had their own 'home remedies' for treating their families. Today, we have almost forgot ton the homeopathic medical miracles. But today, we have so many other complications involved in medicine and cures. We have technology so developed that we can see the heart of a baby before the child is a month in the uterus. Having a midwife during this day and age would definitely be a decision a mother and father would make. There are so many things that can go wrong in births that would and could cause harm to the mother and baby. That would be a chance I would never want to take. God has given us these medical miracles for us to use and learn to develop and excel. While I love the closeness and personal relationship you can have with a midwife - the fact that I would be having a baby and would want all the latest technological equipment surrounding me 'just in case' there would be something that would need immediate attention - I would not want to depend on the midwife who only has her warm and tender hands and a pot of boiling water.

Answer 4

America is the only country in the world that does not primarily use midwives. As long as you are having a normal healthy pregnancy then midwives are a wonderful way to go. They usually have doctors that they work with should something happen or if you want a second opinion on something. If you can't decide if its for you or not the best thing to do is to make an appointment and just talk to a midwife or two. I went to a regular doctor for my first baby and a midwife for my second and I loved both of them. One big difference between the two is that the doctor will check in on you during your labor and be there for the birth while the midwife will stay with you through the whole thing.

Answer 5

I had a midwife for each of my pregnancies. My husband had children from his first marriage and they had a doctor for both their children. According to him the experience was completely different. For his first children the atmosphere was very "sterile" and medical. He as the father was completely un-involved by the doctor. For our children together the births were terrific. I did have an epidural with both so the myth the midwives won't let you be medicated is garbage. Anyway both midwives employed my husbands help the the delivery and made sure he was as much a part of the birth as I was. In fact he delivered my son (the midwife delivered him until his shoulders were out and Daddy did the rest) and he completely delivered our daughter with only coaching and a small amount of help from the midwife. This was something he very much wanted to do so it only enhanced our experience. He also cut the cord. We also loved the fact that she stayed through my whole labor. She arrived at the hospital the same time as we did and stayed close by through the whole process. I would absolutely recommend a midwife.

Answer 6

I LOVED my midwife. I think they can be quite beneficial especially if it is your first child. Midwives tend to stay with you through the entire birth. Dr's tend to come in at the last minute and charge an arm and a leg for all your hard work :-) I had two children and had a midwife with one and the doctor with the other. Both were good experiences but the midwife experience was much more rewarding. She was there to give suggestions when I needed them, she rubbed my back and prayed with and for me. It was awesome. I wanted a midwife the second time but she was not on call that day. The doctor was.

Answer 7

I loved my mid-wife that I had with my first child. We developed a closer relationship than I ever have with a doctor or nurse. It was more personal and a more comfortable setting.

The only thing I do have to say is to remember that mid-wives are often usually for natural labor etc. Though most of them are open to other things and do not try to force their beliefs on you they are for things done naturally etc.
My first daughter was over two weeks over due and I ended up with an emergency c-section and I can not help but wonder if some of the things I went through could have been avoided had I had a doctor instead.
However I would and have gone with a mid-wife again. For me in my situation the good outweighs the bad!

Answer 8

My dad was an OB-GYN, and from listening to his stories, it really comes down to the individual mid-wife, just like it would with a doctor. Some mid-wives are total quacks and others are very good at what they do. Like many of the responses say, I would definitely stick with one who is certified if I went with one, and I would definitely go with one who is associated with a doctor in case of complications. Also, as a side note, one of the responses mentioned that midwives have fewer complications in delivery. One possible explanation is that a good midwife will turn over high risk or complicated pregnancies to a doctor for proper care. This definitely skews any comparison with a doctor who is more likely to deal with complicated pregnancies and generally does not have the luxury of cherrypicking the easy ones. But I think there are excellent mid-wives out there, and there are excellent doctors out there as well. It is important to investigate and find someone you are comfortable with. I think most of the horror stories about midwives are from midwives who don't understand the limits of their capabilities. But then there are doctors who don't understand their limits either, so check out the qualifications and how they handle complications. Check around to find out from others who have used their services what their bedside manner is like, whether their ideas about natural vs. medicated deliveries line up with your own, and anything else you can, and then make an informed decision based on your findings, not based on midwife vs. doctor.

Answer 9

Very good. I used a lay-midwife for both my children's births. She gave me prenatal care and was able to give both children apgar scores after the births. When the placenta would not come out at the first child's birth she let me know I would have to go to the hospital after a certain point. As it turned out she and I were able to take care of the situation ourselves. My husband and I had already created a backup plan with a nearby hospital, should it be needed. The midwife had an assistant each time and I knew ahead of time that I was in good hands based upon her reputation with my Bradley childbirth instructors (they'd even written about her-unnamed-in a book they wrote) and other local mothers--also her experiences with complications in births by poverty mothers.
I was very pleased with both birth experiences at home with a lay midwive.
Midwives can also be certified nurses and births with them can be at home or in the hospital. I highly recommend these experiences, but have a backup plan and choose your midwife wisely. Make sure there's good rapport between you and talk with other moms who have been attended by her. Listen, if it weren't for midwives of the past, none of us would be here! Also, a woman, especially a mother, understands a woman's body best. Blessings, Buttercup

Answer 10

Neither good nor bad. Midwives are a great choice for those who want to go through the whole natural thing and have a problem free pregnancy. When there are problems, it is best all around to use an OB because who would want to risk the health of the child just to be traditional?

Answer 11

I *loved* my midwives.

I had one child with an OB and two with midwives. I would never ever go back to an OB without a strong medical reason.

Midwives are well trained to handle healthy mothers and babies and to recognize situations where a doctor's care is needed. Midwives provide much more natural and personal care than doctors. Midwives provide more one-on-one support to the mothers and better follow-up care than most OB's. Some midwives work in hospitals, others in freestanding birth centers and others do homebirths.