BIRTH PLANNING QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR OBSTETRICIAN

When choosing a doctor, it’s important to find one who is in sync with your values and needs.  Be sure you clarify your values before you choose your doctor. Take our survey “Clarifying Your Values for Birth” Then you can find one who has similar philosophy about  childbirth as you do. You can also check out The Birth Survey and find out what other women have said about your doctor and hospital. See link at bottom of this page. We also recommend you find out if your hospital is a Mother and Baby Friendly Hospital, see link at bottom of page.

1. What is the length of your appointments? How long must I wait to see you?
2. How many patients do you deliver per month? ( over 30 this may mean 5 or 6 per day; long office waits/short dr. visits at prenatals).
3. If you’re not on call, or busy with another birth, then who will deliver my baby? Do you have partners?
4. What happens if I go past my due date?
5. For what situations  do you recommend inducing labor?
6. Do you do a Bishop Score before deciding to induce labor?
7. What percentage of your patients have hired a Professional Labor Companion/Doula? What do you think of them? Who have you worked with? What do you like/dislike about doulas, and why? What doula would you recommend (if any)?
8. How do you feel about my hiring a  Monitrice? Have you worked with any? How do you feel about them?
9. Do you do VBAC? What is your VBAC rate?
10. Do you deliver twins  or breech vaginally?
11. What is your Cesearean rate? (should not be higher than 15%).
12. What are the most common reasons for Cesarean section in your practice?
13. Do you allow your patients to:

• eat or drink in labor?
•  have intermittent monitoring?
• telemetry monitoring?
• not have an IV?
• have a heparin lock instead of an IV?
• walk, assume any position they like in labor?
• use the shower or bath in labor for pain management?
• Use nipple stimulation for strengthening weak contractions?
• have a doula for labor support?
• have freinds, family members, siblings present at birth?
• push in any position they like, including out of bed, on floor or toilet?
• use a squatting bar for pushing?

14. What is your time limit for latent phase of labor? active phase?  pushing?

15. How many of your patients need a vacuum extraction or forceps?

16. what percentage of your births do you  cut episiotomies?

17. Do you do perineal massage with mineral oil?

18. Would you  be willing to use warm compresses on my perineum?

19. Do you place the baby on the mom’s belly once delivered?

20. Will you wait til the cord has stopped pulsing before cutting  the cord?

21. Will you let a father catch the baby?

22. Will you let me nurse  the baby to help my placenta deliver instead of giving me pitocin?

23. How long can I keep the baby with me after birth?

For evidenced-based Mother and Baby Friendly Guidelines  for maternity care, see The 10 Steps to Mother Friendly Care developed by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) which were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Perinatal Education.

Links of Interest:

New Mothers Speak Out – Women’s Experiences of Postpartum – by Childbirth Connection

“Why Have Natural Childbirth?” by Shelly Girard, CPM, LM, MPH

Join our newsgroup Pregnant with Questions!

Listening to Mother’s Survey I and II -U.S. Women’s Experiences of Childbirth

Check out The Birth Survey! Share your birth story. Rate your hospital, doctor or midwife. Find out what women are saying about your doctor and hospital. Go to The Birth Survey by clicking below:

For answers to your childbirth-related questions, please contact us at 626-388-2191 or email:support@socalbirth.com