midwife vs obgyn

i watched the business of being born the other day, im british so it isnt really an issue for me, we all just use midwives and they are fantastic! but i was wondering how many of the american users actually have a midwife or if you guys all use obgyn's??
and what were your reasons for choosing one or the other??

My family doctor took care of me during my pregnancy and delivered my son. I went to her because I felt more comfortable with her and I trust her more (than I would a midwife).

Maybe I'm misinformed, but my understanding is that in Canada, to be a midwife, you have to attend a certain number of births and then you can be considered a qualified midwife. So there isn't any special education in a school setting. Personally, that scares me.

Also, a friend of mine used a midwife and her baby died about 2 weeks before her due date. She should've been considered a high-risk pregnancy (she's had three c-sections and her first child had some issues) but the midwife took her on as a patient. I think the midwife (if she were more knowledgeable) should've told her to go to a doctor or a specialist. Either way, when my friend realized something wasn't right with her baby, a lot of time was wasted as the midwife tried to determine what was going on, etc. I think a doctor would've immediately ordered an ultrasound and seen the problem.

Again, maybe I'm totally wrong about all of this, but I really like and trust my doctor. I also watched the Business of Being Born (well, I haven't finished watching it, but I've seen almost all of it) and I see what they're saying but at the same time, I had a really good hospital experience overall.

I have to have an ob gyn bc I lost a baby and I need a lot of medical to help me if something were to go wrong again.

Quoting scubakitty:“ My family doctor took care of me during my pregnancy and delivered my son. I went to her because I felt ... [snip!] ... seen almost all of it) and I see what they're saying but at the same time, I had a really good hospital experience overall.”

in britain a midwife studies for years at college and then goes onto work expirience at hospital etc before being allowed to practice.
on the busiess of being born it states that america has the highest infant mortality rate and that most of europe use midwives.

obviously its up to you who you use and im not knocking it and a family doctor sounds like a good way too go but dont be put off by midwives coz one person you know used one and the baby died.

thanks for your opinion, that documentary has really made me think about things! oh and hun if you havent watched it i recomend it  

Quoting Christy1986:“ I have to have an ob gyn bc I lost a baby and I need a lot of medical to help me if something were to go wrong again.”

sorry to hear that, it makes perfect sense that you would need an obgyn for that!!
good luck hun

Actually in Canada Midwives do have to go to school(I don't know for how long), but aren't welcome in alot of small town hospitals.It is legal for them to practice but they don't always have any support from the staff.Our family doctors aren't allowed(at least to my knowledge) to deliver babies because of malpractice insurance and politics.I chose a doctor because I wasn't closed minded about my delivery and may have wanted some pain medication(we have no epis in our hick town) and I was under the impression that MOST midwives really push to go all natural.Also I have a huge clientelle(hairdresser for 15 years) so I got the scoop on the best obgyn in town.He delivered my first two(the last one he wasn't even working but I almost cried when he told me who was on call so he came in on his day off) and he will deliver this one-I love him!!!!

Quoting mama3trish:“ Actually in Canada Midwives do have to go to school(I don't know for how long), but aren't welcome in ... [snip!] ... but I almost cried when he told me who was on call so he came in on his day off) and he will deliver this one-I love him!!!!”

Family docs can deliver a baby in CAnada. Mine did in BC. Now that I live in Nova Scotia...the town is really small so you can't deliver the baby at our hospital....so you have to go to one of the hospitals in a bigger town where they have a rotation of obgyn's. you are supposed to be able to meet all of them at least once before you have your baby, but with my last one the doc that delivered her was the only one I hadn't met. She was really nice though so it went really smoothly. My SIL had her last child in Amsterdam. There she had a midwife deliver the baby at their home and then the midwife stayed for the first week to help out. What I wouldn't give to have something like that happen. I have no family and most of the friends I make out here keep moving west. I told my husband I plan on staying in the hospital for at least a full day this time around. I was home in less than 24 hours with the last two.

Quoting charleigh:“ that documentary has really made me think about things! ”

It had a similar effect on me. It really made me re-assess what I wanted for my first birth experience.

I started with an ob-gyn and at 35 weeks switched to the midwives at a local water birth center after having seen "The Business of Being Born". I was never that thrilled with our ob, but I can honestly say I really really like our midwife.
I want a drug-free birthing experience and I didn't think I would be able to achieve that with my ob and at a hospital. When my ob asked me if I was going to have the epi, I told her NO and she said in response "well you can always change your mind later" which made me feel she wasn't really listening to me and had no clue who I was or what I was about. That was the final straw that made me feel switching was the right thing to do for me.

A drug-free birth isn't for everyone nor is a birth outside a hospital the right thing for everyone, but I can't tell you how many labor stories I read here at babygaga where labor is induced or helped along with pitocin or other means only to end in a c-section when the person hasn't delievered as quickly as the doctor would like. And in the end the women almost always say, "but the baby was in distress, so thank god I was in a hospital where they could do a c-section." And I feel like slapping my head and saying "duh, of course your baby was in distress with all the ways they try to push labor along that is unnatural!"

