QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

2. What do you think about water birth?

3. How about home birth?

Answers

1. I am pregnant and want to know everything is all right, but I also want no ultrasound. What is your opinion on this matter?
When my father started practicing, his job was very simple. Smile, say hi, weigth you, measure belly, try to touch the baby (if big enough), try to hear a heartbeat. Then say "everything is all right" . Then you paid and that was it. Now it is more complicated than that. If your baby is big enough we can do it and I will tell you: "the baby is alive, your weigth is fine, so your blood pressure is" and that is all. And I would expect a "thank you doctor" and charge the same (we do not charge more or less with or without ultrasound as well as we do not charge more for 3d-4d imaging). Anyway, if you ask me to try to hear the heartbeat with a doppler handheld device so you can hear it, let me tell you this: Your baby will recieve more energy with that little device during the time we spend trying to find it and then hearing, than with some seconds of a no pictures taken and no measurements fast anatomical scan with an expert's eye (no sounds involved, just imaging). I can do that in half a minute. I even can see the baby is alive in ten seconds. In a couple of minutes, literally speaking, I can assure you that the baby is alive, and at a glance, safe & sound. Doppler handheld IS ultrasound too. And remember: avoiding harmfull actions includes also alcohol intake (any ammount), smoking (anything), the three white enemies (salt, sugar, flour meaning ANY bread cookies and such stuff), soft drinks (of course coke on top of the black list) and so on... Fine by me, nobody is perfect and in fact that can be a dangerous thing for my business, just try to be congruent.

2. What do you think about water birth?
Well, there are a lot of options and choices for everything, including how to give birth. I do not do water birth, I have no real experience on that, but I am sure that if you consider that option you have the background for flying somewhere in the mainland were you can have it under safe conditions. If the question is just my opinion, well, I am on favor of natural, and as far as I know there is no land-based species which seeks for water when birthing, neither primitive culture which does so. Meaning: I think is not natural, just a trend and a respectable choice.

3. How about home birth?.
On this state there is a good coverage for birthing, meaning, anybody has a place where to have a baby under medical care. So, the local laws & regulations do not even consider the home birth option. If you happen to deliver a baby at home, even in the presence of a physician, you will have a really hard time trying to get a birth certificate. It is not impossible, but harder than getting a canadian passport without papers.