Why is it important to see a doctor during pregnancy?

Question

If I am a healthy person, with no family history of complications, why is it so important to see a doctor during pregnancy. I don't want ultrasounds and fingers up me. I have read a lot about pregnancy's vitamins, complications, and things like that. Couldn't I just have a natural pregnancy and go with out a doc, until I deliver?

Answer 1

all problems during pregnancy start somewhere. just because your family is healthy and had no complications does not mean you will. why would you want to take that chance with your child? if you didn't want to do the care that's required to prevent and know about problems with your child, why did you get pregnant. you need to see a dr on a regular basis. are you not going to take this child to see a dr either? if you want to risk your own health, fine who am i to say anything. but you are now responsible for another innocent human being, do what's right, suck it up and go to the dr. do you love your baby or not?

Answer 2

Sure, you could avoid the whole thing entirely. You don't even need the doctor for delivery -- given that that's where they seem to screw up the most, continued avoidance isn't a thoughtless choice.

I wish I could give you a "because they'll test for XYZ, and, if untreated, XYZ can have potentially life-threatening effects -- and they can treat it before the child is born" answer, but the truth is, there's not much of that.

It's not non-existent, though. One ultrasound is fairly harmless, and it's extremely nice to know that there's nothing horrible going on inside you. Pre-natal care is, I think, more important for the mother than the baby, and more useful at big things than it is little. Doctors do not have magical solutions you'll never hear about in books or on-line; to me, their primary use -- barring complications -- is access to a prescription pad, even for trivial stuff like pregnancy-safe acne cream.

You can see a doctor and decline 'fingers up you' and other unnecessary testing. I concur that a midwife might be the way to go...

Answer 3

They have to deliver you if you go into a hospital but alot of doctors prefer to have known the woman throughout the pregnancy. If you want to have a hands off type care, you could try a midwife.
There are no laws saying you HAVE to have pre-natal care but going to a doc (or midwife) to at least make sure weight gain and all that is on track would be good. You can absolutely decline all tests, ultrasounds and whatever. No fingers have to be in you at all unless you WANT it.

Answer 4

You can see a midwife if you like. They can help you maintain a healthy pregnancy without all of the interventions that come with doctors and hospitals.

There's also such a thing as unassisted childbirth, which means that you do everything yourself. You can check your own cervix, monitor your own contractions, and deliver your own baby, with the help of the father or birth partner.

There is no law that says you have to have a doctor during your pregnancy, but there are things that your doctor can screen for that you cannot - gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, placenta previa and other placental abnormalities, and certain conditions and infections that could spread to the baby. Even if you are perfectly healthy, these things could present themselves during your pregnancy, and if you don't know you have them, you and your baby could be in danger.

Midwives are a great alternative to doctors if you don't like the idea of unnecessary interventions but still want a health professional to help you during your pregnancy.

Answer 5

There are things in pregnancy that they test for. Birth defects are often random and has nothing to do with "family history". The doctors also need to check baby's heart beat to see if it is beating, because baby's can have heart defects as well. They have to make sure you are not A- like me because during your 26 week you'll need a Rohgram shot. This shot protect your body from growing Anti-bodies to your baby. This can sometimes kill your baby (and it oftens does) , you'll have a still birth (baby born died) and not know because they could have caught it ahead of time. You will need another shot after the baby is born unless the baby is also A-. I want you to know A- is very rare but people do have it like myself. I can understand not liking to be touched in that way but its for you baby not you. Pregnancy is a natural thing, it's only "unnatural" if there is drugs being given to you which doctor don't give you unless you really need it~most the time only if you are dieing. It is safe to stop taking vitamin only if you watch what you eat and make sure you get EVERYTHING you and the body needs. In the beginning of your pregnancy women often get "morning sickness" and are unable to keep everything down, so this is why doctors want women to take vitamins. Given that you have read books and everything why would you risk it anyways?


Regradless you need pernatal care thats something that ONLY the doctor can do. If you wanted to you could have a midwife at home with you but you have to call soon as you start having contraction. Labor is different for everyone. My labor was 39 hours and my daycare ladies total labor and pushing was only 20 mins. But giving birth without a midwife or doctor is only a death wish because you can end up bleeding to death after labor or even during and not know whats going on. With a midwife the only difference is your more likey to have a "natural birth" than a c-section. But when you get to the end of your pregnancy they all start to check down there to see if there is any changes. Also prenatal care is good because you could have no water in your sac and not know it...... they check all this. Thats something that you yourself can't check for, or see if there is a defect. Don't short chance your child because someone else thinks its ok, you may end up loosing you babies life that way!

Answer 6

Its better to see a doctor, they can detect any complications. And as far as the fingers thing, my OB didn't do that except at the very beginning and the end to see if I was dialated...its not that bad. Besides, its good to know your baby is safe.

Answer 7

try googling unassisted pregnancy and unassisted childbirth. you really don't need a doc for pregnancy. its not a disease or disorder and its a lot less risky then they want you to believe. most things a doc does you can do at home, including the urine dips.
best of luck and congrats

Answer 8

You COULD, but if you do it that way, you may be cheating yourself and your child out of detecting problems early.

You'd also be delivering with a doctor that is ultimately, a stranger. That would be rather odd to me, personally.