Had an epidural with GW midwives, wondering if they will take me back for #2

Anonymous
Did anyone on here have an epidural with the gw midwives, if so did you have another birth with them and/or discussions about another birth?

My first was a long labor. There was pain from an old injury that we were having trouble managing during labor. Ultimately I ended up with an epidural at my pleading around 5-6cm and 30 hours in.

I can't help but wonder if I failed and they won't accept me back for pregnancy #2. The old injury will probably flare again and I'll want an epi unless this labor moves fast. I could probably manage a quicker labor, but the exhaustion (4 hrs of sleep in the last 48) and the pain was too much. I worry that since I'm not 100% committed to unmedicated birth, then I won't be accepted for the next round.

I have an appt coming up, but was hoping to get any insight in advance.
Anonymous
No insights here but do honestly wonder why you want to go to an outfit that you think will judge you and see you pregnancy as something to score you by. I would think you would want to be in a place that's as supportive of you as possible. Pregnancy is one time we don't need judgment.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:No insights here but do honestly wonder why you want to go to an outfit that you think will judge you and see you pregnancy as something to score you by. I would think you would want to be in a place that's as supportive of you as possible. Pregnancy is one time we don't need judgment.


Amen.
Anonymous
I've worked with the GW midwives as a doula and I can understand your hesitation, and have had other clients who got epidurals for their first births and who have also expressed the same concern about future babies. I'd be very curious what kind of response you get from the midwives if you speak to them about this. I understand why you'd still want them as a provider (they do offer many things that can't be found anywhere else in our area), and i also agree with PP that it may be nice to have a provider that would be more supportive of your openness to having an epidural if you choose to, and who you could be honest with upfront about your intentions. the GW midwives may be that provider, but they may not -- I think the only way to find out is to talk with them. I also look forward to reading the responses of others who have had an epidural with the midwives and who have then gone on to work with the midwives again in the future.

I've seen some of the gw midwives be very supportive of women who choose epidurals, and others be very judgmental (which is extremely upsetting). No woman should have to beg and plead for pain relief. I understand why the midwives want to keep their epidural rates low and to maintain the excellent outcomes associated with those low rates, but at the same time it is unfortunate that women who want or need pain relief are judged or feel they can't be honest with the midwives, or don't get to benefit from the other great aspects of the midwives' care model.

please report back to let us know more about your conversations with them. i think this is a very important topic.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:No insights here but do honestly wonder why you want to go to an outfit that you think will judge you and see you pregnancy as something to score you by. I would think you would want to be in a place that's as supportive of you as possible. Pregnancy is one time we don't need judgment.


+1
Anonymous
I worked on labor and delivery unit that had several midwives with very busy practices. About 60-70% of the midwifery patients and 90% of the OB/GYN patients had epidurals. It should not matter to the healthcare provider whether or not you ended up with an epidural. It's totally a personal decision and labor is PAINFUL.
Anonymous
LOL 22:26 is obviously not from DC or familiar with Wisdom!

To the doula above-- care to comment on which MWs are cooler about epidurals?
Anonymous
I'm another doula. It sounds like you had a hard, long, labor. That's what epidurals are for...in those situations, they get you to a vaginal birth instead of a CS. It is normal to grieve for the things that didn't go as planned in your birth, but please make am appointment with Laura or Sierra (they have the best bedside manner) and discuss these feelings. You shouldn't have to carry this around for years.
Anonymous
I don't think it's a question if they'll take you back. You're their patient now. I don't think they'd kick you out of their practice.

It's not like some elite club for goodness sakes. It's a medical practice.

That said, if their model of care doesn't fit you, there are other midwifery practices that are less rigid. You'll just have to weight the pros and cons of what the GW midwifery practice offers vs. the risk that they may pressure you not to get an epidural again. Though it sounds like in your case, you had some uniquely unmanageable pain that needed to be dealt with in order to allow your labor to progress.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No insights here but do honestly wonder why you want to go to an outfit that you think will judge you and see you pregnancy as something to score you by. I would think you would want to be in a place that's as supportive of you as possible. Pregnancy is one time we don't need judgment.


+1


+2

I also had a long complicated labor and ended up with an epidural after 36 hours with the MCA midwives. I'm back with them for #2, and can't imagine feeling worry that they'd judge me or "take me back" on top of all the other worries I have about this second labor. PP who's a doula is absolutely right: epidurals serve a purpose in long complicated labors. They're not evil.

