Unmedicated Childbirth

if you are open to considering a midwife, I encourage you to visit with Kim and Sheila at Midwest Midwifery. Their website is www.kcmidwife.com.

They are a part of an ob/gyn practice, but work very independently from the docs. They delivered my son and even though he arrived unexpectedly early, they worked hard to respect my wishes and make the experience a safe and positive one.

They are both experienced and knowledgeable. And well respected in our area. They do hospital deliveries...so you don't have to worry if there are unexpected complications.

Good luck in finding the right practice for you. It is very important.

I had an unmedicated birth at NKC hospital with Dr. Schwartz of Midwest Women's. He's in the same practice as the midwives though not all of the doctors are as open-minded. He has priveledges at NKC and Research. He was very very respectful of my decisions and waited to cut the cord until it stopped pulsing by my request even though my cord was super short for some reason and I was bleeding quite a bit (hemmorraghed and later required a tranfusion). He never made me feel stupid about my choices, allowed me to decline internal exams during prenatal, etc. It's hard to find the right fit here. I trust him and will be going back to him Lord willing.

I would highly suggest first off finding a doula. That is going to be the key to success right there. Secondly, Doula Services of Greater Kansas City Area has a lot of very experienced and educated doulas in the area that can be of service to you or even just give you advice on the best doctors in town for natural childbirth and other great resources. You can look them up online.

M.

I am unable to recommend a practice, but what I can tell you is that you need to know what you want (which it seems you do) and stick to your guns. Enlist the help of your husband or anyone else who will be with you during the labor and delivery. I delivered at St. Mary's in Blue Springs where the nurses went so far as to tell me, "Your baby will never thank you for not having an epidural, so you may as well have one." Luckily for me, this was my second child and the nurses in Warrensburg where I delivered my son 2 years earlier were very supportive of my natural childbirth decisions. Because of my experience in Warrensburg, I had the confidence to insist on doing things the way I felt were best for my baby. Best of luck to you!

I agree with Tracey--I loved Sheila and Kim! Especially Kim. She delivered my second son VBAC. I would recommend them highly. The only drawback, in my opinion, is that you have to deliver at Research. The baby nurses there were NOT open-minded, so watch that.

With my second child, I went to Kimberly Negrete (Neh-GRET-ee)-- she's a Certified Nurse Midwife in a practice of OBGYNs. I exclusively went to her, didn't see any of the other Drs, so I can't really say if they are all as open to natural methods. She said she was open to me laboring and delivering in whatever position I wanted to, though I wound up feeling better lying down, so that's what I did. (I delivered at St. Mary's without medication or IV, free to move around, etc. Though they did put a hepa-loc in, just in case I needed an IV later)

She's part of the "Healthcare for Women" practice that's attached to Centerpoint Medical Center on 39th St. (by Indep Center)-- www.hbahealthcareforwomen.com
You might talk with her to see if she thinks the other doctors are as open to natural methods. She said she did circulate my birth plan to the other doctors, so they would know what I wanted.
(PS-- she was also open to-- somewhat encouraged me to, since she knew I didn't want to be induced-- wait the 2 weeks past my due date. I had my daughter 11 days past my date. She suggested we wait 13 days past before we discussed induction)

PPS-- If you need a Pediatrician, I HIGHLY recommend Allison Henschel at Raintree Pediatrics. Her bedside manner is AMAZING. She takes the time to connect with my girls before jumping in to the examination, and she is much more of a "wait and see" doctor, rather than a "lets prescribe this to see if it works" doctor.

Good luck with your search!