Natural Birth Friendly OB/GYN?

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP. Thanks for all the responses. One of the doctors at my practice also recommended that I stay at home as long as possible. How do I know when I need to come in? To the 14:27 poster, or anyone else, did your doula come to your house and tell you when it was time to go to the hospital?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

This isn't 14:27. But yes. A doula will join you at home while you labor and go with you to the hospital (assuming you don't go really early). She can help you determine the right time to go, although most won't do an internal exam and it's not an exact science, so you'll never know for sure. For me that was one of the benefits of having her. She gave me the confidence to labor at home for as long as possible. I ended up staying at home until I was fully dialated (I didn't know it at the time).