Please Help Birth Center vs Hospitals

[susancollins]

I am attending a free standing birth center. The midwives have full privileges at a major University Hospital. This is my four child. I like the midwife model of care and I like that you don't feel like a number. Please give me your honest opinion pros and cons. I have some people who are adamantly against my decision. I love the midwives and I feel safe and secure in their abilities and my own. Thanks in advance.

[Heather in OK]

I love the midwives and I feel safe and secure in their abilities and my own.

This is all that matters.

 

The opinions that will be shared in this thread do not matter. Those who are against your decision really don't matter. It's really none of their business about where you give birth. This is YOUR birth. This is YOUR choice to live with. This is YOUR story.

 

YOU are the only one who needs to be comfortable with your informed decision.

[Quiver0f10]

This is all that matters.

 

The opinions that will be shared in this thread do not matter. Those who are against your decision really don't matter. It's really none of their business about where you give birth. This is YOUR birth. This is YOUR choice to live with. This is YOUR story.

 

YOU are the only one who needs to be comfortable with your informed decision.

 

:iagree: what she said.

[Carrie12345]

You're comfortable with your care, your providers, the location, and what's probably an ideal transfer situation as a back up. What other person's opinion could change any of that?

[ELaurie]

:iagree: with the PPs.

[IsabelC]

Ditto. Make your informed choice and politely tell other people to mind their own business. You are growing a baby and looking after three children, so no doubt you have better things to do than defend your birthing choices to all and sundry.

 

Or if you really care about a person's opinion, try this. Ask her/him to write you a list of all the reasons the hospital would be preferable, backed up by up-to-date, properly referenced statistics from multiple reputable sources. You probably won't hear any more about it ;)

 

(Although I wouldn't go anywhere near a birth center :p )

Edited December 14, 2010 by Hotdrink

[Farrar]

I had a planned midwife homebirth but I ended up a transport to the hospital. I say this because if things go wrong, midwives will make sure you get the care you need. It's not for everyone, but if you want to do it then it's *your* birth.

[Kipling]

:iagree: what she said.

 

You're comfortable with your care, your providers, the location, and what's probably an ideal transfer situation as a back up. What other person's opinion could change any of that?

 

Exactly. You are comfortable with the care you will receive and the back-up/transfer situation is perfect. It's your fourth child, and I'm assuming you have not had complications with the other three, so the risk is minimal. It doesn't matter what other people think. Midwives have had more training in dealing with normal, natural childbirth than most OBs who spend the bulk of their training on how to treat and deal with problems and complications, so for a low-risk pregnancy and delivery, a midwife is a very good choice.

 

I used an OB/GYN at a hospital for my first two, and a midwife at a free-standing birth center for my third. It was a great experience for us.

[Veritaserum]

:iagree: It's nobody else's business.

[Jami]

I had my first three in a hospital, very standard hospital births, the third ended up a c-section. Nothing horrible, just typical.

 

My fourth was a midwife-attended, birth center birth. There was no comparison. Dh and I were so relaxed, comfortable, cared for and then happy to go home a few hours after our baby arrived to snuggle and get to know her in our own space.

 

I wish I'd lived in a city and state with more options for my first three, I'd love to have a do over. But I'm so happy I got to experience such a joyful, peaceful birth with my fourth.

[Ellie]

I am attending a free standing birth center. The midwives have full privileges at a major University Hospital. This is my four child. I like the midwife model of care and I like that you don't feel like a number. Please give me your honest opinion pros and cons. I have some people who are adamantly against my decision. I love the midwives and I feel safe and secure in their abilities and my own. Thanks in advance.

No one except you and your dh get a vote. You don't even have to explain to us why you like the birth center over the hospital (although I'm in complete agreement with you, and would choose midwives/birth center over hospital any day). Your birth, your choice. The end.

[Annie]

I had a planned midwife homebirth but I ended up a transport to the hospital. I say this because if things go wrong, midwives will make sure you get the care you need. It's not for everyone, but if you want to do it then it's *your* birth.

 

The same thing happened to me. I felt very well taken care of by my midwives.

 

You should do what you think will be best for you and your little one.

 

I will say that even though I had to transfer for a c-section, attempting a homebirth was one of the best decisions I ever made.

[justasque]

What you and your dh think is all that matters.

