Do you see an OB? Or midwife?

Quoting ImNotKarl:Oh yeah. My whole family thinks I'm nuts though, and it doesn't help that a midwifery was shut down in the area because a mother/daughter midwife pair that owned the center were responsible for several infant deaths and complications for various reasons, and were reported by the families and other midwives that worked for the practice. It was a big deal. It freaked a lot of people out, and it happened the year after I had my son, but I did my research, asked a lot of questions, got references, looked at the statistics, and found midwives and a birth center I adore, and had no issues. They still think I'm nuts for choosing a midwife again after the whole thing, though. It was pretty big news.
The midwives who committed the malpractice were sued and arrested and lost their licenses, and the birth center was reopened by a different group with a different name, and so far have had no issues, but it's a pretty common point people make against midwives when I tell them I'm using one.
Quoting kmqw229:
Healthier statistics are always a plus :)
Quoting ImNotKarl:I see a midwife. I had consistently bad experiences with OBs with my first pregnancy, so I switched. I LOVE the midwives at my birth center. Big deciding factors for me included how often I had to get my blood drawn, how comfortable I was asking questions, and the personalization of my care. They also have healthier statistics than my local hospitals.

Yeah it did. The birth center I go to is amazing though. TVM in downtown Boise. It's great. The women there are incredible. I cannot say enough great things about them.
Quoting rjmac88:
Hey I live in the same city as you!! I feel ya! That center getting shit down really shot the natural birth community in the foot.
Quoting ImNotKarl:Oh yeah. My whole family thinks I'm nuts though, and it doesn't help that a midwifery was shut down in the area because a mother/daughter midwife pair that owned the center were responsible for several infant deaths and complications for various reasons, and were reported by the families and other midwives that worked for the practice. It was a big deal. It freaked a lot of people out, and it happened the year after I had my son, but I did my research, asked a lot of questions, got references, looked at the statistics, and found midwives and a birth center I adore, and had no issues. They still think I'm nuts for choosing a midwife again after the whole thing, though. It was pretty big news.
The midwives who committed the malpractice were sued and arrested and lost their licenses, and the birth center was reopened by a different group with a different name, and so far have had no issues, but it's a pretty common point people make against midwives when I tell them I'm using one.
Quoting kmqw229:
Healthier statistics are always a plus :)
Quoting ImNotKarl:I see a midwife. I had consistently bad experiences with OBs with my first pregnancy, so I switched. I LOVE the midwives at my birth center. Big deciding factors for me included how often I had to get my blood drawn, how comfortable I was asking questions, and the personalization of my care. They also have healthier statistics than my local hospitals.

I have used both- well OB to start, but only have continued entire pregnancies with midwives.
I used the midwifery model of care because of priorities. I want the healthiest and most enjoyable experience possible, I don't want unnecessary risks-interventions.
Learning a lot by seeing moms birth in/out of hospitals and who they hire to attend their care, along with classes, books, research, etc., I know that (as an American with low-risk pregnancies) this has been important.
:-)
- rjmac88
on Mar. 2, 2013 at 6:47 AM