Midwife? Family Doctor? OB/GYN?

Image by istockphoto.com/Thomas_EyeDesign

When I was pregnant with my first child, I didn’t know that I had options for my maternity care. Once I had my pregnancy confirmed by my family doctor, I was promptly given my instructions: “Refer to Obstetrics.”

After asking for referrals, I made my first appointment with a highly recommended OB/GYN.
One of the perks of being her patient was a copy of What to Expect when You’re Expecting.  While perusing the pages, I read of different caregivers—OB/GYN, Family Doctor, and Midwife. My first reaction was that this book needed to be revised because what responsible parent-to-be saw a midwife for a pregnancy? And seeing a family doctor for pregnancy was something that went out of style with my parent’s generation, so obviously another outdated practice!

Since I was “with the times,” I continued seeing my OB/GYN, trusting that I was doing the absolute best for my baby and myself.

To read more of my experience with the different modalities of prenatal/birth care, please visit Modern Alternative Pregnancy, where I’m contributing today.