 

BUT - if others are expressing concerns, it's because they love you and the babe. Perhaps you can address/acknowledge the feeling they are sharing (fear for someone they love), while still standing firm with your decision. Remember too those of us for whom midwives are a normal, even typical, way to give birth are immersed in that culture and know all the arguments, etc., but most people don't know the first thing about them. It may help to educate/inform your loved ones as to why you're making this decision, and what you like about the care the midwives will be providing. In other words, don't take the criticisms as criticism, take them as love and address them as such.

 

(I had two midwife-attended VBACs, and wouldn't have done a thing differently.)

[Tarreymere]

If your midwives have full privileges at a major university hospital then obviously they are licensed in your state and have credentials. Maybe the people who are concerned about your choice to use midwives are misinformed and are visualizing some kind of untrained, uneducated sort of person who does not follow basic safety precautions. As an OB nurse and later during my midwifery education we certainly made use of technology if the situation called for it. What makes midwifery different from 'standard' OB care (or should, anyway) is the willingness to work with each birthing mother as an individual and to not perform interventions routinely but to wait and see if those interventions are actually necessary first. Some midwives can perform as the 'first assist' during a c-section if one becomes necessary. Maybe those people who are concerned about midwifery care might feel better about your choice (if that is important to you, since it is YOUR choice) if you shared with them a little of your midwife's education and credentialing. But then, there are some people who just feel better if things occur in the presence of a doctor. I can't tell you how many births I attended as an OB nurse where the dr rushed in at the last possible second, with the baby's head completely crowned, threw on a gown and shouted, 'okay, now PUSH' and neatly caught the baby, did the cord cutting thing with dad, and practically tossed the baby at the nurses on the way out the door again. Who do you think was actually monitoring mom and baby and doing what needed to be done?

[texasmama]

I wish I had been able to use midwives and a birthing center with my last baby.:001_smile:

[Peela]

I so wish my first had been born at the birthing centre. We were booked in but she came too early, although she was ready. The hospital was really not a nice place to have a baby. They just wanted to rush the whole thing, and my first has never been one to be rushed. Fortunately my dh was a wonderful advocate for me and protected me from the doctors' agendas and she was born in her own timing, pretty much.

 

My 2nd was born at a birthing centre. Such a great experience.

 

ETA: if I listened to other people's uneducated opinions I would have had caesarians, never homeschooled, and we would eat the SAD. Do your own research and stay in touch with your mummy instinct...dont doubt yourself.

Edited December 14, 2010 by Peela

[Dinsfamily]

I had my first 2 with CNMs at a hospital. It was a great experience! They were in charge and were very concerned about what I wanted and needed. Never saw an OB the whole time. Thankfully, I found an OB when we moved to Tx (no CNMs at my hospital:glare:) that is very midwifish and was so happy with the care I received with my 3rd.

 

I definitely agree with the others that you and dh should alone choose. Just wanted to let you know that hospitals aren't always uncomfortable if you're leaning that way.

 

If you are leaning toward (or already decided on) the birthing center, maybe you could bolster the confidence of friends/family that might be concerned. It could just be a lack of education on the subject.

[snipsnsnailsx5]

I can't WAIT to hear the answers...because I'm wondering about this and trying to make a decision too!

 

I've had five hospital births. My first was in a small town, and actually attended by a CNM (Certified Nurse-Midwife) and was totally med-free (nary a needle in my arm lol). My 2nd through 5th pregnancies were at a bigger city hospital all with OB-GYN's. My 2nd labor I did also have no meds, but the required hep-lock IV in my hand. My 3rd,4th,and 5th I received epidurals. Although, with the exception of my 3rd, I received the epidurals too late and basically had them in long enough to just push for a few minutes and back out they went. A big waste of time....lol

 

So here's my thinking...I used to feel a lot more comfortable in a hospital. I liked having machines around me, and doctors at my beside. I really liked having an anesthesiologist at my beck and call. lol I even liked afterwards, having a night away from the hustle and bustle of my house with meals brought to my bed for an entire day plus some.

 

But...with my last couple births...those pros that I had always looked forward too, those "good things" became the bad things.

I hate needles and I hate getting heplocks if I don't plan on getting anything through an IV. I know its required, and I had a pro-natural birth friend who is a nurse tell me that the heplocks really are important in case of a sudden emergency, and what if they cant get an IV in fast enough, etc etc. Especially on someone like me who has "rolling veins" and it always takes 2-3 nurses and five attempts to get an IV in. lol

 

Also, I hate how...cold, and bright, and...I don't know, unnatural a hospital is. I think I've developed a fear of hospitals now after my five births there. Its like I go to a hospital and all I can remember is the uncomfortable-ness and pain of it all. Yet...90% of my labors are usually spent at home. (I typically labor at home as long as possible and show up to the hospital to basically go through the final stage and push).

