Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

It can be hard to decide what sort of medical professional you want to build a relationship with throughout your pregnancy, delivery, and post-partum period. Depending on your location, your options may be numerous or very limited. Regardless, it's important that you choose very carefully because you will have to trust and be comfortable with him or her.

If you don't have access to a private birthing center, doula, or personal coach, or you simply don't have the financial means required for these services, your choice may be limited to your local obstetricians, midwives, and hospitals. You still have several choices to make. You can choose to interview a few different doctors, or rely on the experiences of family members and friends to pick a healthcare provider on the recommendation of someone that you trust.

You may prefer a female obstetrician or a midwife if the thought of a male doctor examining you so intimately makes you uncomfortable, or you may just choose a healthcare provider based on their experience and the length of their career. A midwife may be able to work more closely and openly with you throughout your pregnancy and even coach you in preparing for your delivery and caring for your new baby. Certainly, not all midwives are created equal. In some locations, a nursing degree is required before a woman can pursue her midwife certification; however this is not the case everywhere.

A doula or personal coach may not necessarily be certified as a midwife or licensed and/or registered as a nurse, so this role is additional and should not be a substitute for your medical professional. While she may not be a licensed healthcare provider, a doula or personal coach will have a lot of unique skills and experience. She can help you look at your options in regard to various aspects of your pregnancy and the birth of your baby, support you emotionally, and if you design a strict plan for delivery, she can be present to help ensure hospital staff comply with your wishes.

If you hope to give birth to your baby at home, you may not have many doctors to choose from, as it's difficult to find a physician who will make house calls today. Many mainstream midwives are not likely to attend a home birth either, you may have to contact several before finding one that offers the services you're looking for, but it's not impossible. Methods like home birth and water birth are becoming more popular, many professionals have to evolve with the trends and offer popular services, or risk losing business by turning away so many patients.

In general, you must first have a basic idea about the kind of services and care you want to receive before settling on the provider, or set of providers, that you want to involve in your pregnancy and birth experience. Above all, you want to choose someone with whom you can be open and comfortable with, and you want to be on the same page at all times, so it's also important that he or she is willing to take time answering your questions and addressing your concerns.

They must also be able to communicate clearly with you, so if they speak a completely different language (literally or figuratively) interaction may be stressful. The last thing you want is to leave the office of your healthcare provider with even more questions than you had going in!