Since it is Henry’s first birthday, I have been remembering how the first day of his life went. Henry was born at the local Birth Center rather than the hospital. Many times I have compared Henry’s delivery with Miles’s delivery in the hospital. This post is just going to list the differences in my experiences.
Midwife-•-Hospital/OB (obstetrician)
Midwife=$4000
OB=$10,000 minimum
Monthly Visits:
Midwife= No waiting
Better attention (She will say “hi” when I see her in public)
OB= 30 minute-hour wait
Impersonal (OB never knew my name)
The midwife will explain all blood tests before having you sign consent forms.
OB just has you sign papers with no explanation of their significance.
Options given to have birth at home or birth center with the midwife.
The OB lets you choose which hospital (sometimes).
The midwife uses dietary guidelines to promote a healthy and comfortable pregnancy.
The OB offers pharmaceuticals.
The midwife wants the mom to understand her own biology and offers tons of information.
OB’s answers to questions are vague and quick.
Delivery
With the midwife the delivery is planned well in advance. Music and Candles are allowed.
OB suggests you visit the hospital.
Midwife has labor options(water birth, shower, walking, birthing ball…).
The hospital triage is hell to the sound of moans and crying.
Anyone the mom chooses can join her for the birth with the Midwife.
Only one or two people can be with the mom at the hospital.
No IVs, monitors, interns,…at the birth center.
Needles, flashing lights, and who are these people? at the hospital.
The birth center is so clean.
At the hospital the OB allows a bloody mess and leaves it for the cleaning lady.
Baby is cared for in mom’s room at the Birth Center.
At the hospital the baby disappears for testing and measuring.
Not much can be done for complications at the birth center.
The hospital has Surgery rooms ready in minutes.
Recovery
Recovery was in a soft bed with baby and husband at the birth center.
At the hospital I was wheeled to another room for a hospital bed.
The nurses hourly offered me Tylenol3 (which I refused), and the hospital’s food was lackluster at best.
The midwife had Jonathan go get me breakfast to eat. It was early in the morning, so we ate Cracker Barrel.
After eating, I was released to go home from the birth center.
The hospital offers two days of hourly interruptions and lumpy beds.
At the birth center, I napped for 2 hours straight after Henry was born and then went home, while at the hospital, I got no sleep for two days.
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Well, that is a summary. I actually had a good hospital experience compared to others I have heard. I got away with no epidural (I am frightened by epidurals, especially since they make you sign some waiver to protect themselves from law-suites before you get one). I hated the IV. The bruise it made stayed for months.
My midwife’s planning for the delivery was excellent. The room at the birth center was like a new hotel room with a queen sized bed. The floor and bed was covered by a soft tarp material, and after the birth all the tarp was rolled up and disposed of to leave behind that pristine room. Another room in the birth center is set up for guests and children to watch movies or rest while waiting. There is also a playground outside.
All this to say that I would never opt to use the obstetrician and the hospital again. I am glad that they can save the lives of so many infants and mothers in desperate circumstances. The midwife I am using has two backup doctors for emergencies.
I hope that this post gets some comments from mothers who can add more both for midwives and hospitals.
22 comments
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May 7, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Kimberly Swait
My first birth at a hospital did not go well at all and could have been better if I had been better educated and not had an Epidural. (The guy who gave me one was rushing and I immediately got a headache from it. That was really scary.) My second baby went really well because I had a midwife with me at the hospital and no pain meds. My third went excellent (with a midwife there again at the hospital), but made me leave saying “Why are we spending SO much money having births at the hospital?” I am planning on having my next at a birth center.
May 8, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Sarah Mosley
Baptist in Pensacola was pretty good insofar as hospitals go, but the cleaning lady drove me crazy. Everyday she’d come in and mop without first sweeping. The floor turned into such a sticky mess. Oh, it was so sick. I didn’t sleep at all for two days after Michael’s birth either. We smuggled whiskey and other soothing drinks in, so I’m not sure why. Michael had the habit of spontaneously shrieking in his sleep in the middle of the night, which really did a number on me. Went home a nervous wreck. I still don’t sleep well, either.
