Choosing a Health Care Professional
Choosing the correct Health Care Professional is essential for getting the care you deserve during this special time. There are options and to choose the right option for you and your family, you must make some decisions initially.
A Doctor
Are you already seeing an Obstetrician/Gynecologist(OB-GYN) that you trust? If yes, then good that is half the battle, but if you have made important decisions about your baby’s birth, then you may want to run these ideas past your doctor. Are you planning on a natural delivery? Does your doctor support(truly) this decision, or do 90% of his/her patients get epidurals? Does the doctor and/or his/her colleagues support this as well? Will your doctor be delivering his own patients, and if not are you good with his/her delivering your baby. Once you have narrowed all these questions down and have chosen your doctor, after waiting 10 months(yes I said 10) you are ready for labor!
A Midwife
If you prefer a more natural approach, natural meaning no pain medication and or different methods of pain coping mechanisms, you may try a Certified Nurse Midwife(CNM). A CNM is a board certified, advanced practice nurse who provides obstetrical and gynecological services. Most midwives promote a low to no intervention labor, which includes no epidural, position changes for pain control, and low rates of induction as well as augmentation of labor. If this sounds like your idea of delivering, then you may look for a CNM. Many CNM also can recommend a doula(a certified labor coach) to help you through labor and delivery as well.
OB Nurse
While we are speaking of health care professionals, now is the time to bring up your OB nurse. She is the eyes and ears for your doctor during your labor and after you deliver. Surprise! Your doctor does not automatically meet you in the hospital when you call to say you think you may be in labor(check with your doctor to see what their specific protocol is for when you are in labor: to call them or just arrive at the hospital. It varies by practioner). The labor nurse checks you out and then reports the findings to the OB or CNM. This occurs through your entire labor, although the doctor may every so often come in to check up on their patient. Don’t worry, it takes a lot of training to become an OB nurse and these ladies are nothing but professionals. Your doctor trusts them, so you should as well. It is their job to make the labor run as smooth as possible.
What is not acceptable is little or no prenatal care by whatever professional you may choose. It is very import for your health and the health of your baby to receive prenatal care. It is dangerous as well as frowned upon(although they will still treat you) to walk into a hospital with little or no prenatal care and be delivered by a doctor who doesn’t know your specific health history.