Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with midwife

All things prenatal in NYC

defreckled — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:54:43 -0800

We're expecting our first baby in January 2010, and I'm looking for recommendations for all things prenatal in NYC. Anything you can recommend from midwives and doulas to shopping and yoga would be greatly appreciated! We're happy with our obstetrician for now, and if we decide to deliver with an ob, we'll definitely want a doula there and ideally it would be someone who is a midwife/doula. There are so many of them in the city that I have no idea how to wade through all the names.

I've been looking for groups of expectant moms to meet in the city but it seems like most of the groups are geared toward new parents with babies. I have found some group exercise classes, but I'm only 15 weeks and not showing at all and I wonder if it would be weird for me to attend.

I'm sure I'm not asking all the right questions, so I would love advice from anyone who has gone through this.

Open-Minded OB In Chattanooga?

Gianna — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:57:09 -0800

Looking for an OB/Gyn in or near the Chattanooga, TN area that is knowledgeable (or willing to learn) about PCOS and open-minded about nonstandard births. Alternately, looking for any feedback from folks who have used the midwifery services of Ina Mae Gaskin or the other midwives at "The Farm". I have a very bad case of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, and have had a great deal of trouble finding a local doctor who will work with me on treatment.

I was initially diagnosed by a doctor in another city, an endocrinologist who specialized in reproductive health. Everything he prescribed did wonders for me.

He is now far away, and trying to replace him has been pretty awful. I've tried a handful of local gynecologists, every single one of which has clung steadfastly to their years-out-of-date knowledge on the topic of PCOS, refused to prescribe me the medications my prior doctor did, insisted on prescribing medications that I already knew didn't work and made me ill, and became condescending, defensive, and accusatory when I tried to change their minds.

I'm now pregnant, and need to get an OB... but I'm extremely leery after the bad experiences I've had. I really do not want to spend my entire pregnancy at odds with my doctor.

To complicate matters even more, I'd really prefer to have a non-traditional birth... ideally, at home. I know most doctors aren't jiggy with that sort of thing.

I've been considering skipping the traditional medical track altogether and using the midwives at the Farm. I've read Ina Mae Gaskin's books and found them extremely interesting and encouraging. Summertown is about a three-hour drive away, but it would be worth it to me to have prenatal care I felt good about.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good OB or midwife in Chattanooga, or has anyone used the midwives at the Farm and could tell me a little about their experience?

can i get private health insurance in canada?

beccyjoe — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 07:25:16 -0800

are there any private health insurance options available in canada? im australian and i want to have a baby there. also, is it possible to have a baby without involving a hospital, ie through midwives? my husband and i are going to live in canada for a couple of years. i have a 2 year working holiday visa and he will be telecommuting. we are australian. we will have travel insurance to cover us for the first year or so. i will probably work fairly casually in a childcare type job, i dont know if that will cover me for health insurance.

but the thing is, we want to have a baby while we're there. i dont think any travel insurance agencies will insure for pregnancy/birth costs. what other options are there? what is the deal with the midwifery system? we plan to live in toronto.

any information hugely appreciated.

Midwife in DFW?

tingting — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:41:29 -0800

My little sister is pregnant! She lives in Fort Worth, Texas and has not had any luck finding a birthing center or a midwife. Anyone out there in DFW have recommendations? Thanks!

Who's in charge?

cocoagirl — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 11:41:19 -0800

Can someone spell out for me the hierarchy of doctor(s), certified nurse midwives, nurses and others in the setting of the labor and delivery room? Imagine a labor that eventually progresses to a “routine” c-section, where the maximum number of types of doctors and nurses show up. Who are all the players and what is the chain of command? And is that hierarchy explicit or implicit among them? Basically, who can tell who what to do and they have to do it? (For example, if it’s early in labor and there’s no need for an OB yet, would a L&D nurse and midwife ever be either confused about who’s in charge as they work together, or even aggressive about staking out their control in the absence of the next higher “level of command”?) I guess I’m interested in perception as well as fact, so if you have some experiential sense of this hierarchy and want to weigh in, be my guest, but if you know the facts of how this works, please let me know how you know it (med school, work, research, the law, as the spouse of a health professional, etc.)

