Chosing The Right Practitioner
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Once you learn that you are pregnant, you will have many decisions to make. One of them will be to choose the right practitioner to care for you during your pregnancy.
In choosing the right practitioner, you will need to first decide whether to have your baby in a hospital or at home. While many women choose a hospital, many others choose the privacy of a home birth. Provided that you have no special health considerations and there is no reason to believe that it will be a difficult birth, there is no reason why you cannot give birth at home, provided that you have adequate pre-natal care and plan to have a midwife present at the birth.
Remember that choosing the right practitioner to handle your care during your pregnancy is extremely important. Not only must you trust their judgment to handle your care appropriately but you must also feel comfortable with them.
There are many different types of practitioners available. Review the options below.
Obstetrician - This is the most widely recognized practitioner for care during pregnancy. Generally, obstetricians only work in hospital settings, but there are a few that will also practice in birthing centers as well.
Family practitioner - This is a physician that actually specializes in a range of family care, which also includes pregnancy and birth. Family practitioners may work in birthing centers, hospitals and home birth settings.
Midwife - A midwife is usually only advisable for low risk pregnancies and may or may not work with physicians. Midwives typically work only in birthing center or home birth settings.
Nurse Midwife - A nurse midwife has received training for low risk births and typically works with physicians in birthing center, hospital or home birth settings.
Perinatologist - This is a doctor that specializes in high risk pregnancies. This only affects about 10% of all pregnancies, but if your regular physician feels that you may be at risk for a high risk pregnancy he or she may refer you to a perinatologist.
There are many elements to consider in choosing the right practitioner. Begin by considering how you, as well as your partner, view the pregnancy and delivery. Do you prefer the security of giving birth in a hospital or do you prefer the privacy of a home setting? Do you want to maintain the ability to make your own decisions or would you prefer to have someone guide you through the process?
Once you have decided upon the type of setting that you prefer for your baby's birth it is time to begin narrowing down the list of possibilities. Keep in mind that your insurance coverage may limit your possibilities significantly, but when possible, try to schedule appointments with several practitioners for interviews. Although friends and family members can be helpful in providing referrals, keep in mind that everyone is different and even though your best friend may have loved a particular practitioner that does not mean they will be right for you.
During the interviews, be sure to ask questions to help you determine how you will feel working with that practitioner. Consider how at ease you feel with the practitioner and whether your personalities will mesh well. You should also consider how willing they are to work with you regarding any special requests that you may have. In addition, feel them out to determine how they view the role of the partner in the pregnancy as well as during the birth. This is an important time in your life and you do not want to look back upon it with regrets and wish that you had chosen a different practitioner. Keeping these factors in mind and taking the time to interview a variety of practitioners can help you to choose one that you can trust and also feel comfortable working with throughout your pregnancy.
