Childbirth Choices :: Choosing a Care Provider
OB/GYNs | Family Practitioners | CNMs | CPMs | CenteringPregnancy
A Family Medicine Physician is trained to care for families. He or she provides care that is family centered; for prenatal care, this means that the Family Physician may bring more attention to the whole family and the changes that occur with pregnancy and birth. The focus is providing women with information, and supporting the choices that they make with their families. After birth, the Family Physician cares for the entire family. This continuity of care facilitates breastfeeding, mother-infant bonding and the development of the new family dynamic.
For women who do not require the specialized surgical skills of obstetricians, but still prefer to use a physician as their care provider, family practice physicians may be the right choice for prenatal care. The primary benefit of receiving prenatal care from your family physician is continuity of care; you get to continue to see the doctor you normally visit when you have a sore throat or the flu -- someone who knows you and with whom you already feel comfortable. In addition, after your baby is born you can continue to bring her to your family physician for medical care—so the person who “caught” your baby can help her through her first cold or fever, as well!
If you choose a family practice physician, however, you may not end up with a significantly different birth experience than if you hired an obstetrician. At least one study has shown that family practice physicians do not have lower rates of medical interventions (such as cesarean or continuous electronic fetal monitoring) than obstetricians1.
Family medicine practices that provide prenatal and birth services in our area include:
1. R A Rosenblatt, S A Dobie, L G Hart, R Schneeweiss, D Gould, T R Raine, T J Benedetti, M J Pirani, and E B Perrin, “Interspecialty differences in the obstetric care of low-risk women.” Am J Public Health. 1997 March; 87(3): 344-351.