 

Finally, I'm tired of staying at the hospital for 24 hrs after delivery. Really I am NOT getting much sleep when nurses come in every 4 hrs to take vitals on the baby and/or me. Those hospital beds are UNcomfortable and the rooms are always SO hot.

 

SO that's why I'm strongly considering a birth center this time. My friend who is pro-natural births and is a nurse, strongly recommends a birthing center here in town that she has used and several of my friends have also used.

In this birthing center, its staffed by midwives. All my appt's can be done there for the whole pregnancy (as long as I was no high risk). Then for the delivery they have lots of options, including water birth which I'm very curious about. THEN I can go home a few hours after I have my baby, and SLEEP in my own bed. Oh how blissful that sounds. A midwife will come and check on me the next day.

 

What's holding me back? Honestly it just comes down to pain. lol I know I can do it, and I have done it WELL. But its not something I really jump for joy about. When I had the epidural early in my labor with my 3rd son, it was heaven. I laughed and slept through it all until it came time to push, which I didn't feel at all, and 15 min later he was born perfect and healthy.

I just don't know if everything else is worth settling on just for some pain management.

 

I saw/heard someone say once that really OB-GYN's are supposed to be for high-risk or special situations. THey are specialists. That's why everything is so medicalized (if that's a word?! lol) there. They are great for situations that need a specialist. However, for normal pregnancies a midwife is just fine and that's how its been done for years and years and years.

 

So...we'll see? I'm not PG yet, but I hope to be soon. Then I'll have to make that decision very soon since I'd want to start going to appt's there for the whole PG.

[cathmom]

3 of my 7 children were born at a free-standing birth center. The twins would have been born there too if it were allowed. A birth center is so much better than the hospital in so many ways if you are comfortable there! Go for it!

[Guest CarolineUK]

I had my first three in hospital and the first and third births especially were particularly horrid (I won't go into details). I then chose to have my fourth at home which caused great concern amongst almost everyone but DH and I. The hospital staff put a great deal of pressure on me not to go through with this choice, but I just had a very strong conviction that it was the right thing to do, and I'm not usually so stubborn! In the end it was the quickest, easiest birth of all, a very beautiful experience for all concerned, and I feel very sad that I didn't have that experience with my other three babies.

 

Do what you feel is right in your heart, I'm sure it will be the right choice.

[TravelingChris]

I am all for you and your husband making the choice. I had three births in a hospital and that was what was necessary for me. But so what? No reason for it to be necessary for you and you have a great back-up plan. Go right ahead and ignore others.

 

The only time I would even question anyone else's choice is not a situation like yours, but like some which have been discussed on this forum (mentally ill ya not getting prenatal care and having a very past due baby).

[dirty ethel rackham]

IMO, as long as you are healthy and low risk, I see no reason to go with the hospital model of care. Statistically speaking, outcomes are no better in the hospital (and morbidity is worse for the mother.) Research supports your choice. The only factor that would dissuade me is the distance to the hospital if you would need a transfer.

[Princess Peach]

I had my first in a hospital, my second in a birth center, and my third at home, all with midwives. I would never go back to the hospital if given the choice.

 

Midwives get to know you so well, appts are longer than with OBs. They are trained to spot problems before the birth. They are also trained to deal with emergencies.

 

If you haven't watched The Business of Being Born, I highly recommend it.

[Mama Geek]

I agree that it is you and your husbands choice.

 

I seriously considered it for my dd, but I was 35 yo and overweight, and had never been pregnant before so I was concerned. I had a Dr. that had a great nursing staff some of which were midwives. I was very comfortable with my Doc by the time the baby was ready to come. There was only 1 other baby coming while we were in the hospital and the staff there was really good. I did end up in a C-section after 12 hours of drug free labor. DD got into trouble with her heart rate.

[LizzyBee]

When I lived in Baltimore, my neighbor across the street went to a birth center and I went to the top neonatal hospital in the state. She was so happy to go to the birth center... and I was so happy to go to the hospital.

 

You do what's right for you!

[amy g.]

I've had 3 at the hospital, and 2 at a birthing center. I was much happier with my birthing center births.

