Finding a care provider
(Prenatal Care & Birth)
I dare say you’ll get the exact same answers from every doctor in the Greater Montreal area.
"I don’t know my C section rate, I only do C sections when they are medically necessary.”
"VBAC, sure! We’ll discuss it as you get closer to your due date". (This is a bit of a red flag for me. If a doctor does not want to discuss VBAC from the get go, you have to wonder how supportive of VBAC they really are.)
"No". Or, "Only when medically necessary".
I might be about to turn this conversation on its head! As a doula working alongside Montreal maternity care providers, I've learned a few things along the way. Most blog posts about choosing a care provider for your pregnancy (especially from our neighbors to the South) focus on the provider’s responses to certain questions:
What is your C section rate?
Do you encourage VBACs (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean)?
Do you cut routine episiotomies?
The strategy I suggest to newly pregnant Montrealers involves shopping around for the TYPE of care you want and then choosing the PLACE you want to birth your baby. Once you've figured where you want to birth, it is much easier to focus your energy on contacting the associated offices, clinics and practices.
While our medical system is seriously overloaded, when it comes to pregnancy you have a ticket in! If you are pregnant in Montreal, you will have a medical care provider, you may have to work for it and make phone calls if you have preferences but you will succeed!
Come with me through some questions to consider about care providers right after getting a positive pregnancy test (eeek!!) or if you are thinking about getting pregnant!