Posted on December 7, 2024 by Aileen
Yes, even in the US you have a choice. A choice that should be thought about, especially if you want to have a non medicated birth, or at least with little to no intervention.
Midwives are trained in physiological birth. They understand that the female body is designed to give birth and that your baby knows how to be born. OBs treat birth more as a medical incident. They are more on the side that your body needs assistance, usually a lot of it. Meaning they tend to suggest induction, often by 39 weeks to air on the side of caution. OBs are more inclined to want to speed up the birth process with various medical interventions that they have access to. They are also more willing to suggest a c-section instead of a vaginal delivery, if they see that your baby is too big or their shoulder is too big for example.
“Surely my doctor knows it best” I hear you saying. After all, they have a medical degree! Actually, the 39 week anatomical scan happens to be not really accurate.
According to Evidence Based Birth, ACOG’s (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) most recent guidelines state that more research is needed to determine if suspicion of a big baby is a significant enough medical reason for early induction, given the potential risks to the birthing person and their baby.
Furthermore 1 in 3 women are told that they are having a big baby, yet statistically it’s about 1 in 10 babies. The ultrasound result is about 15% above or 15% below the baby’s actual weight.¹
I just consulted with a lady, who was told at 39 weeks that her baby’s shoulder was too big. When I looked up the OB on an independent site I found several reviews on how he was pressuring females into c-sections because their baby was too big. With this client prospect, the OB even went one step further telling her that the baby would be having nerve damage if she really wanted a vaginal delivery! Yes, some OBs will scare, and bully sadly. A skilled provider as well as any midwives have enough skills to deliver a “big baby” vaginally, without any nerve damage. They are trained to do so.
It’s more convenient for them. They’ll know how much time they are going to spend with you.
The Childbirth Connection article “Why Is the National US Cesarean Section Rate So High?”² also states that “incentives to practice in a matter that is efficient for providers” as the prime reason (c-sections are more profitable).
Did you know you can switch providers, including switching to a midwife even late in your pregnancy.
I lived in the UK for almost 2 decades. In the UK, women give birth with midwives. An OB is only called in when there is an emergency (which is rare) to take over. Not too long ago the midwives in the UK were even allowed to vaginally deliver a breech baby! That is how skilled they are in physiological birth.
Yes, you can.
Midwives are also more onboard with delayed cord clamping, which if you don’t know the benefit of, Penny Simkin has a fantastic short video on it.
Some midwives have also taken additional courses on best labor positions that facilitate turning a baby when needed, and are more likely to allow your birth doula (if you have one, and you really should!) to help you with those positions, rather than birthing with an OB. They also are more open to the variety of positions available to delivery, rather than confining it to lying on your back. Midwives are also covered by insurance, even by Medicare!
Birth in the US is unnecessarily medicalized. It saddens me to see so many women being bullied into all kinds of interventions and a lot of the times traumatized as a result of it. I’ve heard too many stories. Birth is a sacred experience and should be respected. Think about your birth choices and research the many options you have before you make a decision.
¹ https://evidencebasedbirth.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Big-Babies-Handout.pdf
² https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/okhca/documents/a0304/16667.pdf
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