[Harriet Vane]

I agree with what the others have said and will add this:

 

With a traditional hospital setting and with an OB the statistical likelihood of interventions is much higher. We thank God for providing when such interventions are truly necessary, but we also all know (and statistics support) that often those interventions are unnecessary. A midwife is far more invested than an OB in being patient with a woman's labor and in not intervening unless there is cause.

 

I have also found, personally, that the hospital personnel can be quite combative towards patients. This has definitely been my experience in more than one hospital--I am convinced it is cultural to that setting. This was definitely the case at my first labor. At my second labor, dealing with the various hospital staff was really nightmarish until my midwife got there, bless her. She was the voice of peace and common sense.

 

Even just this past week, when I had to take my son to the ER (split his chin open sledding) I was flabbergasted at how combative the hospital staff were towards me. Normal, calm questions were received as though I were being argumentative (I absolutely wasn't). This dynamic made a simple, straightforward case quite difficult.

 

So, personally, if I were to have another baby I would absolutely NOT choose a hospital setting because I would want to avoid unnecessary medical procedures and because I prefer a more supportive, less hostile environment. If I were confident that the midwife had quick transport to the hospital in case of an emergency, then the midwife is a trained expert and certainly competent to assist with a normal delivery.

[Ginevra]

Please give me your honest opinion pros and cons. I have some people who are adamantly against my decision. I love the midwives and I feel safe and secure in their abilities and my own.

 

Pros: midwifery care is very personal and patient-comfort oriented. I loved it. You don't have to feel brow-beaten into every little thing: what position you assume, monitors, IV's, etc., whether or not to give vaccines, etc.

 

Cons: I think "low risk" gets communicated as "no risk." It did for me. I was low risk (as far as I knew; had two healthy, uneventful births beforehand), but my baby died in labor. Being five minutes from a first-rate hospital did no good.

It's a very bitter thing to have something go horribly, tragically wrong and to have to face those loved-ones who were adamantly against it. When my baby died, my sister said to me, if you can even believe it, "See? That's why I think those things (birth centers) should be illegal!"

 

In the interest of fairness, babies can and do die in the hospital, too. However, it does seem a bitter pill to swallow knowing that the fetal monitoring I was so against could have - maybe - saved my daughter's life.

 

The birth after that was at a hospital with a nice, open-minded OBGYN. He didn't brow-beat me into getting an epidural (although they did ask me around 3 different times if I was sure) and was otherwise pretty agreeable.

[Sandy in Indy]

I had my first in a hospital, my second in a birth center, and my third at home, all with midwives. I would never go back to the hospital if given the choice.

 

Midwives get to know you so well, appts are longer than with OBs. They are trained to spot problems before the birth. They are also trained to deal with emergencies.

 

If you haven't watched The Business of Being Born, I highly recommend it.

 

:iagree:

 

This is my experience as well. I had wonderful experiences with my midwives and actually got much better care from them.

 

What matters is what you want. If you have educated yourself and are comfortable with your choice, then proceed! That said, I know how difficult it can be when family is pressuring you to make another choice. I didn't tell my mom I was birthing at home until it was a done deal--she would have had cardiac arrest.

 

Birth is such a rare experience for most of us. It really should be the kind of birth that you want (barring medical complications).

[ktgrok]

I am attending a free standing birth center. The midwives have full privileges at a major University Hospital. This is my four child. I like the midwife model of care and I like that you don't feel like a number. Please give me your honest opinion pros and cons. I have some people who are adamantly against my decision. I love the midwives and I feel safe and secure in their abilities and my own. Thanks in advance.

 

Birth center births are statistically safer for the mom. I'd do the birth center and tell everyone else that getting you upset while you are pregnant is not healthy, so you don't want to discuss it.

[susancollins]

Thank you for all of the reassurance and comments. I am happy with my decision and so is my husband! I am so grateful to have such a wonderful group of women to discuss things with! I love the Hive!

[silliness7]

I've had no experience with a birthing center.

 

I birthed 5 babies in a hospital. The first 3 with an epidural and the last 2 without. I had an epidural headache with #3 which was my incentive for going natural. I had pitocin with #4 and it was HARD but I did it! Baby #5 came very fast and we made it just in time. So it was not hard. I labored for an hour in the car. It was lovely :-) However, I felt that my dr. was in quite a rush, rushed the placenta out. It tore and I retained a small bit. I ended up having a D&C immediately after birth under general anesthesia. Very Yucky!!

 

For #6 I was in a different city and thought the time had come to try out a midwife. I really hadn't been thrilled with my previous births. Well baby #2 was the most ideal birth ever but I didn't want to chance the epidural.

