If something feels off, listen to that inner voice – you have it for a reason.
Do not assume you can come in during labor with a list of demands and force the on-call Doctor or Midwife into following your wishes.
Instead, listen at your prenatal appointments.
Ask questions.
Find out how they do things.
If they don’t already do things the way you want, perhaps they’re not the right provider for you.
It’s better to find a provider who aligns with you and what you want out of your birth rather than trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
It’s your right to find a provider you truly connect with and trust deeply.
I’ve created a list of questions that you may want to ask your OB or Midwife at your next appointment. You can pick and choose the ones that you want to ask and draw from this list only what you need.
Questions To Ask When Choosing Your Birth Place and Provider
Below you’ll find questions for a private practice obstetrician, a group practice, home birth midwives, hospital providers, and birth center providers.
Questions for your Doctor or Midwife:
What are your credentials?
How long have you been practicing?
Do you work with a partner and do you have adequate backup?
Who else will be there to assist you at my birth?
Will you be away any time during my 37-42 week window? (I actually would include your first week of postpartum as well making it a 37-43 week window! You want the team that you hired to attend your birth.)
What is your policy regarding due dates and induction dates?
What is your cesarean rate? (It should be around 5% for out of hospital providers/midwives)
For OBGYNs and Nurse Midwives in the hospital, W.H.O. recommends 10-15% CS rate
What is your license #? (you can research the number to see if there are any issues)
What is your postpartum care schedule? (the typical schedule is: a visit on day 1, 3, 5 or 6, then 1-2 visits in week 2, a 3 or 4 week visit, and a final 6 week visit.)
What is your policy around masking during prenatal appointments and labor?
What is your policy regarding my partner and/or my child attending prenatal appointments with me?
Twins: Do you attend births where one or both babies are breech?
Do you have experience or training with twins?
Do you have experience or training with breech babies born vaginally?
Are you familiar with trauma informed care?
Are you familiar with the language “Pause/Out” during cervical exams?
Home Birth & Freestanding Birth Center Specific Questions
What is your license #? (you can research the number to see if there are any issues)
What is your postpartum care schedule? (the typical schedule is: a visit on day 1-2, then week 2, week 4, and a final 6 week visit.)
If I have postpartum issues, will you come more often? (the answer should be, βYes, either myself or my assistant will come as often as needed.β)
What sorts of medical emergencies for mom/baby can you handle?
What sorts of medical emergencies would you need to transfer to a hospital for?
What type of emergency equipment and medications do you bring for mom? And baby?
What are your statistics for transferring to the hospital? (this should be around 10-15%)
Twins: Do you attend births where one or both babies are breech?
Do you have experience or training with twins?
Do you have experience or training with breech babies born vaginally?
Hospital Birth Center
The hospital birth center used to be called the labor and delivery unit. Many hospitals changed the name sometime in the 1980βs to appeal to patients that desired a more natural birth environment and experience as the out of hospital birth movement was growing rapidly. Hospitals always use the medical model of care and practice risk management, even when midwives are providing the care.
In the US, your hospital birth may be attended by either a CNM, an obstetrician, or a family practice MD. Nurse midwives are only allowed to attend the low risk births. If you become high risk during the labor and birth process, your care will be taken over by the attending OB. Not all hospitals have midwives on staff. If you are curious about having a midwife attend your hospital birth, inquire with your care team.
Things to Consider When Choosing Your Hospital
Is it a teaching hospital?
Teaching hospitals can be good if you have a high-risk pregnancy and need the latest medical technology. If you give birth in a teaching hospital, you will be seen by resident medical students who are overseen by the attending obstetrician and all final decisions are made after the student gets permission to move forward from the attending OB.
One important thing to know about teaching hospitals is that you will have more bodies in the room observing your birth, which you may or may not be comfortable with.
You may be faced with being evaluated by the student, followed by the attending OB, which means that there may be more face to face time with providers, which can interrupt your labor flow. If this does not sound appealing to you, consider asking for limited student contact in your birth preferences.
Are there midwives on staff? If so, how many, and what shifts are covered by them? Some hospitals have midwives, but they only are on day shifts, or limited times throughout the week.
Is the hospital considered a Mother Friendly Hospital or a Baby Friendly Hospital? If not, what do they offer similarly?
Will the hospital support you having a vaginal breech birth? Surprise breech happens, sometimes during pushing!
Do people eat and drink during labor at this hospital? Check to make sure they support eating and drinking during labor, low risk and high risk. You and the baby need energy, and there is definitive evidence that it is harmful to withhold nourishment.
Hiring an Obstetrician or Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
Private Practice
What percentage of your clientsβ births do you attend?
Will you be away any time during my 37-42 week window? (or 37-43 week window)
If so, who is your backup provider?
Does your backup provider have the same practice style and philosophies as you?
Will I meet the backup provider at some point during my pregnancy?
What is your policy regarding due dates and induction dates?
What protocols and practices will be discussed and offered at my 36-42 week prenatal visits?
If my baby ends up being breech, is there anyone who is skilled to deliver my baby vaginally if I choose to. If not, will you support me in my choice and supply referrals?
Do you and the hospital support eating and drinking of my own food of choice, during labor, low risk or higher risk?
What is your cesarean rate? (W.H.O. recommends 10-15% CS rate)
Do you support delayed cord clamping? How long do you delay cord clamping? (the correct answer is to wait for white, about 5 minutes, not 30 seconds)
Group Practice
Can we meet the other practice partners that could possibly be at our birth at some point in our pregnancy?
Do the others in your practice have the same style and philosophies?
Do the others in your practice have the same practices and protocols?
Portland Birth Photographer
Birth Doula & Videographer
Natalie Broders is a birth photographer, birth videographer and birth doula located in Portland, Oregon. She lives on a farm with her husband and 2 kids. They raise chickens and love to garden. Natalie loves babywearing, cloth diapering and is passionate about her work as an advocate for birthing people as a labor and birth doula. She had one of her babies at a birth center and her second baby was born at home, in water.