Which is more important in a midwife?

[strmis]

I'd like to pick my midwife soon and have it narrowed down to two.  What would you do?

Midwife A:

pro:

Has lots more experience (been around since 1997)

Has more flexible appointments

cons:

Its just her and her assistant at the labor (2 people) so I'd still want to hire a doula

Midwife B:

pro:

Younger and so I get along with her better

Maya abdominal massage at every visit

Brings 2 other people to the labor (no need for doula)

will encapsulate placenta for me

$500 less than Midwife A

con:

Less experience (attended 200 births, 40 of which were personally delivered by her).

Appointments only on Mondays

What would you do? The biggest con here for me is the "lack of experience" in midwife b, but I don't know. At how many births are you considered experienced?

Any input would be most helpful for me!! Looking to make a decision soon =).    

[tourist.]

I would have to say that this is totally a personal decision and no one is going to know what you will feel most comfortable with. 

In my own situation, I went with a very tenured (20+ yrs) conservative midwife and her younger partner midwife.  I didn't necessarily "click" with them even though I like them a lot, but they were really just what I needed to make me feel comfortable about having my first baby at home.  They, and my husband, were the only people at my birth.  In hindsight, a doula would have really been useful. 

Good luck with your decision.  It's a tough one. 

[clutterbug]

It's so hard weighing like that - I'd say the main thing is go with your gut.  It'll come to you with some mulling. 

Each person requires their own level of support, but just thought I would throw in that I had two midwives at my second birth (home birth), plus my husband, and I didn't miss having a doula at all.  My midwife gave excellent support and was happy to come at the moment that I felt I needed her support (which ended up being fairly late in the game, but she would have come earlier if I'd wanted her to...I wouldn't have had my doula there earlier, either, I don't think).  I did have a doula at my first birth (hospital) and she was fabulous, so I wasn't sure how I would do without one, but it just wasn't in the budget....and I ended up being very happy with the structure of my team and the low number of people in the room.  I won't be hiring a doula this time, either - just the two midwives again.

As for experience, are midwives regulated where you live?  If  you live in a regulated area, and she is licensed, I (personally) would worry a little less about comparing birth numbers because that has been done for you, in a sense - a licensed midwife has to meet criteria to be deemed able to practice.  Although, I would probably want to know how many home versus hospital births were in those 40 births, if I were planning a home birth. 

Good luck deciding!  I hope it will just come to you...that's what happened for me when picking a midwife for baby #2 :)

[echospiritwarrior]

I have to repeat that you need to go your own gut.It's such a personal decision.

Given what you listed I would go with A, simply because I have never felt the need for a doula (for me the less people the better) and I totally adore and feel super confident with my super duper experienced midwife (who has been practicing since at least the early 70s) and I would trust her judgement without a doubt if she were ever to make a call to transfer. I think this is important to me. I think it would help me to accept  coming to terms with a birth that maybe didn't go as planned if I trusted wholeheartedly my midwife's call. I feel like a less experienced midwife might be more inclined to transfer "just in case". That how I feel. Again, I have really, really fast labors and hardly have had a midwife make it each time (and one time didn't)

[Peony]

More experience doesn't always mean "better". I've used MWs with 20+ years of experience to ones that were new, and very new at that. I personally tend to choose people that I click or mesh with the best. My favorite MW out of the 4 I've used previously? Was the one that that the time, was a young, child-less MW who was very confident and supportive of natural birth is ways that made her wise beyond her years of experience. Sometimes it helps to look beyond the black and white, who do you want to spend the next x amount of months really getting to know? 

[MarineWife]

I tend to go with my gut. The MW I had for my first homebirth was not very experienced at all. I was only her 50th client. She was wonderful, though. I felt very comfortable with her and she presented herself in a way that gave me a lot of confidence in her. We definitely clicked.

FWIW, my MW only brought one assistant. I hired a doula and ended up not needing her at all. She spent the time video taping. I don't think doula's are as necessary at homebirths as they are at hospital births.

[bohemama]

I agree...go with your gut!

I chose the less experienced midwife for my second (and third of course!) daughter's birth and I am extremely happy that I did.  She has turned out to be one of my closest friends and is actually an amazing midwife.  We're so close that I'll be starting an apprenticeship with her in the next couple of years (after the littlest is old enough for me to be gone during the night) :) Someone has to give the inexperienced midwife experience, right?  

[bohemama]

do you know anyone who has used either of the midwives?  I found talking to women who had hired both of the midwives helpful in choosing who I went with. 

[strmis]

Thanks for all the great responses.  I don't know why its so tough this time around. I think I'm always comparing to the midwife i had for my first pregnancies. This time, new area, new MW.

I did ask my old one for advice, and she said since I've been around the block a couple times, just go with the one I like.  Good sound advice from someone who knows me and my birth history well.

do you know anyone who has used either of the midwives?  

I wish!!

[GoBecGo]

I would go for experience so long as i got along with that person.  "clicking" with someone is fantastic, but makes no difference if they cannot handle an emergency.  IMO 40 births is nothing, she couldn't even have qualified in the UK with only 40 births.

A good midwife does what a doula makes up for a doctor NOT doing.  If you have a good midwife your doula is redundant.

[MittensKittens]

Originally Posted by strmis 

I wish!!

Maybe you could ask both midwives to get you in touch with some of their former clients? If you're concerned about the younger one's lack of experience, you can ask detailed questions about whether they know how to handle certain emergencies. For me personally, the younger midwife sounds wonderful, mainly because of the prenatal care extras. And I believe getting on with your midwife can make the birth easier. In other words, if you are not comfortable with her, your labor might go slower. But I agree that it is a decision only you can make.

[bohemama]

Originally Posted by MittensKittens 

Maybe you could ask both midwives to get you in touch with some of their former clients? If you're concerned about the younger one's lack of experience, you can ask detailed questions about whether they know how to handle certain emergencies. For me personally, the younger midwife sounds wonderful, mainly because of the prenatal care extras. And I believe getting on with your midwife can make the birth easier. In other words, if you are not comfortable with her, your labor might go slower. But I agree that it is a decision only you can make.

Yep..everything she said :)
 

[strmis]

SO, here's the updated:

Midwife B emailed me and basically told me that the more she thought about it, the less likely she'd accept me as a client because of the distance.

Wonderful! Midwife A it is =)