 

My midwife used the hospital. I was fine with that. My water broke on the morning of July 4th. We rushed to the hospital because last baby was born in 1 hour from start of contractions. Things were not going as fast as anticipated and midwife popped me full of pitocin so fast it'd make your head spin. I found out later she had a big family reunion that afternoon. I didn't use her again. :tongue_smilie: I found her to be no different than my OB's. I probably would have had a more typical midwife experience if my birth had not put her family reunion in jeopardy. But it did and she behaved like a woman on a mission and in a hurry. And I don't have warm fuzzy feelings about midwives.

 

#7 I was back with a doc. She didn't even make it for the birth. I've discovered that my favorite place to labor is in the car...so long as I can give birth in a bed. So far so good. :001_smile:

[Kipling]

#7 I was back with a doc. She didn't even make it for the birth. I've discovered that my favorite place to labor is in the car...so long as I can give birth in a bed. So far so good. :001_smile:

 

Giving birth in a bed is overrated! With my third, I labored in the car and delivered there too!

[Aubrey]

I've delivered 4 babies w/ a midwife. Three at a birth center, the 4th at home. I had a midwife I'd stake mine & my babies' lives on. Hospitals make me incredibly nervous, w/ the amt of people coming in & out & the pressure to do things in a uniform way. I'm passive-aggressive & stubborn, & I'd really hate to see what that would look like in labor.

 

Fwiw, my 4th would have been a c-section at a hospital. My 2nd lived because of my midwife's intuition. I wouldn't count the latter as a benefit of midwifery in general, but it does make me love my mw that much more. :001_smile:

 

I'd never pressure a person either way. I figure they're most likely to know best for themselves, & if not, I certainly don't want to be responsible for anything that goes wrong!

 

GL!

[LisaKinVA]

Well, if I had the option of a birth center vs. a hospital, I'd choose the birth center.

 

My options are home or the hospital (ha! assuming I make it there). My last baby was born within an hour of my first contraction. She came fast. Most likely, if we had planned a hospital birth with her, she would have been born in the ambulance bay...in our car (and that is assuming we could be in the car within 15 minutes from that 1st contraction... my dh can't get out the door anywhere in 15 minutes, :glare:)

 

I have had 4 babies at home, and one in the hospital. My husband wound up delivering all 5... yup, even the one in the hospital, because no one was around. I was supposed to have a CNM in the hospital, but she wasn't there. No one listened to me, about my history of imminent, spontaneous delivery (this was my 4th delivery), they patted my head and walked away after checking me. I rolled over onto my side and literally 3 contractions later, Josh's head delivered... my dh jumped up and caught Josh as I pushed the call button. By the time the nurses arrived he was fully born to their hysterical screams of "stop pushing."

 

FTR, I was never "comfortable" with a hospital birth. I enjoyed our home births, but that was not an option at the time. $3,000 was a lot of money, money we didn't have. Insurance would cover 100% of the hospital.

 

My CNM's have all been wonderful. My deliveries have always been quick and uncomplicated (well, as uncomplicated as quick can be)... and we still have people unhappy with our decisions to birth at home. But, I wouldn't trade those comfortable, relaxed experiences for *anything* (assuming, healthy baby, of course).

[Dawn in OH]

I have never had the privilege of having a child in a birthing center or a home birth, but my opinion on the topic is that hospitals are for sick people. g Giving birth is not an illness. No offense to anyone that wants a hospital birth. I think everyone should do what is best for them. Three of my four children were delivered by CNM's in a hospital. There were no free standing birthing centers near me. I vote for midwives any day. The experience is so much more intimate rather than clinical.

[sagira]

If you are a healthy mom, delivering in a hospital is a risky decision. The safest option (again, if you are healthy) is to deliver at home or at a birth center with a midwife. In the Netherlands, midwifery is the standard of care, and paid for by the government. If you wish to deliver with a gyno (and again, you are healthy), you need to cover that yourself. I think that's fair. If only our health model would be set up pro health, and not pro money.. but that's another thread :)

[phathui5]

I had my second and third children at a freestanding birth center. It was so much better than when I had my first in the hospital. The atmosphere was more calm and the birth center actually practiced more evidence-based medicine and didn't do crazy stuff like trying to hook people up to IVs and electric fetal monitors.

[*********]

YOU are the only one who needs to be comfortable with your informed decision.

