Choosing a Doctor Supportive of Natural Birth

Having a natural birth is one of the most rewarding experiences that any mother can have. The experience of bringing your baby into the world without medical interventions is something that everyone should have a chance to partake in. While some women due to medical reasons cannot have natural births, there are an increasing amount of women who are opting to go natural. 

If you’ve done your research you’ve likely heard a lot about selecting midwives of doulas to support natural birth. While these are great choices, what if you just want to have a natural birth while at the hospital? There are doctors who support natural birth, but finding one will take time and research.

Would you like more detailed info on the different types of pregnancy doctors, midwives, and how choose where to give birth?  Get our free pregnancy and birth planning guide, as well as our free childbirth mini-series.  Just enter your details below:

Factors to Consider When Selecting a Doctor

·         What is their outlook on natural birth? You’d be surprised to know how many doctors believe that anything that is not a c-section or with the use of an epidural is a natural birth. What you want to find out is if the doctor’s idea of natural birth is the same as yours.

·         How much freedom will they give you as a mother? Some doctors have a time limit on how long a woman can be in labor before trying medical intervention. Other doctors have low tolerance for mothers who don’t wish to have their bag of water broken or the use of forceps to deliver the baby. Finding out what sorts of freedoms your doctor is comfortable with is important.

·         How does the doctor feel about handling the newborn after delivery? If you want to breastfeed your child the moment they come out is this something the doctor will support? Some would prefer to whisk them away before allowing them to connect with the mother.

·         What is their success rate for natural births? Of course every woman has their problems but it would be nice to see how many of the doctor’s patients actually had a successful natural birth.

·         What is the doctor’s take on having the support of a doula? While you’re entitled to have someone assist you in giving birth some doctors are not too keen on having “non medical support” outside of your family members in the room. You want to make sure that this is not a conflict.

·         What is the doctor’s availability? If you are working with a doctor that has a large network of colleagues, you want to find out the likelihood of someone else delivering your baby. This will be extremely important as the doctor’s colleagues may not agree with natural birth which could throw your plans off.

Best Places to Find the Right Doctor

You can easily begin to locate doctors supportive of natural birth through several different resources, however, the best two are mentioned below:

·         Childbirth Educator – Your childbirth educator is able to point you in the right direction with regards to finding a doctor supportive of your labor plans. They are likely to know who the best candidate is as well as if they accept your insurance.

·         Other moms – You will never get a better recommendation on doctors than from mothers themselves. If you have some friends, neighbors, or family members that have just had a baby try talking to them about the doctor they used to see if it’s a good fit for you. They can tell you firsthand how the experience was and if you would benefit from using their doctor.

Finding the right doctor to support your plans for natural birth is not an easy task but it is essential. Be sure to go visit the doctor to make sure that you are comfortable with them. As an expectant mother comfort should be high on your list of priorities as this is the only way to have a successful pregnancy and delivery.  Would you like more detailed info on the different types of pregnancy doctors, midwives, and how choose where to give birth?  Get our free pregnancy and birth planning guide, as well as our free childbirth mini-series.  Just enter your details below:

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