May 8, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Sarah Mosley
Speaking of babies, Michael’s in the market for some new shoes. I found these soft soled stores which are pretty neat and less expensive than Robeez. Thought you might find them interesting.
http://www.littleonestohimbelong.com/
http://stores.ebay.com/kids-garden_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ0QQftidZ2QQtZkm
May 8, 2007 at 11:17 pm
Annie
The doula (similar to a midwife) I had at the hospital was my sanity and lifesaver. She offered all the support I’d look for in a midwife throughout the pregnancy, and explained all options for delivery. For D-Day, she was what a wedding planner is to a wedding. She pretty much called all the shots and made it so all my preferences were honored (all natural childbirth, Aaron had to stay with me the whole time, etc., shower and hot tub, etc.)
Afterward, however, my hospital stay was so hellish that I bitterly complained in great, essay length detail when the hospital sent me a survey. I was especially irate over the complete lack of sleep and constant stream of uncoordinated interruptions (If a nurse has to check my temperature, couldn’t she also just quickly measure my blood pressure without having another nurse wake me up a half hour later to do that? etc.) The loud speaker over my bed paging all nurses throughout the hospital to attend to all patients was really rotten, too!
Anyway, I couldn’t help but notice the night and day difference with my second baby, which I also delivered at that hospital- Things had drastically improved, specifically with all the things I complained about (and I complained about a TON of things!)
If, for some reason, somebody wants to go the hospital route, but is tempted by the midwife option, finding a “doula” to add to the delivery staff is a great way to go. Mine was especially wonderful because she had a very good, goes-way-back relationship with the hospital. The hospital wasn’t just about to dismiss her as some tree-hugging nut who was an annoying interference with their traditional method of operation.
May 9, 2007 at 10:54 am
marian
All you women with multiple babies get nothing but props from me. I’d imagine it takes a lot of strength and willpower to refuse drugs. You guys make hospitals sound unpleasant and kind of violating.
Just when I was feeling better about maybe having children someday, I think you guys knocked that out of me. hehe…
May 9, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Becky
Yes, this post was pretty much birth control for me. Thanks for the sleep I’ll be loosing when Ben and I are actually ready to start thinking about a family. ha : )
May 9, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Lauren
Thanks, moms, for the comments. Since I wrote this post I have continued comparing the two options and realized I left out many, many details that would really scare you potential moms.
Let me mention this. Everyone should make an educated decision. It is never too soon to start reading about midwifery and maternity wards. Whatever you choose, I promise you that during the actual events the only thing that will really matter is the little soft human who needs and wants to be near you. It’s amazing.
Also, no moms have spoke up on their experiences with c-section. I have a friend who loved that she had 3 c-section births. Appearantly her doctor gave her a tummy-tuck after each delivery.
Listen to this: after 2 natural childbirths, I still have no stretch marks.
My midwife’s techniques were able to prevent the need for any stitches.
My recovery time was so quick because of the lack of drugs.
Can you tell I dislike medication? Yeah, that’s what keeps me going back to the midwife.
May 9, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Lauren
Annie mentioned doulas. They are worth having. At Henry’s birth the midwife had two doulas helping her. So in the birth center at 4:30 am were two doulas, the midwife, Jonathan, and I. No one else until 5:30 when Henry was born. Very cozy.
A lot of moms will find that frightening to be without immediate help from surgeons. A midwife is very cautious about taking patients with a history of complicated labor. She will not choose to take a patient who will need special care to make the birth successful. That is another difference between the midwife and OBs. Midwives are continually thinking of whats best for the mom and baby rather than what will finish the job quickest (inducing labor with the drug pitosin) and pay off the best (c-section).
Let me take that back. I have no way of knowing the intentions of OBs. They do save lives.
May 9, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Sarah Mosley
Did you keep your placenta? A lot mothers who are into natural births and natural living are all about that.
I’m really not sure what to do about mine now that I have an option. Perhaps we’ll bring it home and bury it in the ground and plant a tree over it, I don’t know. I certainly don’t want to eat it, no matter how good it is for me. I have trouble enough just looking at it when it appears.
I hope I haven’t scared anyone into the arms of O.B.s.
May 9, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Lauren
No, I chose to have it donated to um…this is kind of weird…the canine police unit for dog training. However, the midwife showed it to me in a med-school fashion explaining all the parts and functions of the lining of the uterus and placenta. The room was lowly lit and the light from the next room came through the empty, translulent uterus lining as she held it up. It was fascinating, and rather sci-fi. I am in to that.
The OB never even gave me an option to see or keep the placenta. Who knows what happened to it.
May 10, 2007 at 7:59 am
marian
I read that hospitals sell them to skincare companies.
