"How present are you during labor?"
Many of you might be surprised to find out that your care provider doesn't stay with you for the majority of your labor, or maybe you are so used to the "seven minute rule" of office visits that this little tidbit doesn't surprise you at all.
(for more on the seven minute rule check out www.nytimes.com/2006/03/22/opinion/22salgo.html)
So naturally this is a question worth asking a potential care provider.
If you are interviewing a doctor, you will more than likely hear that she is not very present, if everything is going "smoothly", until the crowning stage. This means you may not see your care provider at all, besides the odd check in and vaginal exam every few hours. Once your baby's head is showing, the doctor will suit up, and deliver your baby. She will continue to deliver your placenta and do any necessary stitching. After all is said and done, you probably won't see her until the next day. These are all things to be aware of and confirm with any potential care provider. Also keep in mind that some family doctors might surprise you by staying with you for most of your labor and adapting a more midwifery type model of care. We have a office in Asheville called Family to Family that operates this way. (http://www.familytofamily.org/)
If you are interviewing a midwife, the response could possibly be the same, but more often than not she will say she will be present for most of your labor. Extenuating circumstances that might prohibit your midwife from "labor sitting" would be if two or more people are in labor at the same time. At this point you will want to know if she works with a group or an assistant. If so, will they jump in if more than one client is laboring?
Will you be able to meet them before you go into labor?
Check back for question #2!
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