Synopsis:
Choosing an obstetrician or
midwife can be a challenging
experience, especially for
first time moms-to-be. Many
women feel overwhelmed and
end up choosing a practitioner
out of convenience instead
of taking the time to really
look for one who meets their
individual needs. Read on
and learn how to choose the
practitioner who will best
suit your pregnancy and child
birthing needs!
One of the first things you
will need to do once you start
planning your pregnancy is
find a doctor. These days,
there are several different
approaches to pregnancy and
child birth and selecting
a medical professional will
depend on your values and
philosophy. . Some people
choose to go the strictly
medical route while others
seek out Midwives and Doulas
who encourage and support
natural childbirth. There
is no wrong or right decision.
The important thing is that
you are comfortable with whomever
you choose to guide you through
this journey.
Right about now you may
be asking yourself, “How
do I know what I am comfortable
with?” or “There
are so many options, how
do I know what is right
for me?” These are
important questions and
ones that deserve some serious
time and energy before answering.
Before considering your
options, take a few moments
to visualize what your perfect
birth experience might be
like. Here are some questions
to guide you:
• Who is with you?
• Where are you?
• What do you see?
• How do you feel?
• What do you smell?
• What do you hear?
When you have finished your
visualization, make a list
of everything that surrounded
you during your virtual
birthing experience. For
example, were there flowers
in the room? Was music playing?
Were you squatting or lying
on your back? When you have
finished your list take
a few moments to review
it. You might want to talk
it over with your partner,
friends or family. At this
point, you may also want
to do some more research
to see if there are other
possibilities that you are
not aware of (eg., birthing
in a bathtub). Take your
time in developing your
list; these principles will
help guide you in your search
for the right doctor.
Now that you have an idea
of what values are important
to you in the birthing process,
it is time to start investigating.
Think for a moment about
where you could find names
of obstetricians/midwives
who would match up with
your needs. Here are some
ideas to get you started:
• Talk
to friends, family and neighbors.
• Call local hospitals.
• Do a web search for
Obstetricians, Midwives etc
in your area.
• Contact a local Nursing
Mothers Association or LeLeche
League.
• Look in the Yellow
Pages.
• Ask your primary care
physician and gynecologist.
Try to gather at least 5-8
names of obstetricians, midwives
etc. Once you have done this
it is time to start calling
to set up interviews. Often
times you will talk with a
nurse. You can start by asking
whether the practitioner is
taking any new patients. Explain
that you are planning on becoming
pregnant (or are pregnant)
and that you are looking for
a doctor, would it be possible
for you to meet with the practitioner
to ensure that their philosophy
matches yours? Try to set
up at least 3 interviews so
that you have enough choices.
Before going on your interviews,
you will want to come up with
a list of questions to bring
with you. These questions
should be based on the list
of values you have already
prepared in step 2. Here are
some suggestions to get you
started:
• Do you accept birthing
plans?
• Are there other practitioners
in your practice?
• Do you do episiotomies?
• What are your thoughts
on breastfeeding?
• Do you support natural
births?
• At what point will
you consider doing a C-Section?
• Can I call you with
questions any time?
• Do you work with Doulas?
• Do you allow family
members in the birthing room?
• Are you an advocate
of C-Sections?
Come up with as many questions
as you can think of. You may
want to ask other mothers
for some suggestions as we
all seem to have said, “If
I knew then what I know now
I would have………..”
at least one time. The important
thing is that the questions
you choose to ask will give
you the answer to whether
this is the right practitioner
for you.
Once you
have chosen a practitioner,
take comfort in knowing that
this person understands and
respects your value base and
decisions regarding your birthing
experience. As much as we
would all like to experience
the “perfect birth”,
things don’t always
go as planned. Having taken
the time to seek out the right
person to guide you through
this journey however, you
can be sure that you and your
baby will be well cared for.