May 10, 2007 at 8:21 am
Sarah Mosley
That’s hilarious. Evelyn can’t figure out why I’m giggling. Where did you hear about that option?
I really would like to donate cord blood but I haven’t see any donating centres advertised around here. Just places to bank your cord blood. And that cost an arm and a leg.
May 10, 2007 at 10:07 am
Lauren
Vicki Taylor (my midwife) gave me the option of donating the placenta. You could ask her about it.
I do not know much about donating cord blood. You are right about banking it. They advertise that like crazy.
Hey, Marian, I heard that too. I wish an OB would read this string of comments and give us some information. That would be fun.
May 10, 2007 at 4:35 pm
marian
My mom used to sell some skincare called NuSkin, and the moisturizer had Human Placental Extract. It was kind of expensive.
I swear the moisturizer smelled weird because of it.
May 10, 2007 at 5:21 pm
Laurie
I had my first three babies in the hospital. As hospitals go, they were great experiences. But I had my fourth at a birth center, and I realized what I was missing all along. I got to be the very first one to touch my baby (that was before he was even completely delivered), and he never left my sight. No needles, no bright lights, no tubes in his nose and mouth (invading the mouth before the baby latches on to the breast is just asking for feeding problems), and we got to go home hours later. Would have loved to have a water birth, but he came too fast. They didn’t even wash the vernix off the baby after he was born. Did you know it seeps right back into the skin, and it’s very good for him. Nurses love to rub it on dry skin. So it was a very gentle birth. I don’t want to ever have a hospital birth again. Many of the things that cause complications in childbirth aren’t even factors at a home birth or birth center, such as episiotomies, germs from sick people around you, hurried doctors, forced deliveries, etc. And you’re not treated like a sick person. I also liked that my midwife did a few house calls. Since I had three little children, that was so convenient not to have to haul them to an appointment. That’s my two cents.
May 10, 2007 at 5:54 pm
molly
i am super lucky to have a small town hospital that is like a birth center. i will have my music (ocen waves!), low light, walking, jacuzzi, birth ball, labor-and-delivery room, etc. etc. can’t wait to tell you how it actually panned out and if i was duped into a false sense of security.
by the by, i love this new tone of your blog. it has been so informative and enlightening. after the comment about the cracker barrel breakfast i made sure to include on my birth plan that i wanted to eat fruit and a deli-style sandwich after delivery. even so… subway is just a few blocks away if i need it.:) and the dairy queen for a post-baby celebratory malt!
May 11, 2007 at 11:31 am
Sarah Mosley
A chapter of The BirthNetwork (http://www.birthnetwork.org) was recently started where I live. One of the things we promote is the Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative. Here is a link to it: (http://www.motherfriendly.org/MFCI/). It has some very disturbing statistics regarding American O.B.s. Worth reading.
May 11, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Lauren
Laurie, thanks for the comment. I did not know about vermix, but that makes sence.
July 4, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Morgan
Lauren…I would personally like to speak with you about Vicki Taylor, if this is the same CNM in Pensacola. I’m pregnant and considering options in town. Please e-mail me if possible. maddrizzle@yahoo.com.
October 13, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Brittany Godfrey
HI there, found this site someone in Ttas world. And I just love a good childbirth story. I had 2 wonderful labors, but have always been very curious about the birthing centers! I have a family that is initially very nervous about centers like that, but I do feel drawn to them. Might be a consideration for baby #3.
Thanks!
Also very curious about cloth diapering!
February 16, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Sadia Uddin
Hi,
This is my first pregnancy and I’m actually in between having a midwife and going to an OB. I’m 7 months and so far have been seeing my OB, but after reading Ina May Gaskin’s book on home births, really think that is the way to go. Unfortunately I don’t have much support from my family or friends and they seem to think the hospital route is best. My sister and my mom think my first born should be at a hospital just in case there are complications and that if everything goes fine, then for my other pregnancies I can have them with a midwife. Are there any first time moms that had a midwife? and how did it go? I understand that midwives have back up doctors, but I’m still a little nervous, and now I’m scared that I might have complications during my delivery.
February 18, 2009 at 10:29 am
Lauren
I do not know anyone who started with a midwife, other than my midwife who delivered her own children. The midwife choice is not all that popular here in Pensacola.
I have a friend who is with a Certified Nurse Midwife who will have a birthing room at a hospital for her first labor and delivery. That is a really good introduction to natural birth for those who are nervous or have a family history of difficult births.