I just found out that the midwife group I saw with my last pregnancy is no longer doing deliveries 
Now I need to find a new practice and I'm torn. I saw midwives for my first two pregnancies and I loved them (especially the second group). The problem is the 2 hospitals that are closest to us do not have any midwife groups and have much higher c-section rates. There are other hospitals that are further with midwife groups and/or birthing centers.
So, if you've only used midwives before, would you consider switching to an OB practice or travel more to stick with midwives?
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I have used a MW and have seen many OB appts. I would stick with a MW for my future pregnancies. That being said, I know some people that have had great experiences with OB's. The travel would be worth it to me.
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@Reese: Do you mean the travel would be worth it to stick with MW?
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We were in your situation. We used a midwife group for DS1 and were very happy. We decided to switch to an OB for DS 2 because I wanted to deliver at a closer hospital and because I wasn't completely satisfied with that first hospital.
Of course I just found out that this pregnancy is high risk, so I'm glad I'm already with an OB group.
Good luck and go with your gut!
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I traveled further to see a midwife. At the time, there were no CNM's delivering at hospitals in my metro area, so I delivered in Indiana (about 5 minutes further than the downtown hospital area) with a midwife practice.
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I would travel. In fact, I traveled over an hour away for my first birth so I could have a midwife group.
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We are in this situation now. I loved delivering with my midwife group for #1, but we moved so could not use them for my current pregnancy. In our current city, the midwifery groups are all at hospitals that are pretty far from our house. My first labor was very fast (and I have a family history of quick labors), so hospital proximity ended up trumping other considerations, but I am VERY nervous about this delivery. I feel like I have to be much more of an advocate about what I want and do not want. If I wasn't so concerned about getting to the hospital very quickly, I definitely would have switched to one of the further away midwifery practices.
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I'd stick with midwives and travel... I can't really imagine doing it any other way. I had the best group of midwives and the birth experience was excellent for me.
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@hitchhiker: I am nervous about needing to travel too far because I didn't even make it to the correct hospital with my second but there were extenuating circumstances so I think we would know to head to the hospital sooner this time. That is the only reason I am even considering an OB!
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I would travel further for a mid-wife group to get a better chance at the birth experience I want.
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@skipra: sorry, yes, the travel would be worth being under midwifery care (for me). How far is the drive/additional travel.
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I would travel to stick with midwives. Sorry to hear your last group stopped doing deliveries!
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I would travel - I'm delivering at a hospital 45 minutes away because that's where my midwives have privileges, even though there's a hospital 5 minutes from my house that I could have gone to if I had an OB (although that hospital also has a terrible reputation, so....)
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Thanks for the advice! I just found out that the head MW at my old practice actually moved to the hospital where I ended up delivering LO2. It is still quite a drive and they didn't even have a midwife practice 2 years ago so I just looked into it as a last resort. So happy now!
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I chose a midwife practice to try to have a more natural birth. I had a C-section and a bad birth/recovery experience. To me, the hospital and their practices is actually more important than the care provider for next time.
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@daniellemybelle: Oh no! I am so sorry to hear about your terrible experience
It is so difficult to choose who to see and where to go especially if you do not tell people early to get suggestions. I hope your next birth is a much better experience.
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@skipra: Awesome!!
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@skipra: That's so great!
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You could try and interview an OB and see if the practice is "midwife model" - what is the view on labor, c-section rate, etc. my midwife particles with two OBs who practice the midwifery model of care, and I have no issue seeing them if she is unavailable. Otherwise, I would stick with the midwife practice and travel.
It is so difficult to choose who to see and where to go especially if you do not tell people early to get suggestions. I hope your next birth is a much better experience.
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