By the way, this is not a veiled request for reassurance about care during the childbirth experience. I’m nerdily creating a literal diagram of decision-making power within the hospital setting.

An O positive offspring of two O negative parents?

low_horrible_immoral — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 06:15:32 -0800

Can two parents who are both O negative have an O positive offspring? A while back I was discussing anti-D injections with my midwife. She told me that even though both my baby’s father and I have O negative blood groups, I should still be given the injection because there’s a small chance the littl’un would have O positive blood.

Can this be possible, even though O negative genes are recessive? (Or was the midwife just giving me a story to tell the hubbie in case I’ve been cheatin’ around?)

Where should I go and what do I need to learn to speak?

skjønn — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:21:23 -0800

What African language should I learn and how should I go about it? Background:
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I am currently in school and I will be finished in about two years. I am studying to be a midwife (direct-entry CPM). I am also rigorously self-studying basic village style "Where there is no doctor" style health-care.

After I graduate and take the NARM and finish my certifications, I am absolutely certain that I wish to travel to Africa. I know it may sound grandiose, but my dream is to go to severely impoverished places and set up (eventually self sustaining) clinics where I will train locals. I want to spend at least five years in Africa moving from place to place.

I'm a local activist right now, and I have become semi-disillusioned about working for already established groups and I would like to do this entirely on my own so I can do it exactly how I want to. Thankfully, I come from a well-monied family and I have many connections from my current activism so I am sure I will be able to fund this on my own.
*********************************

Where in Africa should I start planning and preparing to go? I want to go to a place where
a)the clinics I plan to set up will be needed
b)the resources I will need to learn the native tongue are available in the states. I want to start learning the language now so I am at least semi fluent when I arrive
c)I don't expect to be completely safe and I accept the higher risk of injury/death I'll be taking, but I'd like to go somewhere where the political situation is stable enough that the work I do will be able to take hold and won't live in fear 24/7.

At this point, based on my own research, I'm about to start studying Swahili. Basically, I just wanted to check and see what the hive mind thinks since I don't really know as much as I'd like to about Africa.

Should I use a midwife or an OB/GYN?

christinetheslp — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:59:21 -0800

Is it a good idea to use a midwife instead of an OB/GYN? I'm a mere six weeks pregnant and I'm pretty disenchanted by the medical field. I had to advocate for my regular gynecologist to take blood instead of just relying on my urine tests, and the OB I was referred to refuses to see me before I'm eight weeks pregnant. Her receptionists weren't even nice over the phone. I don't like doctors in general and I'm really not looking forward to dealing with them, or any other doctor, for the next nine months.

A friend of mine recently had a baby and raved about her midwife and her home birth. On the surface it seems like a great idea...cheaper, more natural, more relaxed, more flexible. But I just can't get past the feeling that it's a really bad idea to give birth without a doctor around, even though I live in a big city with a hospital less than ten minutes away.

So, has anyone had experience with midwives? Was it positive or negative? Any experience with finding a reputable midwife?

Thanks!

Fetal Heartbeat at 14 weeks

anastasiav — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 15:15:27 -0800

MaternityFilter - Fetal Heartbeat Question. I'm about 14 - 15 weeks pregnant. I had a normal ultrasound at 9 weeks, showed good fetal development, good heartbeat, etc. At my midwife appointment today she was unable to find a fetal heartbeat with the handheld dopler equipment in the office, and she suggested that they schedule me for another ultrasound image "in a week or so".

She did tell me several times not to worry, but I can't tell if she's genuinely not worried or is just masking her concern. She did say that she was using "the little" handheld unit, as her partner had take "the big" handheld unit to their other office.

How normal is it to be unable to hear the heartbeat at 14 weeks? I'm actually not completely paniced (just mildly worried) but my boyfriend is much more concerned. Should I push for a second ultrasound within the next couple days?

Nothing else seems to be "wrong" except my nasuea is easing up, which I'm told should be normal at this point.

Give me some data to help calm my sweetie down, please!