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I am using a midwife group, I wanted to give birth at the only birth center in the area and they are the only group that delivers there. I wanted a midwife because I thought the model of care was going to be different (more time, less rush, more open to alternative suggestions) and sadly I am not really getting that with this group.

I'm seeing the same OB I saw with DD. My mom had some complications with my sister's birth and I wanted to cover my bases.

I'm seeing an OB regularly, but I did classes with a MW and there will be both a MW and an OB at the birth - hospital policies.

MW practices are hard to find in this area, so I went with an OB. It's just the most chosen route around here I guess.

Midwife, although I had an OB up until I switched at 30 weeks. I initially had an OB because I am paranoid and I knew I wanted to give birth in a hospital where I would have every medical advantage available to me if anything went sideways during labor or delivery--- and I had no idea that midwives delivered at hospitals!

I switched to a midwife practice at 30 weeks because I found one that delivers at the same hospital I was planning to deliver at anyways (same exact floor/rooms etc... just a different care provider). The reason a midwife appealed to me was because I would like to attempt a med-free intervention-free delivery and I feel my chances of success with that are MUCH higher with a midwife. When I mentioned wanting to go med free to my OB she told me she "didn't know why you'd want to torture yourself" and that was really no benefit to declining an epidural. I don't feel that is true at all (I think there are documented benefits to avoiding pain meds if possible). So I wanted to go somewhere where my provider didn't think I was crazy, and in fact supported my plan and thought it was a good idea too. Also a bonus of the midwife practice is that because they support and encourage med-free birth, they are more trained and have more equipment to help with non-med pain management. For example they are the only ones at the hospital allowed to use birthing tubs, which I will definitely be using. They also allow you to labor in the shower, and they stick with you the whole time and help you choose various positions to manage pain and also provide counter pressure and massage as needed.

So basically I think that my given plan (med-free birth) will be both more supported and also easier with midwives than with my OB who really just wanted me to get an epidural.

I'm seeing the same OB that I saw with my last pregnancy. I'm an ICU nurse so I'm a little crazy about always planning for the worst case scenario. Plus the end of my pregnancy with M was a little complicated (pre-e, HELLP syndrome) so I'm happy for a more heavily monitored approach.

I had an OB up until my 38th week, when I was discharged to the hospital and in the care of the midwives. There was also an OB on call when my son was born, she did the stitches but the midwives handled the delivery.

eta: I didn't decide, it's how it was done in the country where I deliverd (switzerland).

OB - using a midwife is pretty uncommon in my area. I only know one person who has ever used a midwife.

@Glitter: elective repeat ceserean section

Had an OB/midwife group for LO. This time I'm seeing a midwife group. We needed to choose a more convenient hospital and this group was the right size and right philosophy for me.

@littlek: even being totally pro-mw, the non-hospital thing scares me too! You just never know what might happen and it is comforting to me that I'm in a hospital with all the associated benefits if anything does go wrong.

Also I think there is a LOT of variety in midwives. I had a cousin who had a home birth midwife who (to me) seemed like a bit of a quack. She was super anti-western medicine, basically every bad stereotype you've heard about MWs. She ended up letting my cousin labor at home for 2.5 days before letting her go to the hospital (she'd started asking about going at 1 day but the mw kept telling her that was a bad idea) and then when she finally let her go, told her to LIE and say her water had broken only 12 hrs earlier rather than 2.5 days earlier. Sigh. I think midwives like that give the whole lot a bad name and make people nervous.

My practice operates just like a doc office. They do all the exact same tests (blood tests, NT if you want it, anatomy scan, rhogam if you're rh-, GSB, etc). The only difference in care that I see between my OB and the midwives is that the midwives give me an option to opt out of cervical checks before 40 weeks if I want to (and I did opt out), and they spend a lot more time talking to me about preparing myself and my body/mind for labor. Then during the actual delivery they stay with you the whole time, rather than just checking in. And like I said above-- support/have tools to help you go med free if you want to (but they also support you getting an epidural if you choose to go that route).

OB with my last one. I don't plan on having more, but if life throws me a curve ball, I'll always go with an OB after my really BAD experience at the birth center.

I'm seeing an OB, though my practice has both. It's the same OB I had with DD, but I chose him then because I'd had an outpatient surgery with him in the past and had been really pleased with his approach and bedside manner.

I have used the same midwife at a birth center all three times because I have severe anxiety in hospitals.