teenybird i get what you are saying. Ive never had a MW, only OBs, and my two faves who were involved with my induction for my DD are female- they are pretty awesome IMO. Would it be possible for you to request a female OB? Also im sure you know there are other means of induction than foley bulb, as you mentioned cervidil, maybe you could do some research and be prepared to discuss with your providers what would make you feel the most comfortable? I just used cervidil and pitocin, it was slow but no foley bulb.
Widget123, the OB will depend on who's on call for the practice on the day I go in. If I need the induction, I'm definitely going to request that it be started on a day when one of the female OBs is on call. But, since they work on 12-hour call, there's no guarantee that next OB to rotate in will also be female.
There is a greater proportion of female OBs in the group, so I at least have the odds in my favor that there might be a solid 24 or 48 hour window with just females from the practice. If there is a window like that within reasonable range of when they want to induce (since I'd love to make it to 39 weeks if at all possible), I'm definitely going to ask for an appointment then!
stcyct, that is definitely one of my worries, too. What if there really is no way around working with someone you really, really, really don't want to work with (for whatever the reason)? Birth is hard work as it is; I really don't want it to be traumatic, on top of everything else!
I think that's one of the trickiest things about giving birth - never knowing who's going to catch your baby! Well, unless you have a doc or MW in solo practice.
It's difficult, especially in the moment, because everyone wants what is best for their LO in the end, even if it means an emergency c-section. But it's still hard to visualize working so intimately with a doc you don't like or don't even know, or one who makes you feel like just another pregnant lady spread eagled on the conveyor belt of deliveries for the day.
I think that's one of the trickiest things about giving birth - never knowing who's going to catch your baby! Well, unless you have a doc or MW in solo practice.
It's difficult, especially in the moment, because everyone wants what is best for their LO in the end, even if it means an emergency c-section. But it's still hard to visualize working so intimately with a doc you don't like or don't even know, or one who makes you feel like just another pregnant lady spread eagled on the conveyor belt of deliveries for the day.
My OB is the only one in the practice I go to. I could feasibly end up with some random OB at the hospital at time of delivery that I've never met or heard of. There are no guarantees no matter how big/small the practice is. Even for someone planning an at home birth with a MW they may end up with a backup MW.
For what it's worth when I had DS there was a male OB at the practice and I met him once and he did my follow up before discharge from the hospital and was amazing. If he were still at the practice I would have switched to him. (Whereas prior to having kids I was very anti-male OB)
Post by billyhorrible on May 23, 2015 11:59:53 GMT -5
stcyct and teenybird, I don't know if this makes you feel any better, but I was at the hospital so long I went through 3 rounds of doctors. The first two were amazing, the one that actually delivered LBB? Total asshole. But really, it didn't much matter because I saw him twice before LBB was born for a few minutes, then he came in just in time for my "last push", sewed me up and left. Really, you're in the hands of the nurses far more than the OBs.
Widget123, the OB will depend on who's on call for the practice on the day I go in. If I need the induction, I'm definitely going to request that it be started on a day when one of the female OBs is on call. But, since they work on 12-hour call, there's no guarantee that next OB to rotate in will also be female.
There is a greater proportion of female OBs in the group, so I at least have the odds in my favor that there might be a solid 24 or 48 hour window with just females from the practice. If there is a window like that within reasonable range of when they want to induce (since I'd love to make it to 39 weeks if at all possible), I'm definitely going to ask for an appointment then!
Sorry to jump in but do you have the option of selecting a OB now that is your permanent OB that is a women that you like and trust? Im confused why you are stuck with a rotating list of on call doctors. That would concern me too. Or is that just how the OB group that you are with works?
So if I go into labor at night they won't call the doctor on call they would call him.The OB on call would only delivery my baby if my doctor is sick or if he is out of town. Does that make sense?
Im sorry you are in this situation. If it does make you feel better I agree with billyhorrible that for most of my delivery it was just the labor nurses. My doctor showed up for the last 30 min when I was ready and dilated enough to push.
@poppyc8, unfortunately, the MWs and the OBs all rotate on call, so I have no control over who will be the one on duty that shift to catch bub when he comes - just like @bubbs119 said.
Since I'm technically a MW patient, I've met all of the seven MWs from the practice (and love all of them). I've only met one of the female OBs, though, and I know two of the other OBs are male. It's kind of a crapshoot.
billyhorrible and @bubbs119, I'd say 99% of the nurses on L&D and 100% of the nurses in the women's eval unit are female, so at least in that respect I've got good odds at female providers for my care - which is a huuuuuge relief. Also, all of the nurses I've met there before from my pre-term labor eval and one of my NSTs were pretty badass. I love the nurses. Thank you for the reminder that they're there on the team, too.
If I end up needing to be induced and get stuck with one of the male OBs, though, I still worry that my involuntary/visceral reaction to another male touching me will be me kicking him in the chest/face...not sure if that'll be worse for him or for me.
Sorry to jump in but do you have the option of selecting a OB now that is your permanent OB that is a women that you like and trust? Im confused why you are stuck with a rotating list of on call doctors. That would concern me too. Or is that just how the OB group that you are with works?
So if I go into labor at night they won't call the doctor on call they would call him.The OB on call would only delivery my baby if my doctor is sick or if he is out of town. Does that make sense?
Im sorry you are in this situation. If it does make you feel better I agree with billyhorrible that for most of my delivery it was just the labor nurses. My doctor showed up for the last 30 min when I was ready and dilated enough to push.
So you're doctor is on call 24/7? That seems kind of crazy.
I believe a lot of practices function with a group of OBs who rotate call. Whomever is on call when you are in labor from your practice will be the one to deliver. The practice is usually exclusive to one hospital. For instance mine has 5 different doctors and they try to rotate you through them during your prenatal visits so you can meet them all and have some level of familiarity with them if th.ey end up delivering you. The likelihood that my OB will deliver my baby is 1/5. I've actually seen MY OB the least of all of them.
ETA: by on call I mean they are the doctor who is at the hospital. When these docs are on call they do not leave the hospital so they are readily available and physically present on site throughout the entire labor process.
The office I go to is attached to the hospital I will deliver at so yes my doctor will I would say 95% chance deliver my baby. He is in a practice w 5 other doctors. He did let me know he is on vacation when I would be 41 weeks at his sons med school graduation but other then that no I'm not rotating between the 5 doctors. I didn't realize it was more common to have to rotate between so many OBs.
Then Comes Family, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising
program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.