 

Heather, I very respectfully disagree. IMO, if this was my situation, my husband would also need to be comfortable with the decision. Or we would keep discussing/compromising until we reached a decision we both were comfortable with. If that was not possible, if there was just NO way that we could find a compromise, then I would go with what dh wants.

 

I realize that may not be a popular pov. But it's mine, fwiw.

[Garga]

When I got pregnant I decided to use a midwife. A friend of mine (a man. single.) was aghast at the idea. He is one of those people who can talk circles around just about anybody (we always told him he should be a lawyer, but he got an MBA instead.)

 

He went on and on (and on) about how horrible a decision it would be to go to a midwife. Very eloquently. I just wasn't up to the task of refuting him. I'm the sort of person who thinks up the clever reply 2 days too late. All I knew is that I was getting madder and madder and he was getting madder and madder and it was getting out of control.

 

So, I finally just said, "I have not been able to find ANYTHING that suggests that a midwife is worse than an OB for a normal birth. If you can find ANYTHING, then I'll listen to you."

 

I then left for lunch (we worked together) in a huff and came back glaring at him and with *don't even THINK of talking to me* body language. He just sat there in silence for a few minutes, while I slammed my stuff around. Then he quietly started quoting from the internet all the benefits of midwives. I made him read about 3 pages until I finally gave him eye contact and a smile.

 

He told me that as soon as I had left for lunch, he immediately started looking online to find all the horror stories of midwives, etc, but couldn't find a thing. So, he realized what a donkey's rear he'd been and decided to eat humble pie and be extra nice to me about it.

Edited December 14, 2010 by Garga

[cathmom]

Oh, and I highly suggest reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin! It's the best book on childbirth that I've ever read, and believe me, I've read a LOT!

[TheApprentice]

Of course what you feel is the for you and your baby IS THE RIGHT THING FOR YOU AND YOUR BABY.:001_smile: With that said, I just loved, loved, loved my midwife experience. I had all 3 of my boys with the same midwifery practice, so I am definitely pro-midwife. I didn't want to be in an environment that made me feel like I was sick, and everything needed medicated. It can be a slippery slope in the hospital, and I just wanted to be in a very mellow state surrounded by people who allowed my birth to go at its own pace, while monitoring that mother and baby were doing o.k. I had a fabulous experience 3x over! :001_smile: FWIW. You will make the best choice for you and your baby, no matter what others say. Good Luck.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I am attending a free standing birth center. The midwives have full privileges at a major University Hospital. This is my four child. I like the midwife model of care and I like that you don't feel like a number. Please give me your honest opinion pros and cons. I have some people who are adamantly against my decision. I love the midwives and I feel safe and secure in their abilities and my own. Thanks in advance.

 

 

I had two of my children (my second and third) under full care of midwives in hospitals. I highly recommend it as the best of both worlds.

 

I loved the care and attention of the midwives. They stayed with me through my entire labor, and did much more than just "catch the baby". They made things go smoothly and provided me with the support I needed to have my babies without unwanted interference or medication. No one at any time tried to talk me into using any medication other than ibuprofin afterward.

 

OTOH, especially since I was 42 when my third baby was born, and I'd contracted Fifth Disease while pregnant (making me doubly high-risk), I loved the knowledge that if things went terribly wrong, I had all the state of the art medical knowledge and equipment available to me just one floor away. As it turned out, I didn't need the doctors at all.

 

From my experience, the hospitals who will try to talk you into doing unnecessary procedures and medications are not the hospitals who give midwives full access to their facilities. They have a relationship with the midwives and understand their philosophies and practices. I wouldn't hesitate to use a hospital under the care of a midwife.

[dirty ethel rackham]

From my experience, the hospitals who will try to talk you into doing unnecessary procedures and medications are not the hospitals who give midwives full access to their facilities. They have a relationship with the midwives and understand their philosophies and practices. I wouldn't hesitate to use a hospital under the care of a midwife.

 

About 10 years ago, I would have agreed with you. However, things have changed. Medical malpractice has changed the game into defensive "medicine." Most hospital based midwives are not-so-affectionately called "medwives" around here. Some are practicing out of a position of fear, some just have their hands tied by hospital policy. But it is rare to find a hospital birthing environment in our area that does not make it difficult to have a normal birth (meaning low intervention.) This is part of the reason I stopped teaching childbirth classes. Since free standing birth centers weren't legal here and legal home birth options all but disappeared, I felt like I had no one I could recommend without reservation - even my former homebirth midwife who had to give up her practice for economic reasons to do hospital births.