The decision of whom to see during your nine months of pregnancy is not one to be taken lightly. Many newly expectant mothers choose to go to their current OBGYN. This doctor is usually a person that you see once a year. You may have a good relationship with your caregiver, but it is very important that you ask plenty of questions early on in your pregnancy.
There are many things to think about when becoming pregnant for the first time. You might have had some struggles to become pregnant, and had lots of contact with your care provider while going through this process. Alternatively, you may be surprised by this pregnancy and not too sure how you feel about being pregnant. Regardless of your situation, you cannot allow yourself to be ambivilent about how and where you give birth. Many studies and surveys have shown that mothers are happiest and most satisfied with their birth experience when they have some control over the process. Birth can be one of the most transformative experiences of a woman’s life, and it deserves to be planned with the same attention to detail as we would plan our wedding, or a fabulous vacation.
I am not saying that you should be rigid and inflexible. The most important thing to learn about pregnancy and birth is that you must be flexible, able to surrender to what is going on with your body, and with your baby. This is not the same as surrendering to your doctors’ wishes, or plan for managing your birth.
The choice of whom will provide your prenatal care and attend your birth is intensely personal. Their style of management will determine what kind of an experience you have, and ultimately if it will be fufilling for you. Usually, a OB is affilliated with a certain hospital, and this hospital’s policy will be the one that you must follow when in labor. Try to check out the hospital early on in pregnancy to see if they practice mother and baby friendly care. If you decide to go with a midwife, you may have more options than the hospital, though many deliver at hospitals as well, and again follow their protocol for birth. Midwives also deliver in birth centers, and at home.
I often suggest to my students to think about how they would like to give birth, and then choose a care provider that lines up with this ideal. This way they are more likely to have a fufilling and satisfying birth experience.
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