Questions to Ask Your Care Provider

Choosing a good care provider and birthing location are two of the most important decisions you will make during your pregnancy. Having a supportive medical provider and a birthing location that follows up to date practices will stack the deck in your favor for a positive birthing experience.

There are many different types of care providers in the Oklahoma City Metro area, but all providers generally fit into two schools of thought. Most providers either follow a medical model of care, or a patient centered model of care. 

Medical Model of Care
These Providers:

• Are more focused on risks, and illnesses surrounding the perinatal time.
• Have a "problem solving" approach
  
• May be unable to spend as much time educating, listening to, or assessing their patients during prenatal visits.
• Usually provide little emotional, or hands-on support.
• Place a high respect on medications and technology.

Patient-Centered Model of Care
These Providers:

• Treat you holistically (as a whole person, not as a “patient” or a “pathology” to be solved).
• Believe in preventative care (that problems should be anticipated, but not acted on until they happen).
• Tend to “come down to your level” when they talk to you. They use less medical language that could be confusing.
• Believe in shared decision-making, informed consent, and refusal.
• Believe emotions, living situations, nutrition, and education should all be addressed prenatally.
  
• Recognize that birth is a social (involving family and friends) and transformative event.​

It is important to remember not to make assumptions about what you think the provider believes, based on what type of practitioner they are. The patient-centered model of care is sometimes referred to as "midwifery model of care" but there are many OBGYN's who follow this model as well! There are also some midwifes who follow a medical model of care. When choosing a care provider here are some tips to follow:

1. Interview several caregivers.
2. Ask open-ended questions, rather than yes or no questions.
3. Follow up on any vague answers.
4. Ask yourself, “Am I getting facts or feelings?”
5. Ask yourself, “Would I feel comfortable asking this person a ‘dumb’ question?”
6. Remember it’s never too late to switch care providers if the answers don’t feel “right” to you.

Now for the questions! Here are some questions that I recommend asking care providers before deciding who you would like to care for your family during such an important time.

1. What is your main goal as my care provider?
The most common answer here is "healthy mom, healthy baby" but does the provider want you to have a good, supported experience?
2.  What do you strive for in relationships with your clients?
3.  How many people are in your practice? How often do you catch your own clients babies?
4.  What does informed consent look like to you? 
Informed refusal should be included in their answer
5.  In what situation would you want to monitor my baby continuously?
If you are healthy and low risk, intermittent monitoring should be standard.
6.  How do you feel about eating and drinking during labor?
Evidence says, if you are healthy and low risk, you should be able to eat and drink freely.
7.  What prenatal tests do you recommend and why?
8.   What positions do you prefer to catch babies in?
Positions that take into account the mothers comfort would be an appropriate answer here.
9.  What would you do if my labor stalls?
"Stalling" is common and normal. An appropriate answer would be to be patient and continue to monitor mother and baby.
10.  In what situations would you recommend a cesarean birth? Are you familiar with a "family centered cesarean" and do you provide any of these options during a cesarean? Clear/lowering the drape during birth, having hands free, delayed cord clamping, and skin to skin? 
11.  How comfortable are you if I go past my "due" date?
Most women go past their due date. The range of normal is from 37 weeks - 42 weeks.
12.  In what situation would you recommend inducing labor?
ACOG recommends no elective inductions prior to 39 weeks.
13. In what circumstance would you want to break my waters?
Usually it is safest to leave waters intact as it protects the umbilical cord from being compressed and helps protect baby from infection.
14. How do you feel about using water for pain relief during labor?
ACOG recommends using water to relieve discomfort during labor.
15.  What are some things that would risk me out of your care?
16.  What are your induction, cesarean, and VBAC rates?
17.  What are your feelings about birth plans?
18.  How do you feel about doulas?

Watch out for red flags.
Trust your gut when it comes to choosing a care provider. When you ask them questions, how do they make you feel?

• What information are you getting, not getting, or getting too much of?
• Do they tend to downplay risks when they want you to do something? Or offer extreme or inflated risks when they want you to NOT do something?
• Do they talk to you and your support (friend, partner, etc) equally or ignore your birth team?
• If you disagree, how do they respond?
• What is their body language like? Do they stand above you?
• Do they talk over you or ignore your requests?
• Do they make you feel like your requests and questions are stupid?
• Do they make you feel small or inferior?
• Do you feel like they are trying to manipulate you?

If you need any recommendations on a care provider or birthing location, I am happy to discuss this at a free consultation!

Contact Me