Antenatal care: Who provides it?
You
have two options for your care during your pregnancy, labor and the birth of
your baby and the option you choose depends on whether you feel more confident
about giving birth in a hospital with a range of pain relief options and
medical expertise to hand should complications arise; or whether you’d like a
more low-key, natural approach to your baby’s birth.
Using an obstetrician
An
obstetrician, or OB-GYN, is a medical doctor who specializes in pregnancy,
labor and birth. As well as this, many offer general gynecological care and
exams, including Pap smear tests (and treatment for abnormal Pap results), and
infertility treatment.
Your
OB-GYN is likely to have a private practice – in fact you may already be seeing
her there for routine gynecological care and procedures – as well as being
affiliated to a local hospital.
The American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) advises that a hospital birth is the
safest option for delivering your baby, and if you choose to use an OB-GYN for
your care, this is what you’ll have. If your pregnancy is high risk – for
example, if you’re expecting twins or multiples – it will be the best option for you. However, keep in mind
that you’ll probably have a more medically managed birth and your risk of
having an induction, assisted delivery, episiotomy or cesarean section will be higher.
Using a nurse-midwife
If you’d prefer a pregnancy and
birth to be as free of medical intervention as possible, this is probably he
best choice for you. It’s a good option if your pregnancy is straightforward
and your birth is likely to be free of complications (as up to 80 percent of
births are), and it’s likely to be a less expensive option than an OB-GYN.
Midwives see pregnancy and birth
as normal processes that our bodies are designed to cope with, so her policy
will be to keep interventions to a minimum. She can carry out all of your
prenatal care, just as an OB-GYN would, support your during the birth and take
care of you in the postpartum period too.
Your nurse-midwife may operate
out of a birthing center attached to your hospital or from a private birthing
center. It’s likely to be a more relaxed and homelier environment that a
hospital; and she can also see you in your own home if you’re planning a home
birth. She’ll
focus on teaching you natural methods for managing your contractions and
delivering your baby, and statistics show that women who have their babies with
a nurse-midwife in attendance are less likely to have medical interventions and
problems during their recovery. Nurse-midwives are trained to recognize any
complications that require the care of an OB-GYN during your pregnancy or
birth.
• The American Pregnancy
Association (www.americanpregnancy.org) has an online midwife finder.
The information in this feature is intended for
educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the
health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a
doctor or other healthcare professional.
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Last Modified: 20/06/2007
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