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From: rdp@teddy.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: Midwife delivery and pre-natal care
Message-ID: <1289@teddy.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Sep-85 13:18:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: teddy.1289
Posted: Tue Sep 10 13:18:55 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 12-Sep-85 11:10:56 EDT
References: <225@encore.UUCP> <3800008@umn-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: rdp@teddy.UUCP (Richard D. Pierce)
Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass.
Lines: 29
Summary: 

In article <3800008@umn-cs.UUCP> smith@umn-cs.UUCP writes:
>
>  You do NOT have to find a midwife to have a good birth experience.  The
>midwife experience described here sounded exactly the same as our experience
>with a family physician.  It's important to find a physician who really cares
>about his/her patients, is willing to take time with them, and is flexible
>about birthing options.

This, from our experience, seems to be the secret.

>  I admit that in some locales (especially Out East where the profession
>is controlled by Academic Medicine and crippled by astronomic malpractice
>insurance) it may be harder to find a nice physician.
>

I'm not sure if I resent the "Out East" reference here. From what I have
gathered, there still seems to be a nationwide "conspiracy" to view
childbirth as a disease and not another part of life in general. 

Out last birth experience was in a hospital setting (Beth Isreal, through
a local HMO). The doctor was most sympathetic, and took our opinions and
desires very seriously ("No I will not have any pitosin!"). He was very
supportive, to the point that if my wife was beginning to feel uncomfortable
with him, then he would appologize and leave until things had settled down.

The environemnt was one of roominess, bright and cheery, and confortable.

The result was a smooth, relatively quick delivery that we all have very
good memories about.