Midwife or doctor? Which is better and why?

Question

Which one do you think is more caring and more "better"?

Answer 1

A midwife. You get much more information, much more freedom to do what you think is right for you and your pregnancy, and much less fiddling.

Of note: with a midwife, I wee on a stick and check the colour myself; an obstetrician expected me to go wandering around his office with a pissy stick to find a nurse who could tell the difference between yellow and green; I wasn't trusted to do that, apparently.

You lower your risks of c-sections and inductions with a midwife, but _increase_ your risks of absolutely nothing.

Re. doctors and hospitals: here, they have full hospital privileges. They also quickly refer to a doctor if there's _any_ complication. They can prescribe medications, order tests, etc. Midwives in my area do do a lot of hospital births.

The willingness of mine to come to my house -- not just for the birth but for a couple of post-natal check-ups -- is a big plus. I do not want to haul me and the kiddo out of the house a week after delivery to sit in somebody's waiting room.

I've heard a lot of nonsense from doctors, and been prescribed less-than-ideal medications I now wish I'd read up on more, but my midwife has yet to screw up in the least; everything she says checks out, and a lot of it is stuff I wouldn't have got from the web or a book. It makes me suspect they're a little more up-to-date on the research.

Re. 'wanting somebody who'll know what to do in case something goes wrong' -- oh, for heavens' sakes. What -- they stand around panicking? No. My husband grilled our midwife with quite the list of disaster scenarios -- we're planning a home birth; what happens if I'm bleeding to death? The baby's not breathing? (NB: they do show up with equipment -- oxygen and more -- and are trained to deal with emergencies.) Etc, etc. She took the 'grilling' extremely well; we were both thoroughly satisfied with the answers.

In _my_ opinion, seeing a doctor for a healthy pregnancy is for the, well, ill-informed. There are some rare obstetricians I wouldn't say that about, but. I can do without the unnecessary interventions and inspections. I'd rather make my own informed choices than rely on a discipline that thinks Cytotec is a cost-effective, appropriate way to induce labour.

Answer 2

I highly recommend midwives. They don't look as pregnancy as a "condition" that they need to mess with. They are more hands-off. As long as you're having a normal, healthy pregnancy, a MW is a good option.

From my experience, midwives tend to spend more time with you. My shortest midwife appointments usually included 30 mins spent WITH the MW talking. They really get to know you and get to know what you want.

A MW will be with you through your entire labor and birth, supporting you and encouraging you. A doc will most likely just show up in time to catch at the end.

Midwives are more experienced with unmedicated birth.

I used an OB for my first and MW's for #2 and #3. I would never go back to an OB without a medical indication I needed one.

ETA:
Midwives ARE educated and DO know what to do. They know how to watch a mother to see if there is any indication that she needs a doctor's care. Some midwives DO work in hospitals, so you may be able to choose between a hospital, a freestanding birth center or a homebirth.

Answer 3

popular practitioner palms down! My suited buddy had a toddler final July. She have been seeing a midwife. After 40 8 hours of hard artwork and no progression, her midwife ultimately relized that her pelvis grow to be too small to supply vaginally and a C section grow to be needed. If she have been to a physician, i think of they might have found out that quicker and a variety of of alternative the issues might have been prevented. Plus, I desire to be in a wellbeing center putting from the 1st minute in case something does bypass incorrect. quite a few human beings desire to have a house delivery and the midwives say it extremely is okay as long as you're so a ways from a wellbeing center--yet even a jiffy throughout hard artwork can propose the version between a healthful toddler and or dying.

Answer 4

It depends on what you are looking for and comfortable with. I have gone both ways. From my experience, the doctor is more 'medical'. They seem to feel like it is their job to deliver the baby. They are more likely to intervene. My doctor was talking about a C-section just 2 hours into labor. Midwives let you deliver the baby and are merely there for support and to catch. My midwife was very caring and comforting. It was definitely a more rewarding experience with the midwife. I felt like I was in control and well supported. Midwives do deliveries in the hospital, and there are doctors available in case of emergency, so don't let that affect your decision. Go meet with both, and go with who makes you comfortable.

Answer 5

Midwifes do know what to do in case of an emergency, people are just uneducated... actually stats show that people who use midwives are people with higher educations. hum...
I had two in home midwife attended births and will do it again. I love the education, attention and ease at which midwives view pregnancy and birth. They aren't constantly waiting for something to go wrong.

http://www.yourchildrennaturally.com - for great natural info on holistic prenatal care, natural childbirth and healthy children

Answer 6

It depends on the midwife and the doctor which one is best for you. Midwives often have a more tender approach and are less clinical.

Answer 7

i have never had a midwife, but i would think that they would be more caring. doctor have a lot of women that they see and it would be hard to openly "care" about each one. however, i will always go with a doctor. just in case something goes wrong, i would want someone who knows what to do.

Answer 8

i loved my midwife she was so nice. with doctors you if you go into labor you more than likely get who's on call so if you're used to one doc. and they aren't on call you get someone else. at least that's what happened with my friends that went to doctors. so i say midwife.

Answer 9

i would go with a doctor, they are better trained in case of emergency. and usually midwives deliver at home or at least not in a hospital. i would always rather be in a hospital just in case. and personally when your in labor you arent going to care how caring they are. i always get a weird feeling from midwives, at least whenever i watch babystory on tlc..those girls all do it natural and in water in there living rooms with the whole fam watching, thats not for me. i would go with a doctor.

Answer 10

i personally think doctors...but that may also be because my doctor is so sweet. i also feel a lot more comfortable with a doctor, all the high tech hospital baby stuff makes me feel like my baby is safer in a way. especially because i have had a very h ard pregnancy. i dont know, i guess its personal opinion.