I honestly feel a lot (not all) of women could deliver without any major complications if they just listened to their bodies and went a more natural route. Every day there is a new post here saying "yay, I have an induction date!" My ob wanted to induce and mentioned it at the very first doctor's visit...said she didn't want to let the baby get too big. Well, I REALLY didn't want to be induced just because the baby might be a healthy size. I trust my body to produce a baby the size it can handle delievering. And it seems a lot of inductions end in c-section. I wanted a c-section even less than an induction.

I'm sure my opinions are in the minority here and I am okay with that. In the end each woman has to make a choice for herself and her baby in which she is comfortable with. I'm not here to tell anyone what to do or how to live their lives.

So I just looked it up on the internet and supposedly it's true that here in Canada, midwives CAN go to school to learn how to become midwives but it's not necessary. They can also have equivalent experience by attending a certain number of births. So for me, I'm not saying that you can't learn something outside of school, but it scares me if they haven't studied formally.

I've heard about Europe and Holland specifically. My friend's wife just had a baby there (Holland) and she had a home birth. He described it as being a wonderful and amazing experience. I don't know. I don't know if I'd want to deliver my baby at home. I kind of liked the idea of messing up someone else's sheets and of not having to see or hear the dogs for a few days and then getting to bring the baby home and it being a special thing to show him his room, etc. Honestly, I don't like how they've changed things that you now have your baby with you 24/7 and that there's no longer a nursery. Back in my mom's day, the woman could at least get a little bit of uninterrupted sleep after giving birth. I remember how TIRED I was and I've basically never caught up on that sleep since Julien was born...

I had a GP that delivered for my first baby. I hated her. She was a horrible doctor! Then I had midwives with my son, I loved going to the midwives. I loved going to their office instead of a germy doc office, I loved that my daughter could come to all the appointments and not have to worry about her touching stuff in the room that was "dangerous" or dirty (sick germs) I loved the focus that a midwife can give you b/c their only business is birthing, not curing everyones illnesses. I loved the fact that I knew she wasn't just talking to a sick person with something contagious before she saw me. (well unless the mom before me had a cold...you know what I mean)
Anyway I could go on and on and on.....
I have a GP that delivers again this time. But that is b/c in Alberta you have to pay out of pocket for a Midwife and it is $3000. I can't afford that. I do like my doctor this time round, but all the other stuff still bugs me.

i have an obgyn. Where i'm at right now we don't have midwives. I really wanted to have a waterbirth, but we don't have waterbirths here either...probably because there are no midwives. I am happy with my doctor though. he's great and he always has time to listen to my concerns

Quoting Oktobre:“ It had a similar effect on me. It really made me re-assess what I wanted for my first birth experience. ... [snip!] ... for herself and her baby in which she is comfortable with. I'm not here to tell anyone what to do or how to live their lives.”

I agree with most of what you say-lots of docs are inducing and interfering when they shouldn't-my obgyn is not like that at all!!However I have the attitude that we could do natural birth without so much as a tylenol but why!I was at about 7 cm with my second(I had to get induced because I had many abcessed teeth was in agony and on my 3rd set of antibiotics-and had to beg my obgyn even though I was overdue and knew I was having a 9lb kid at least)and when the nurse told me how wonderful I was doing I said ya know I think I would enjoy this a bit more if I wasn't in sooo much pain- because in the end you don't get a medal for doing it without pain meds.I received some gas and ended up having my 9lb 2oz baby come out face up(my doc did not panic or use anything other than alternative positions and manual help)so I was very thankful for the option of drugs.Who knows maybe I will get to have this one au naturelle-but either way it is my choice- not a midwife frowning at me or a doc pushing me to take something, I am sooo lucky to have the best of both worlds!

there are certified nurse midwives.. midwives and obgyns... i am all about the non doctor version of labor... but i believe that most midwives need a doctor affiliate...

this is where there is a fine line of eeek and EEEEK.
There are midwives out there who are not so great and there are obgyns that are not so great.... and vice versa.
i wish that my nurse prac would deliver my baby cause she is the shit... but thats not how my insurance works...

child birth is not a medical thing, so i dont think you should have to go to medical school to become a midwife.... but i think it should be available like a form of trade school because i would love to go. but i do think that all midwives should have a medically trainned proffesional handy at all times. in case of an emergency!
i believe that women should also be seen by a doctor or lpn or cmw to be evaluated before any midwife take on the care of annother individual. which i know most do. and most of them even have a healthcare provider that will give an exam and give a fornal release of patient care for low risk pregnancies....

this is where things just get really iffy though because people will try to hide medical records and they think that they know best sometimes..... or they want to ignore medical advice and try to hide it and then complications arise....

i have a midwife and i wouldnt want it any other way
they definetly arent as invasive as doctors lol

so it looks like midwives are actually very popular after all!
good luck girls