In yesterday’s blog post, I talked about the impact your choice of hospital has on your birth experience. The other part of the picture when you want a natural birth, free of interventions is the health care provider you choose to attend your birth.
Your health care provider has a big impact on your birth experience. In many hospitals, you can have a doctor or midwife attend your birth. Choose a provider that is supportive of natural birth and won’t use interventions unless medically necessary.
Doctors are very different in their approaches to labor and birth. Some are quicker to use interventions to get labor started or move it along, if things are taking a while. Others take a wait and see approach and are more open to natural methods and allow intermittent monitoring and more freedom of movement during labor. Each woman should find a provider that meshes with her own views of labor.
Make an appointment to meet a few doctors and midwives in your area. Ask specifically about the “typical” birth for that provider. Pay close attention to any interventions routinely used. Ask about statistics for the practice for c section births, natural births, episiotomy, pitocin and induction. This will give you a good indication of the experience you can expect and whether the provider is the right fit for you.
Discuss your expectations and preferences for your birth. Some things to ask about include policies such as the use of continuous fetal monitoring, freedom of movement during labor, routine use of episiotomy, induction and augmentation of labor, IVs and breaking the water.
Ideally, you want to choose a health care provider that will act as a partner in the birth with you, rather than a strict medically minded doctor who wants every birth to go according to a schedule and routinely uses interventions in labors that take a bit longer. Choosing a provider that is an advocate for natural birth and supports your choices will help you stick to your plan when it comes time to have your baby.
Related Articles:
How to Have a Natural Birth in a Hospital Part 1
Does Natural Birth Really Matter?
Is Natural Birth Better for Bonding?