Pregnancy: Choosing a Health Care Professional

Pregnancy is a time of celebration and preparation for the bundle of joy to come. Along with all the necessary health precautions one must take, there are two very important considerations to be taken into account: who will provide you with the care you need and where will you go through the birthing process. Often, these decisions coincide as the healthcare provider will have a chosen location. When making this decision, things to consider are health history, finances, preferences and opinions (but make sure these are based on accurate information).

Care Providers: There are three main categories of care providers who can help ease you through the process of pregnancy and birth, obstetricians, family practitioners, and midwives.

Obstetricians: These medical doctors are specialized in managing labor as well as birth. They trained in the gynecological and obstetrical problems. For this reason, women who in the past had somewhat rocky pregnancies usually find them to be  good choice.  Obstetricians’ base of operations are in the hospital room.

Family Practice Doctors: These physicians can handle obstetrics, surgery, internal medicine, and pediatrics. They treat whole families and are usually chosen for low risk hospital deliveries.

Midwives: It sounds old fashioned, but these are experienced  providers. Midwives  come in a couple of categories: certified nurse-midwives with a nursing degree as well as other training in midwifery and direct-entry midwives with extensive training in midwifery but no nursing degree. Because of their lack of extensive medical training they usually are called upon for very low risk pregnancies and will perform births, in homes, hospitals or birthing centers.

Location: While deciding where to give birth you should find a place that is comfortable for you and yet also has all the medical assistance you will need. Your options include a hospital, a birthing center, or your own home.

Hospital: Many people choose hospitals as their birthplace of preference; if you have decided on a family practitioner or obstetrician, chances are so have you. Also the number of midwives attending hospital births is increasing, many people feel more comfortable being in close proximity to skilled healthcare professionals in the event of an emergency.  Some things to be aware of when choosing a hospital are their policies on labor techniques, routine interventions, camera or video use during labor, and newborn care. Touring the facility you are planning on attending is a good idea so that you can become more familiar with the guidelines and restrictions you might face during labor.

Birthing Center: Invented in 1974 to give women a more relaxed setting for birth, birthing centers are usually only attended by midwives. There are also some obstetricians who don’t mind doing deliveries at hospital birthing centers. Birthing centers often have fewer guidelines and restrictions and allow for more freedom in making decisions about labor.  For women with low risk pregnancies, birthing centers are a good choice allowing for fewer interventions. Be sure to discuss particular requests with the birth center representative beforehand to learn more about their guidelines and restrictions.

Home Birth: Many women feel more comfortable in a home setting. Women who want no interventions and are focused on a family centered birth choose this option. Although the environment is more relaxed, families choosing in home births must be educated in the problems that may arise and agree to go to a hospital in the event of an emergency. Midwives are a primary form of health care for in-home birt

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