>First, find out the percentages of cesarian birth and breastfeeding for both your obstetrician and your hospital as compared to the national average. If the nu

>First, find out the percentages of cesarian birth and breastfeeding for both your obstetrician and your hospital as compared to the national average. If the numbers don't look good, don't hesitate to switch (even if you like your doctor but they are affiliated with a knife-happy hospital). To add my two cents: Decide right now what type of birth experience you want. Some of my friends wanted the full suite of drugs as soon as they walk in the hospital door; others want as little medical intervention as possible. If you're thinking about going the low-intervention route, try to find a doula or midwife. Either one will be able to spend time with you as your advocate during labor as opposed to an O.B. who will check in every once in a while and end up spending a total of an hour or two with you. AFAIK, the cost of a doula or midwife is covered by most insurance plans. (If you're like me, your picture of a midwife will be a hippy-dippy boomer who chants and wants everybody to give birth squatting in a field. When we looked around, it was easy to find a really good certified nurse midwife who was very professional and didn't smell like patchouli.) Also, IUD = great idea. Some IUD's are embedded with a small dose of hormones, so you'll want some real medical advice before choosing one.