Welcome to SeattleBirthNet:  Birthing In Seattle Childbirth Education and Labor Support for Expectant Families
Birthing Choices Ask your Provider Local Birth Settings Local Cesarean Rates Midwife or OBGYN? Both are great and this decision is largely one of personal choice.  A few area hospitals have groups of Certified Nurse Midwives that have privileges to deliver in the hospital (Group Health, Highline,  Evergreen, UW and Swedish Ballard).  We have some of the best birthing centers in the country right here in our county.  A birth center is a free-standing clinic with rooms appointed for birthing.  They are beautiful, warm, and lovely places to deliver your baby.  They are located within minutes of the hospital for safe and fast transfers in the event that it is required.  Even if you do not imagine yourself birthing outside of the hospital, it is worth a tour and a talk with a midwife so that you can make a truly informed decision. Generally speaking, birth is a very normal, low risk event.  It is a natural part of what women do.   Unlike open heart surgery, which is high risk and highly specialized, for which we would not choose someone who “loves to work with hearts and appreciates the inner working of this life source”, birth is so innate to the body that were a woman alone in a room by herself, she could deliver her own child.   Midwives are trained to recognize high risk pregnancy and at no time will they compromise the mother’s or the baby’s health.  If your pregnancy requires specialized care, they will help transfer your care to an Obstetrician.  If all is healthy, the midwife will help you work with your body to birth your baby.  She will stay with you from the time you meet her at the birth center until several hours after you deliver your baby.  They are trained to provide prenatal care as well as labor, delivery, and postpartum care.   There are several differences between a midwife and an OB in the areas of patient education, participation in your labor, and leadership style in the pregnancy and delivery.  The OB provides  patient education through explaining to you what your body and baby are up to at each visit as you go along.  Generally, at around 38 weeks you will present her or him with a birth plan you have created and they will discuss it with you, and let you know how your experience delivering in the hospital will likely compare to what you want.  If you use an OB you will labor in the hospital at the direction of hospital staff and protocols.  An OB is also trained to help manage high risk pregnancies and provide surgical services if needed.   The midwife follows the Midwifery Model of Care which is based on parents being active, educated participants in their pregnancy and labor.  She will provide you with resources and services to help you create the birth experience you want to have using knowledge you have acquired over the course of your pregnancy.  She will likely be present for most of your active labor and delivery and will flex her skills to meet your preferences during labor.   There is a place for both models and each woman will find herself with a different set of health issues, desiring a different type of birth experience, requiring a different type of provider and birth setting.   The best advice is to meet with some midwives and meet with some OBs—get a feeling for who they are and how you get along.  Take a tour of a birth center and a hospital and ask lots of questions in both settings.   Defining and creating your birth experience is an essential act of parenting—be an active participant in this decision making process.   Left out of the discussion thus far, but not least of all available choices in any way is to choose your home as your place of birth.  Women who birth at home cite feelings of freedom and autonomy, lower levels of intervention, less pain due to the uncompromised and uninterrupted flow of oxytocin a woman who feels safe experiences, and enjoying the experience of intimacy and control she has over her birth.  A healthy, speedy birth really boils down to where you find yourself most able to relax and release your body to the process of birthing.  This requires trust and comfort in your environment and providers. To read more about Jodilyn's doula services, click here or email her.