Anyone in US have a midwife at the hospital?

[maggz]

Hey all, so I'm wondering. I'm from Europe and where I'm from we only have midwives present during birth and go through all our prenatal checkups with them and not a doctor - unless something is wrong or it's a high risk pregnancy, then a doctor is present during birth.

So my thing is that I want a midwife throughout this whole process and I want to give birth at a hospital - with a midwife and the doctor on call. I hope I'm making some sense, and now I ask: Is this even possible?
The midwife services that I've seen all talk about home births but I'm not interested in that.

Please share any midwife stories that you know about US ladies Thanks!

 

[redrose89]

With my first child, I had a midwife and delivered in the hospital. I hope to have the same midwife for my second.

 

[RebeccaR19]

Yes, I have a midwife. And she is a hospital midwife. So she does my appointments and everything.

 

[swanxxsong]

I'm using a midwife at a birth center BUT the same midwife practice also does hospital deliveries as well. So if I end up high-risk or unable to deliver at the center, I can keep my midwife and deliver in a hospital.

So yes it is possible. It's also possible to have a birth center delivery with a midwife, depending on the area in which you live.

 

[Luvspnk31]

I have a midwife. Search for CNM's certified nurse midwife. Lay midwives cannot deliver in hospitals here.

 

[Breezy]

I had a midwife with my first in the hospital but the dr ended up delivering because my little stinker was in a really funny position.

 

[pLadyBug]

It depends on the type of midwife you want. In most states only CNM's are allowed to deliver in hospitals. However, CNM midwives cannot have their own practice. They must work directly with an OB. Don't worry though most OB practices have CNM midwives and the option of who you see is up to you. Other practices you see that have midwifery services are PM's. They are only allowed to attend home births with the exception of some. It depends where you live. Laws were passed a couple decades ago governing the abilities of midwives based on licensure and certification.

 

[maggz]

Thank you all, that makes me feel a little better! I'm gonna start asking around and I might just end up calling my ob practice.

I have a midwife. Search for CNM's certified nurse midwife. Lay midwives cannot deliver in hospitals here.

What are lay midwives?

It depends on the type of midwife you want. In most states only CNM's are allowed to deliver in hospitals. However, CNM midwives cannot have their own practice. They must work directly with an OB. Don't worry though most OB practices have CNM midwives and the option of who you see is up to you. Other practices you see that have midwifery services are PM's. They are only allowed to attend home births with the exception of some. It depends where you live. Laws were passed a couple decades ago governing the abilities of midwives based on licensure and certification.

Thanks! Why does it have to be so complicated

 

[SarahBear]

Hey all, so I'm wondering. I'm from Europe and where I'm from we only have midwives present during birth and go through all our prenatal checkups with them and not a doctor - unless something is wrong or it's a high risk pregnancy, then a doctor is present during birth.

So my thing is that I want a midwife throughout this whole process and I want to give birth at a hospital - with a midwife and the doctor on call. I hope I'm making some sense, and now I ask: Is this even possible?
The midwife services that I've seen all talk about home births but I'm not interested in that.

Please share any midwife stories that you know about US ladies Thanks!

In the area that I live in, you used to be able to have a midwife as your primary care provider, but when a new doctor took over, the rules changed and the midwives could no longer be primary or deliver babies. Since that time, they have left the hospital and started their own practice. I heard something that made it sound like they may partner with the hospital and possibly do deliveries there, but it sounds like they're more likely to be doing birth center and home births.

That being said, in most areas, a nurse midwife works under the supervision of a doctor. It is possible in the US to have a hospital birth and not a doctor, but it's hard to find. I would call your local hospital and discuss your concerns and inquire about the options. If they do not allow you to have a nurse midwife as your primary care provider, you could look into birth centers which would be a stepping stone between hospital and home birthing.

 

[SarahBear]

To answer your question, a lay midwife is a midwife that does not have any credentials. There is no national regulation of midwifery, so the types of midwives and the regulations depend on what state you're in. Generally speaking though, there's about 3 or 4 different levels:

* Lay Midwives - No credentials, no regulation of training, and no license. Can't work in a hospital. Can have a birth center and do home births.

*Licensed midwife - Regulated by a licensing board, acquired a prescribed amount and quality of training, can have license revoked. Can't work in a hospital. Can have a birth center and do home births.

*Nurse Midwife - Trained and licensed as a nurse and a midwife. Training and rigor of training match what they would for any other nurse. Can work in a hospital, but only (as far as I'm aware) under the supervision of a physician. Can have a birth center or do home births, but not while employed by a hospital. They can, however, work at a hospital birth center while employed by the hospital and can also do home births when it has been determined a safety issue to transport the mother to the hospital.

I had a licensed midwife for my home birth with my first and plan to have a nurse midwife for a home birth with my second. I moved almost a year ago and would have stuck with the same licensed midwife if I hadn't moved.

 

[MrsKChicago]

The rules vary widely from state to state. I'm in Illinois, and I'm going to a practice with four certified nurse midwives. They're technically supervised by a physician, but she's not in their office - I just have to visit with her once before the birth so I know who she is. The midwife group is affiliated with a hospital, which has a couple fancy birth rooms with tubs and queen size "family" beds and such, that are just for the midwives. If there are complications, or I become high risk, I'd have to transfer to a doctor. In Illinois, I believe it's illegal for a midwife to do a homebirth, and birthing centers aren't allowed either, but there's a movement to legalize them.

 

[maggz]

This is so complicated... apparently here in California only CNMs can have hospital privileges and I'm having such a hard time finding one! Google is not my friend right now. I wonder if my ob would direct me to one or if that's considered bad business...

 

[SarahBear]

This is so complicated... apparently here in California only CNMs can have hospital privileges and I'm having such a hard time finding one! Google is not my friend right now. I wonder if my ob would direct me to one or if that's considered bad business...

What part of California are you in?

 

[maggz]

Southern...

 

[SarahBear]

I see. Figured that was the case, but on the off chance you were hugging the Oregon boarder, I'd know some alternatives for you...

 

[SarahBear]

Is there any particular reason you are set on a hospital? You may be able to find a homebirth midwife who has a good relationship with a local hospital. In that case, you could labor and deliver with a midwife and have a relatively smooth transition into the hospital if the need arises.

 

[maggz]

No not really a particular reason, I've just never been excited to do a homebirth lol can't really explain it. I might look into it but since I'm having such a hard time finding a midwife I doubt that there's one in the area that's even registered with Tricare. I might call them and ask

 

[SarahBear]

Definitely look into and consider your options. I just hear about so many c-sections and really question how many of them are a result of doctors being too, intervention-happy and how many are actually necessary. The countries with the best outcomes are those that have midwives as the primary care provider. The area I live in has had great outcomes and until recently, women have had the option of having a midwife as their primary care provider. They do still have this option, but not through the hospital. Understandably, c-section rates have also been quite low. We'll see how these trends change as doctors take over hospital births!

 

[maggz]

That's exactly why I want a midwife - I'm very afraid of something being out of the ordinary and a doctor demanding I have a c-section, which I really don't want! I guess I just feel safer in a hospital setting so that way if there is a true emergency, a doctor can intervene.
I've heard some hospitals have up to 40% c-section rate which is ridiculous, there is no way all these women would not be able to deliver vaginally.