Should I use a midwife to deliver my baby or have a standard hospital birth?

Answer 1

I prefer the hospital way , though not very natural you have all the emergency staff you could need for you & baby if needed (god forbid)

Answer 2

I've had births with both a MD and a midwife in attendance. The birth w/ the midwife was far superior. A good midwife will have all of the emergency drugs with her, oxygen too, and will transport you to the hospital if an emergency arises.
Also, the midwife is there with you either all of or the majority of the time. A doctor will only be there periodically to check you & then go back to his office to see patients.
I'm an OB RN. If I had other children, and it was a normal, helathy pregnancy, I'd have my babies w/ a midwife.
PS - I labored in the water w/ my home birth and it worked just as well as the epidural did w/ my hospital birth.
Research everything and do what feels comfortable to you.
I'll include a link that will talk about midwives & homebirths, doctors and hospital births, & birth center births (click on birth choices under preg & birth).
Good luck!

Answer 3

How about having your midwife at the hospital?

That was my plan. When I went into labor, I was to call my midwife, and she'd meet me at the hospital. That way, I could have a more natural birth, and not be pressured into using forcepts or vaccuum suction to 'hurry things along' like doctor's are more likely to do (not because they don't care, but they're more likely to have other patients waiting on them).

But at the same time, if anything would happen to go wrong, I would've already been at the hospital, and there was a dr. and a pediatricion on call.

In the end, I had to have a c-section because the baby was not at all interested in coming out, but for my next baby, I plan on using the same midwife and birth plan.

Answer 4

My first child was born at home with a nurse midwife. There are pros & cons. Since my birth progressed slow I would have been forced by insurance regulations to have had a C-section had I been at the hospital. Also my baby would have been wisked away to have silver nitrate drops put in his eyes which would have made his eyesight blurry during our initial bonding time, also hospital regulations.

On the flip side of the coin. You can prepare a birthing plan and have your doctor approve it in advance. The eyedrops can be delayed a short while. You can specify if you would prefer a natural childbirth.

If you do choose a homebirth be sure to take a birthing class. The umbilical cord was around my son's neck & I had the urge to push. The midwife said NO PUSHING! The breathing tecnique taught in this class on this very subject saved my childs life.

Also if you do decide to go with the hospital, tour the labor & delivery area. I did this & found nurses arguing over whose turn it was to check on a woman during labor in obvious pain. They decided to ignore her. Also their birthing rooms had lightning bolts on wallpaper!

You need to feel comfortable. Many hospitals now have wonderful birthing rooms and may even allow music.

I've had one home birth and three hospital births. Hospitals have come a long way in comfort. With one of my births I did not enjoy sharing a room in the maternity ward with two other women and their visiting families. With two other more modern hospitals I got my own room.

You are right to take your time in making this decision. There is alot to consider. Congratulations and Best Wishes!

Answer 5

If you're talking about having a midwife attend a hospital birth, yes, definitely. It's absurd to have a surgeon attend a birth -- they aren't trained in how to facilitate normal birth, and are likely to want to do things to you because, well, that's all they know. They have a really hard time sitting on their hands and just letting the process unfold naturally. Midwives are more likely to understand and support the natural process and practice more holistically, that is, with the emotional and physical health of the mother in mind as well as the health of the baby. Surgeons are usually focused simply on having an outcome of a live baby and unconcerned with whether the means to that is good or bad for the mother or the bonding relationship between mother and baby.

Even better yet, though, is to have a homebirth. Homebirth is as safe as hospital birth in terms of infant mortality, and far safer in terms of complications. The hospital environment and philosophy of birth management actually *creates* problems. The vast majority of infant resusitation and maternal hemorrhage is due to this.

Here's a great article to start with: Marsden Wagner MD, who was the director of women's and children's health for the WHO. http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/technologyinbirth.asp

I'd also suggest a couple of books: The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer, and Gentle Birth Gentle Mothering by Sarah Buckley MD.
http://www.sarahjbuckley.com/
http://www.hencigoer.com/

Answer 6

I definately want a midwife for my childbirth. They comfort the mother. Plus hospitals try to go for cesarian because it nets them $2000 more than a regular birth. A midwife wont make you get a c-section.
They are taught how to handle situations such as complications, breech, and other things that can happen, so I wouldn't worry about that.
Also, your midwife can deliver even at the hospital, if you'd like.

Answer 7

With my 8 year old, I had a 'standard hospital birth'...And didn't really like the experience, It was very impersonal....With my 18 month old, I had midwives, And LOVED it, they're much more attentive, and just all around better. Midwives also believe in natural birth (As do I) so they don't pressure you to get an epidural, And they suggest other methods of pain relief!

But all in all, It's your personal choice, As long as you have a healthy pregnancy and have no complications during labor, A midwife would be just fine! :-)

Answer 8

Do you mean with a home birth? I had kind of considered a home birth because a girlfriend of mine had one and loved the experience, and everything went well.
However, I had my child at a hospital, and was I EVER glad I was there. At some point in my labour, after about 19 hours, my baby's heartrate went dangerously low and I had to have an emergency c-section. The cord was wrapped around his neck twice. They got me in the operating room in 20 min! If I had been at home, there would have been absolutely no chance for my baby to have been saved!

Answer 9

Midwives usually give more personal attention to you while you're in labor and can deliver in hospitals, independent birthing centers or in your home if you choose that. If you are low risk there's no reason not to go with a midwife delivery. They are just as safe and midwives will allow your labor to progress naturally. Good luck.

Answer 10

that is a personal choice. both options have pro's and con's. usually if you are healthy and having 1 baby no twins then you would do good for a home birth. The only bad thing is if something should go wrong or you want pain medicine you have to go to the hospital for that while in labor.

Answer 11

It is up to you but if you have any reason to expect difficulties (like a twin birth) you really should have the baby in a hospital so that you are near the best medical staff, etc. In the end, it is really what you want that will matter. Good luck!