And judging women who get them is not a "model of care." It's BS, plain and simple.
Anonymous
There are also OBs that support natural birth and provide good care. I'll never understand the anti-OB view of some people. Especially wisdom patients, who benefit often from the skills of OBs if there are issues the midwives can't handle at delivery.
The only thing you can control is being your own advocate. It seems certain midwives care a whole mess about their statistics and judge/shame in order to ensure their stats are good.
Shrug.
Anonymous
This is the other doula PP. I agree with everything this doula says, and also agree that Laura or Sierra would be the nicest to talk to about this. I think it would be important for you to make clear to all of the midwives (and in your written birth preferences if you end up having some) that it is very important to you to feel supported in whatever decisions you make about pain medication.

Anonymous wrote:I'm another doula. It sounds like you had a hard, long, labor. That's what epidurals are for...in those situations, they get you to a vaginal birth instead of a CS. It is normal to grieve for the things that didn't go as planned in your birth, but please make am appointment with Laura or Sierra (they have the best bedside manner) and discuss these feelings. You shouldn't have to carry this around for years.
Anonymous
I got an epidural with number 1 (not with GW) because my nurse told me I was not in labor when I was in transition, so I thought I needed it to get through the night and start pitocin in the morning. Had the baby 10 minutes later. Just met Whitney for my first prenatal visit with number 2, and she told me for 2nd time moms who had an epidural with their first, she really strongly recommends a doula, but was cool with me suggesting my mom (4 time natural birther) be there with me. I didn't sense any judgment. I also agree that epidurals have their place, and if things were as the nurse said, I wouldn't regret mine at all. As it actually was, it was a waste of a couple hundred bucks!
Anonymous
OP, you could consider going with the OBs.

I had a natural childbirth with the GW OBs before GW midwives was part of their practice. They are a practice that is open to natural childbirth. I am having #2 now and am going with the GW OBs again after a lot of careful thought. My understanding is that the GW OBs are even more natural childbirth-friendly now that the midwives are there.

Anonymous
I'm with the GW Midwives (formerly called Wisdom, don't think they're called that anymore). OP, did you go to meet the midwives? I'm surprised that you feel this way, since they talk about the three doors of labor and absolutely believe that epidurals do have a place in extended labors. I don't think that any of them, even the supposedly most dogmatic anti-epi version of them out there, would begrudge you your needed epidural.

To the former L&D person who thinks midwives should not care about whether or not their patients use epidurals, seriously? The point of going with a midwife is you want fewer interventions. An epi is an intervention and some believe (I'm one of them) that they can often lead to further and more invasive epidurals. They also take some of your control away.

I am not anti-OB at all, but with my first I was with a really supportive OB and at the end of the day, he pressured me to flip over and birth in the laid back position, and I tore badly, because he preferred to catch that way - although he told me it was about pushing effectively. There was also an issue where I was ready to push and nobody could come and check me, so I was told I was not allowed to push until someone checked me for dilation, which did not happen for another 25 minutes, which is how long it took my OB to get back to the hospital. This just would not happen with a midwife, where there is a more constant presence. So this is why I prefer to let a midwife handle my normal birth. If it becomes abnormal, then I'll be grateful for the presence and collaboration of an OB team as needed.

Anyway, not to digress too far afield. I cannot see anyone at Wisdom judging you for your first birth. What I think would be good about them is that they will probably be able to help you view your first birth and see what (if anything, because sometimes as they say in their meet the midwives, birth happens through door number 2, where it does not go as expected, and you need some interventions to get through, or door number 3, where you even need a c-section) you can do to help you stay on top of your pain, help you speed up your labor (which usually happens anyway for second time moms) and other things to help you avoid getting to the point where pain and exhaustion make an epidural as necessary as it sounds like your first was. If you go with them hoping for this, I think it is an appropriate match. But if you go into your second birth planning for that epidural, understandable as that might be, given your first experience, then I would say that a midwifery model of care may not be for you. That's a bit different from saying that you'll go into it planning not to beat yourself up if you need one again, but rather, going into it expecting your body to follow the same path may be defeatist.

Either way, good luck. I highly doubt anyone will judge you. I remember when I first started seeing the GW Midwives, their reputation turned me off. But I think that the way they are portrayed on these boards by supposed patients is VERY different from any experience I have ever had with them.
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