QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR OB

Welcome your baby with the support and experience you’ve prepared for by asking these three simple questions at your next visit

Imagine you’re about to leave for your dream vacation. Sunshine, new places to visit – you’re so excited for this trip! Since you’ve never been there before, you want an experienced tour guide. It’s your dream vacation and you want only the best! You’ve got a specific budget in mind. Tour Guide Mary (who has 5 stars on TripAdvisor) is on board with exactly what you want. You hire her,and now that you’ve got the top travel guide to handle the details, you sit back and daydream about warm weather, museums, and unique restaurants.

Unfortunately, when you arrive at your dream destination, it’s Tour Guide Mary’s day off. Tour Guide Tony is filling in for her and says he knows exactly what you want: the Typical Tour package. Instead of your ideal itinerary, the Typical Tour includes only touristy spots with big crowds and cheap souvenirs, and it’s three times the price of your dream vacation. There’s no room for negotiation, though. Tour Guide Tony is ready to go!

You feel disappointed and uncertain. This wasn’t what you had prepared for. You really got along great with Tour Guide Mary, and you thought she’d handle all the details. You really thought she’d be there for your special trip.

Your baby’s birth day isn’t exactly like a dream vacation… It’s much more important. It’s a day you’ll remember every year while you celebrate with this new person in your life! How do you want to remember that day?

Welcome your baby with the support and experience you’ve prepared for by asking these three simple questions at your next visit.

1. Hey, Doc, what do you think about…

Insert anything you’re considering for your birth here. You’ve been researching your options or you’ve heard from your friends or birth class about all kinds of things. You’d like to know what they mean for you and your birth. Open the discussion with your provider in a neutral way, and you’ll get your doctor’s honest perspective! What do you think about… cord banking? Birth photographers? Skin to skin with baby? Epidurals?

2. How many of your patients want the kind of birth I want?

This is your chance to find out your doctor’s area of expertise. How many of your patients want an epidural/induction/unmedicated birth? Then, follow that up with, “How many of those patients get the birth they want?” Especially for families looking for a specific experience, this is important. If a provider says only about 10% of his patients want an unmedicated birth and only 1% of those 10% actually go on to have an unmedicated birth, is unmedicated birth this doctor’s area of expertise?

3. Will you be there?

Much like Tour Guide Mary, you have a chance to build a great relationship with your provider before your baby is born. You click! You like him or her, and that person you’ve selected specially knows what kind of birth you’re anticipating (since you’ve already talked about questions #1 and #2). But on baby day, will your provider be there? If not, who will be? Does the backup doctor(s) know what sort of birth you’re wanting? What is their area of expertise?

These questions will open positive communication with your provider. This is your birth and the first time you’ll meet this new little person in your life. Create a dependable birth team that supports your wishes. Your OB and your birth doula can help you experience a great Birth Day.