The 10 ESSENTIAL Questions to Ask Your OB if You Want an Unmedicated Birth
Will you be the one to deliver my baby?
How many of your past patients have successfully had an unmedicated birth?
What is your personal c-section rate?
How comfortable are you with waiting if I go past 40 weeks?
Will you allow me to eat during labor?
Can I labor in water (shower or tub)?
Do you require routine continuous monitoring or IV?
How do you feel about delivering my baby in a position other than me lying on the bed?
Do you encourage delayed cord clamping and skin-to-skin?
Do you have any doulas you recommend?
Don't forget that you have the right to ask these questions, and if you don't like your doctor's answers or if you sense that your doctor doesn't believe that women can birth babies without medications, then you can go find another doctor.
Besides mindset & partner support, having a supportive provider is one of the KEYS to unmedicated birth. You don't want to be fighting for fewer interventions while you're in the middle of active labor. A little preparation and discussion with your provider beforehand will enable you to make decisions that set you up for success.
Midwives are a great option if you want an unmedicated birth. It's not well-known that many midwives work in hospitals! It's worth checking around to see what options you have near you. And for me, personally, I would drive some distance to get a provider that I felt comfortable with. However, it's still important that you ask these questions to your midwife, too. Not all midwives are supportive of unmedicated birth, unfortunately.
If you want to learn more about unmedicated birth and your options for providers & interventions, you should sign up for our Birth Class for Couples. We go into depth on all of these topics (and much more!)
I'll end with this
Don't forget that you are the customer and doctors are the business. If you had questions about a product or were unsatisfied with the service you received at a store, wouldn't you ask questions or go to another store?
It's worth the effort to fight for what you deserve: individualized & compassionate care.
