Before our first visit with Dr. Atwood last week, we had made a list of questions that we wanted to ask.
I ended up asking them from memory, since I felt awkward reading from a list, but the answers I did get were pretty good.
- Midwives – no, no midwives at the Swedish we’re at. So, we’ll be interviewing a couple that we’ve been recommended.
- Induction rate – I didn’t ask for the explicit number, but she reassured us that they don’t induce if they can at all avoid it. That’s a good starting point… I’d still like to know the exact induction rate though.
- Epidural rate – Usually only upon request, unless you’re doing a Cesarean.
- Non-office hour deliveries – She told us that there’s always a doctor on staff, and that they do not pressure to move deliveries along due to time of day or week. She volunteered this information without me asking first, so I’m going to trust her on that one.
- Breech deliveries – They don’t do breech deliveries, even Frank breech. Which is unfortunate. If it comes to that, we will prepare for that possibility when it comes. She did say that they do all kinds of tricks to get the baby to turn, and that they have some success with that. So that’s good.
- Late deliveries – They don’t pressure to induce until 42 weeks. That seems reasonable to me.
- Big babies – Seems like they will occasionally pressure to do C-sections when the labor doesn’t seem to be progressing, and when size of the baby’s head could be an issue.
- Water-breaking – They worry about labor not progressing after water breaking when the mother has tested positive for Group B Strep (about 1/3 of women). If she has tested negative, they’re more likely to allow a labor to progress at its own pace.
- Fetal monitoring – They allow intermittent monitoring to allow the mother to move around. That’s the right answer.
- Movement during labor, alternate positions – Every birthing room has its own tub and shower and all positions are allowed to be explored. This is great news, and one of the main reasons I’m feeling like this doctor and hospital might work for us.
All in all, good answers. Dr. Atwood was kind, was able to listen, answered questions confidently and without getting annoyed at us, and overall gave us a good impression.
Esther’s job this week is to schedule appointments with a few different midwives in the area just so we can have something to compare with. Stay tuned!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I highly recommend my midwife Heike Doyle at Puget Sound Birth Center, if you’re interested in going the midwife route. Yeah, it’s in Kirkland — but the space is amazing, and the level of care is phenomenal. Bonus: midwifery care often costs half as much as hospital care.
(Of course we may end up having our baby at Swedish anyway, due to lil dude still being breech at 35 weeks. But we’ll see!)
Ooh, good to know. We’re scheduling interviews this week and will suggest Heike. Do you know if she accepts Regence as insurance?
Also, good luck turning that baby around. I agree that all of the “if you do this, it might help, or it might hurt” kinds of decisions to make are enough to make one go insane with stress (if you’re anything like me). On the one hand, I’m glad that statistics are being used to help make decisions. On the other hand, we’re so bad at turning statistics into action because we can barely tell the difference between 1/100 and 1/1000, much less try to factor in the severity of potential outcomes, etc. Anyway, yes, hang in there!
Not sure about the insurance coverage — we’re Premera Blue Cross.
I delivered with the same practice 2 years ago and I can confirm the answers for #4 and #6 (at least for my own pregnancy). I ended up with a c-section (which I was actually happy with). But all of the doctors and staff bent over backwards to not rush anything.
I was induced at around 41.5 weeks (my fluid levels got low), and they kept on trying for a vaginal birth for 48 hours until both me and the baby were exhausted.
Good luck guys!