Bet You Spent More Time Researching Your Car!

Bet you spent more time researching that mini-van!

When it comes to making a big purchase, most Americans, especially women, will do a lot of research.

Options...
Safety...
Availability...
Price...

All of those things we think are important. Right? Of course they are, especially when you are planning to shell out roughly $30,000 in some cases. That is an ass ton of money!


But one thing you would probably shocked to hear is that the vast majority of America's spend more time researching high end purchases than they do picking a provider who will provide prenatal care, and deliver their baby.  I know!  Shocking!


Unfortunately for women today, we are raised our whole lives with the mentality of Doctor knows best.  Don't question any form of authority, and just follow the leader, and this is impacting the safety of our maternity care system.

Way back when before I had kids, or even though of entering the childbirth community at all I thought that you picked a hospital, then found of one their doctors who took your insurance and you were a go. And I even did that with my oldest son. I was in love with a local hospital with beautiful facilities, a newly re-modeled "childbirth center" which was their new misleading name for labor and delivery, and the idea of giving birth there.  Until I got put through the ringer by the doctors office, their shitty staff, and then one of their evil OB/GYN's that I only saw a hand full of times and hated.

When I was 19 I became a postpartum doula working for a local agency based out of my home town. I was a glorified mothers helper. The clients I had worked with at the time were women pregnant with twins, or multiples, moms days postpartum after a c-section whose Nanny was off for the day, etc.  It was nothing I would have even classified as doula work despite being trained "in house" by the agency as a postpartum doula.

I always wanted to continue my doula education and really work full time in the field, but being single and having to hold an actual full time job it wasn't in the cards at that point.  But that is totally off into left field. See how easily I get distracted... cue my ADD!


After my first birth experience I was hell bent on a more positive outcome with my other children. My second son was born, another bad experience came and went, and I decided that I wanted to get back into the childbirth community and started the process to become a childbirth educator. In the summer of 2010 I competed my Passion for Birth workshop to become a Lamaze Educated Childbirth Educator.

So much came from my research in those years. And even more came from what I have learned in studying for my Lamaze exam. It seems like every time the date starts to creep up on me, I push it back to the next test.  I hate testing! Always have... always will.   But I will be sitting in April! 


Most women use a hand full of methods in picking out a provider...

• Girlfriends - Ladies always ask each other for provider recommendations.  Whether or not they want the same type of birth.
• Insurance company - Many will call their insurance company and ask for a recommendation of who they cover. 
• Hospital - Women will pick a hospital that may be nice from the outside, or local to where they live and call their referral hotline.

All ways which can work, but don't most of the time. Especially if you are looking for a specific type of childbirth experience.

My Suggestions?

RESEARCH!

• Look up your local hospital's statistics.  See how many moms are having c-sections, or being induced. Also, if the hospital doesn't willingly give the information to the public, this is often a red flag for bad practices.
• Interview providers!   You don't need to settle for the first one you meet... because if you don't click with them, it becomes harder to change providers as your pregnancy progresses.
• Don't shop by hospital... Sure there are some amazingly pretty hospitals... but don't go by looks!
• Check out The Birth Survey!  Yes, there is a satisfaction survey for mothers based on provider, and hospitals nationally! 

Believe me, it may not be important to you today... just like researching a provider wasn't important to me with my oldest son... but I promise there are many of us who wish we could go back and do it all over again, no matter what kind of birth experience you are looking for!